I have big news. I’ve decided to start a health coaching business! Don’t worry about EcoPetites. It will still be here! But this new venture has been occupying my time as of late. So, what is it?
I’m setting out to help people struggling with adapting to their dietary changes needed to address their health issues so they can once again love what they eat and live more fully.
UPDATE: the health coaching website is now live! CLICK HERE to see it. And sign up for the email list while you are there, so you don't miss a beat as I roll out various offerings.
There is a backstory to this. When I look back in my journals, entries begin to show up about how frustrated I am about having chronic diarrhea around January 2020. As I flip through the old journal, it gets worse. Twitching legs at night. Tingling in my finger tips. Thinning hair. The isolation of the pandemic hits, and I become afraid to leave home- not for the usual pandemic reasons, but because I was constantly worried about being able to find the closest bathroom on time, and whether or not it would be publicly available.
Over time, I was just feeling tired all the time. I got every single cold my kids brought into the home, but worse and lasting for weeks at a time. I got unexplained rashes. My weight started climbing and my only goal is to stay constant, but I couldn’t manage to control the weight gain.
Because the timing of all this coincided with both the COVID pandemic and perimenopause, that’s all any of my doctor appointments revolve around. But my health just seemed to keep declining. I had a hunch that diet had some impact on it, and started taking notes about what I was eating and when I felt better or worse.
Now let’s back up here: I have been gluten-free since the year 2000. A nutritionist worked with me and helped me to discover that I can’t tolerate gluten, which by eliminating, resolved the chronic diarrhea I had back then. I have been gluten-free ever since. So I’ve had some experience with this. But despite continuing to be diligent about remaining gluten free, my symptoms came back with a vengeance.
I went on a deep dive, methodically trying different dietary changes, religiously note-taking and monitoring symptoms, reading books and blogs, and watching various YouTune channels, seeking out the pros and cons, advocates and detractors whenever possible.
And finally, after two years of diets and doctors, I found the right diet for my set of symptoms, and it was like a light bulb turning on. I started improving within two weeks. Within a month I was feeling better. The severity of the diarrhea declined. My skin, hair and nails visibly improved. I was sleeping better and stopped nodding off at 3 pm most days. Once I reached the stage of 2-week stints of healthy bowels, my health rapidly improved. In retrospect, I was having multiple nutritional deficiencies, likely due to malabsorption. Symptoms I didn’t even know were related started going away.
Now, I do want to pause and say that for every diet that I tried, I noticed that there were people who had the same “hallelujah” moment that I did with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and that patterns emerged. Certain diets seemed to really benefit specific clusters of issues. In fact, I first discovered the SCD by noticing other people in blogs and video comments who had the same weird set of intolerances that I had. SCD is working for me, but other diets were equally revolutionary for other people and I was starting to notice patterns.
Fast forward to the other day. I just celebrated my 50th birthday with a party, even though I turned 50 four years ago, back in the summer of 2020. Sharing a delicious meal (that I could eat!) with friends, I expressed my gratitude for their friendship and support during this very difficult time in my life. This carefully curated group of friends has been instrumental in my journey from sickness and isolation to health and a fulfilling social life.
The next day, while reflecting on the party with a friend, we discussed the importance of food as medicine and the difficulty in navigating this path on your own, without much guidance. We went on to talk about the need to advocate for ourselves as we make changes, and how critical it is to have support along the way on this journey, and then to be able to stick to it, living within the parameters of newly discovered restrictions. We talked about how to ask for what we need, feel included, and be receptive to how the adaptations for one person creates a welcoming space for everyone’s needs in the group. She shared her struggles with advocating for herself with family and friends and how challenging it can be to follow dietary restrictions without sacrificing social connections.
I love being able to talk to people about how you don’t have to give up one to have the other. You can have delicious food that supports your health, advocate for yourself, and make meals everyone will enjoy, even if they don’t have food restrictions. It is so fulfilling for me to see other people regain their health while loving what’s on their menu and having a full social life.
And with the urging of friends and fellow entrepreneurs, I decided to make this into something I can share with other people. I’m so excited to announce a new free Facebook group. Under development are also in-person and virtual classes, courses and coaching all with the goal of adapting to a dietary pattern, making it enjoyable and developing the social support you need.
Stay tuned, spread the word and come back here to check for the launch and how to stay informed.
¡Salud!
-Daphne Orlando, owner and founder
