Our health journey began in 2013 when our third-born son (then 5 years old) was diagnosed with Alopecia, an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss. This ranges from mild - a patch or two of head hair, to severe - hair loss of the whole body, scalp, and face, known as Alopecia Universalis. Jez had the latter, and it all happened very quickly.
I started researching Alopecia Universalis and discovered it is a rare condition with no known cure. Although this was discouraging, I remained determined and delved into the paleo way of eating, particularly the autoimmune approach.
With a supportive husband, three boys and one on the way we began to remove inflammatory foods from our pantry and diet. Starting with refined sugars and then eliminating gluten, dairy, and grains from the boys' diet.
Over the course of the next year, I observed some amazing changes. There were fewer outbursts and temper tantrums, and the overall behaviour improved. The boys were also sleeping better and seemed less irritable. Blake's ear infections and congestion were reduced significantly. Moreover, after almost a year, Jez's hair started to grow back rapidly, and he regained his eyebrows and eyelashes. In the following year, he had a full head of thick and dark hair. I was convinced that food played a huge role in our wellbeing.
Fast forward 10 years, and it's fair to say we have had our ups and downs. Our boy with Alopecia lost all his scalp hair again following living in a rental house for 6 months that turned out to be teeming with mould. He has a complicated set of blood results, with thyroid autoimmune antibodies that are coming down slowly but surely.
On a personal level, I wrote and self-published The Clean Lunchbox Cookbook (with assistance from my talented cousin). My husband became a director of a successful company. We have moved house, built a house and moved again, acquired two dogs, 20 hens and an aviary full of finches. Established a vegetable garden and planted lots of fruit trees. Lived through the pandemic and home-schooling. I became a Teacher Aide and a Thermomix Consultant and have enrolled in a Functional Nutrition Course.
Our gorgeous boys are now 17, 15, 14 and 11 years old and we continue to educate, research, learn and set an example of healthy food choices and way of life. Growing as much as we can with the space we have and choosing products that are not harmful to our health and environment. Aiming to minimise plastics, recycle and reuse what we can, giveaway, share and pay it forward.
Here’s to a cleaner planet and vibrant health.
Shell x
