Meet Mandy's Healthy Family

Almost two years ago, I cut out high-fructose corn syrup. In just a few months, I had lost forty pounds! This amazing result was only the beginning of my journey, with more miracles to come. My boyfriend and I decided to try to conceive. I bought Toni Weschler's book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" from my local Earth Fare. I was convinced that I would have a natural conception, pregnancy and birth but I learned that my progesterone levels were too low to conceive.

I began searching for an alternative to hormones. I learned about maca root, a rare member of the radish family with many health benefits, among those the ability to regulate hormonal imbalances. I purchased encapsulated Maca root powder from Earth Fare. After eight months of trying to conceive, I became pregnant the next cycle!

Our midwives and our childbirth educator all placed great importance on nutrition for growing a healthy baby and avoiding preventable complications. They also gave us suggestions to replace our old staples with: sprouted grain bread, almond nut butter, Greek yogurt, and fruit juice-based sports drinks for my boyfriend, a marathon runner.

Even though diabetes and gestational diabetes run in my family, it was never an issue in my pregnancy.

We had an amazing homebirth experience. Everything went like clockwork and our gorgeous daughter was in excellent health. The midwives asked me if I was ready to get up and walk after the baby was born and I felt I could cartwheel!

I know good nutrition and staying active played an important part in this outcome. Now that the baby is here, we are even more determined to our commitment to wholesome food. I believe that my daughter's tastes will develop according to what she tastes in my milk.

Finances keep us from eating all organics but through budgeting, meal planning, coupons and Earth Fare's "Fare Deals" we are able to give more unsavory ingredients the boot. Friends complain that eating organic is expensive but I am determined to show them how manageable it can be!