Hi!   Allow me to introduce myself and fill you in on why I started this blog.

My name is Roseann.  I’m a wife, mother of 2 and grandmother of 6.   I was born and raised a city girl. I grew up in a town in New Jersey that was only a mile across the Hudson River from New York City.  I worked in downtown Manhattan and in January 2003, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and thyroid cancer.  I had chemotherapy for the breast cancer followed by a lumpectomy.

During my treatment I read more and more about alternative methods of treatment, and started to regret having chemo.  I realized that chemotherapy actually destroys your immune system and makes you more vulnerable for the cancer to return later on with a vengeance.  After the treatment and surgery, I refused radiation and refused to take the hormone therapy drug I was prescribed.  I read that the drug increases your risk of uterine cancer.  How ironic is THAT???  A drug that is supposed to reduce my risk of breast cancer returning, makes me more vulnerable to another type of cancer.  I said NO WAY!!

It was then that I decided that I don’t need it and I went in search of building up my immune system so that the cancer won’t return.  Just like a soldier going into battle, I needed to arm myself against the cancer making a comeback.  I realized that diet plays such an important role and how important it is to consume a nutrient dense diet of real live foods with live enzymes and cultures in order to build up my immune system.  I decided to do an about face and change my lifestyle and my diet.  I’ve learned that the so called enriched, processed packaged foods offered nothing in the way of nutrition.  All they offered were chemicals masquerading as food.

I love to cook and grew up with a mom who cooked from scratch most of the time.  I have hardly ever seen her buy any type of food that came in a can or box.  She canned her own tomatoes, canned her own peaches, apricots, plums, etc…that came from the tomato vines and fruit trees in our yard.  After my bout with cancer, I have gone back to that type of cooking.  Admittedly, I am not into canning as yet, but I do scrutinize everything I buy to make sure I’m not buying junk.  Instead of reading labels on pre-made, pre-packaged foods, I buy fresh ingredients and make my own.  What a difference it makes when you KNOW what’s in your food because YOU put it in there.  No more second guessing!  I absolutely hate it when I look at labels and they purposely hide what’s in it by naming it some vague name.  For example, MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) can now be hidden by the term “Spices”  or “Flavorings.”  My husband is extremely allergic to MSG and I’ve seen him being sick for days at a time because the food company decided to trick us.   I’ll bet many of you have been tricked as well.

Well, it’s time to stop!  Here at The Wholesome Life, we believe that food in its natural state is the best.  We also believe food can be medicine, as many herbs and spices can be used for medicinal purposes.  Also, many ailments can be reversed and/or prevented with proper diet.  We believe God has placed many herbs, spices and nutrients at our disposal to heal what ails us.  God has enabled me to be a 21 year cancer survivor and I believe God wants me to tell my story.  As my mother in law used to say, “The Lord isn’t done with me yet!”

I have since moved from the city environment and now have a small farm where we have begun beekeeping.  We also just obtained a batch of 20 egg laying chicks and will soon have our own pastured eggs.

So, I cordially invite you to join me on my journey in discovering traditional foods like our ancestors cooked and sustainable living and farming.

What??  Learn from a city girl about farming??  

That’s where the fun begins!!