Choosing “Better” (PART 1)

I have pondered writing this post for well over a year.

I’ve been hesitant because I’m not sure how it’ll be received. But never do I want to blog about what’s stirring in my heart for fear of what others might think. I’ve given a glimpse into this part of my journey towards better health, but I want to share the “why”. So here it goes…

Back in September 2022 (wow, how is that almost 3 years ago already?), I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, while having a heart ablation. Yeah. Talk about a shocker. I went through 6 months of intense treatment and came out the other side in remission! Though 3 months later, I relapsed. And it did not look good. As in the only option I had was chemo for life, until leukemia took my life. Through many miraculous moments (and miraculous is an understatement, just ask my doctors), God healed my heart just enough so that I could have a bone marrow transplant. So, in January 2024, I had an allogeneic (donor) BMT and can once again say, I AM IN REMISSION! But it’s nothing of my doing. IT IS GOD. ALL GOD.

And I want to make that clear in my journey. I share because of what GOD has taught me through it all and I believe it wasn’t for naught, but for His good and perfect will as He so faithfully continues to mold and shape me into the person He has designed me to be!

I can’t serve God to the best of my abilities if I don’t take care of myself to the best of my abilities. I’m not saying I got cancer because of something I personally did. Maybe I did? I don’t know. It was part of God’s perfect and good will for my life so I’m learning to accept it. But I also know God is teaching me a lot through it. And I hope in sharing what I’ve learned, will in some way, inspire you as well.

PART 1

FOOD. Food. FOOD.

When I was diagnosed with leukemia, there was the question: How did I got it in the first place? We still have no clue, but one of the things I did learn about were TOXINS. A simple Google search will tell you that toxins are “harmful substances, naturally occurring or introduced, that can cause illness when ingested.”

During a bone marrow transplant, the bone marrow is completely wiped out. You may wonder, okay, so what does that mean? Well in your bone marrow, that is where your white blood cells (infection fighting cells) live. So when the bone marrow is killed, so is your ability to fight any type of infection. So much so that any infection had the risk of death. Seriously. Needless to say, it’s an intense, worrisome, and critical time as it takes months for the body to rebuild itself.

I had to be INSANELY careful about what I exposed myself to and what I put in my body because of toxins, viruses, bacteria, etc. Each day I had to decide what I felt comfortable exposing myself to and making the best choices I could.

Eating was much like eating if I were pregnant – being careful of any bacteria. But then I realized it wasn’t just bacteria that could harm me, but toxins, as my digestive system had major issues after my BMT. So much so that I had to have scopes through the mouth and colon, to see what was going on. All looked okay, but I knew I had to watch intensely, what I ate, in hopes of healing my gut too.

The thing is, you can never eliminate every type of toxin from the food chain. You can do ALL YOU CAN, but you will NEVER eliminate all toxins in any part of the world. They came with sin and they have now come with our food.

Is organic the only way? It’s better, but even organic isn’t perfect. What about growing your own food? It’s better, but that’s not to say the soil was once sprayed or introduced to toxins. You see what I’m getting at? There is no way to know and no way to prevent it completely.

So where do we go from here?

We do the best we can. And that’s the motto the Sterks have taken on. Better is always “better”! I will never find “best” until Christ comes again, so I just stick to “better” because going to far the other way, is actually now classified as a possible eating disorder – orthorexia nervosa (not officially a DSM-5 disorder yet). Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t, but orthorexia goes beyond healthy eating; this is when you become obsessed about it. This can result in anxiety, not eating out with others, eating only certain food groups, obsessively focusing on only “pure” foods, and even limiting the healthy foods. I think our culture can borderline this at times. Like most things in a life, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing – when it becomes an obsession.

Let me be clear: we still eat gluten, dairy, sugar, cakes, candy, fried food, boxed items, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, white bread, pasta, milk, and a whole slew of other “not good for you” foods. How are these things better, Kristin?

Here is what we consider…

How it’s made.

MAKING AS MUCH AS WE CAN FROM SCRATCH. Why?

• I know EXACTLY what’s in it.
• I can decide if it’s a healthier version than store-bought.
• There is a sense of accomplishment in making your own food.
• Often more cost-effective.
• We have found it often tastes better too!
• Some things we make from scratch: spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, diced tomatoes, salad dressings, soups, dipping sauces, seasonings (taco, ranch), sweets, breads, and more…

What we buy.

EVERYTHING I PUT IN MY GROCERY CART IS A CHOICE I’M MAKING FOR MY FAMILY.

You might be thinking I’m overthinking this all, but have you ever looked in your cupboards and wondered, “How did that get in there? What did I buy that for?” Everything that is in our cupboards is because of a choice we made. Our choices matter when it come to what we purchase. Here are some things I consider when purchasing food now:

INGREDIENTS.

• Pronunciation – if I can’t pronounce majority of the ingredients, it’s not for me.
• Taste vs. Health Benefit – Before, I took something off the shelf because it tasted good. But now, I consider if it is good for US. For example, we love popcorn! Instead of buying microwavable, we buy Lesser Evil’s Himalayan Salt Popcorn (THE BEST). Mazy LOVES mac n’ cheese – now we buy Annie’s versus Kraft. Not best, but better. We love chips – Boulder Avocado Oil Potato Chips are better than chips cooked in vegetable oil. Not perfect, but better. AND they taste better – added bonus!
• Dyes – This is not a political viewpoint, but a health standpoint – RFK Jr. is working on eliminating dyes from our foods and just a little research, will show the negative impact dyes have on our systems! Mazy is a perfect example as to why. Anytime she has a slushie, she ends up with a headache, digestive issues for a few days, and feels off. We finally attributed it to dyes. We try to eliminate them as much as we can.
• Man-Made vs. God-Made. This is often my motto when looking at food. Did God make it? Or did man make it? If man did, it’s not real food and my body wasn’t created to digest it. When you start to dig into how certain foods are made or what the ingredients are, it’s mind-blowing. Our “better” is choosing God-made when we can. Don’t get me wrong…like I said, we still eat man-made foods! We are just more careful about how often and looking at what is in them!

Food for Fuel.

Food acts as fuel for our bodies. If you put the wrong “fuel” in your car, it’ll do some major damage. Just like food! If you put the wrong food in your body, your body will let you know. After we have slowly made changes in our own home, I asked my family what they thought. Both Dan and Mazy have said that they feel good and enjoy the changes! WHEW. It is a LONG process to turn a ship around, but we are slowly making “better” choices. Not perfect, by all means! It’s not about perfection, but progress.

I’m looking forward to sharing with you a food list of some of the tangible changes we have made and foods we have tried. Not a “best” list, but a “better” list. Again, the Sterks will never be perfect at this. Just a work in progress.

I hope that as I share more about our journey, that again, you may be inspired in some way as well. God has given us all we need to sustain us here on this earth. I aspire to make the best choices I can, to ensure I can live my best life for HIM. And my family too.

What questions do you have? What are some things that you wonder? What are some of your favorite “better” choices you have made?