the wake up
I didn’t set out to make food my first line of defense. Life did that. Here’s my story.
Throughout my childhood, I had IBS. I’m not even sure they called it that back then. Doctors had no answers. Also, through most of my childhood, I wanted to blend in with the wallpaper and not be seen. Now, I see the connection between my digestion and social anxiety.
At 23, I started having anxiety attacks. I was diagnosed with clinical depression, was put on Prozac (for 4 months), and I started weekly therapy.
At 24, allergies – to cats, cleaning products, and perfumes – seemed to appear out of nowhere. Congestion, headaches, and fogginess ensued. I was given Claritin and Flonase. It did the job; I could keep my cat.
At 25, I started going to the gym avidly, and I continued on with therapy. With these in place, my depression was kept at bay. But I was cranky because I stopped eating carbs after 1 pm. Apathy turned into irritability, I found a sense of control in the gym, and my emerging all-or-nothing tendencies caused me to make all sorts of wrong life choices.
At 26, I started getting sore throats in the Winter, and like clockwork, I’d lose my voice in January. I was given Zithromax.
At 28, I was pregnant. I could no longer take Claritin and Flonase. After the first trimester, I was miserable from allergies. I called my local natural foods store for a natural solution, and the guy suggested I stop eating wheat. That meant no bread or pasta. I hung up on him. There was no way I was giving up pasta, it was my favorite food.
Four months into my 29th birthday, December of 1997, I had Madie, my first baby. Natural bliss. True love. And a human to keep alive and thriving.
Fast forward to four years later…
Madie got a croupy cough that persisted for 10 months.
To make matters worse, she got ear infections for 3 consecutive months, at which point, her pediatrician said she'd refer me to an ENT if she had one more.
One antibiotic after another, to no avail, in fact, making her worse. She no longer sat tall the way small kids do with their perfect little postures. She was tired and unwell.
I shared my concerns with a friend who found a doctor that fixed his back with one acupuncture needle after he was told he needed surgery, calling him a miracle worker.
Sure, I’ll try him, why not. Madie walked into this doctor’s office and coughed on cue.
The doctor said, “Take her off everything dairy. Everything. Read the ingredients.”
I did. And just FOUR DAYS LATER – I kid you not – her cough completely stopped.
A month later she got another ear infection. But still, he wanted to give her antibiotics for that. Doctors, at least here in the U.S., don’t seem to see any other options for ear infections. So I found a fully holistic doctor that only uses antibiotics as a last resort.
Not that I was against antibiotics; I just knew that they didn’t work for Madie right now.
Here was the protocol:
Homeopathic remedy for her ear infection: Belladonna. Three was the magic number. 3 globules every 3 hours. After 3 doses – by the next morning – her infection was gone. No more ear infections.
Supplements for gut health and immune support: Probiotics, Acidophilus, Vitamin C
Diet to reset and nourish: Eliminate wheat, sugar, and dairy. Eat unprocessed, whole, natural and organic foods.
I went on this diet with her. And since I didn’t know how to cook, I hired a natural foods chef to teach me. Not only did she get better, so did I.
Up to this point, I thought how I felt was just how it was: normal to wake up feeling tired and groggy, allergic to cats and smells, normal to have sore throats in the Winter, normal to lose my voice every year, and with digestive issues.
With this chef, my head cleared up. Allergens stopped bothering me. I could rub my face into cats and walk through perfume and cleaning aisles.
The next time I got a sore throat, I marched into my doctor’s office expecting her to give me a holistic version of Zithromax. She did no such thing. Instead, she asked me:
What do you need to say that you’re not saying?
Huh?
It took her and a psychiatrist from the same practice months to get me to start answering that. And guess wha? I haven’t had a sore throat since. And, my digestion started improving. I felt like I was stepping into myself.
I then complained about how I’m suddenly craving sweets. Her remark?
Maybe you just need sweetness in your life.
I looked at her. But her words had lasting impact. I started to get it.
After working with the whole foods chef who reminded me to breathe as I chopped and cleaned my head, I started with an Ayurvedic chef who taught me that Joy was the secret ingredient. She healed my digestion.
I was no longer food sensitive. Between the chefs and doctors – my miracle wellness partners – an entirely new world opened up for me where I was empowered with my own wellness, and where food became medicine in the most delightful way. The apothecary that was my kitchen, the healer that was me, was born.
Add to it pranayam (breathwork) and meditation introduced to me by my chefs, doctors, and spiritual teachers, and I cultivated an amazing first line of defense. One that was made up of sacred ritual, grace, and inner wisdom.
Here’s an example of how one of my doctors taught me self trust: I had a phone conversation with him one evening when my son was sick and I couldn’t figure out what to do.
I gave him the symptoms along with how my son was responding to certain things.
He talked through several ways to treat this.
Than I asked, “So what do I do?”
To which he said, “I don’t know, I’m just a doctor! You’re his mom. You know him and his baseline better than I ever will. You know what to do.”
By the time my children were in grade school, they could cough and drool on me while sick, and I wasn’t worried. I woke up light, clear, and content – despite that I was going through, arguably, the most traumatic chapter in my life: divorce, bankruptcy, and complete financial ruin connected to the failure of my then husband’s business. I was able to digest it all, supported and empowered to reset and recreate a life – on purpose this time – with my two healthy, happy, thriving children.
This is my story. None of this is medical advice; I’m not a doctor.
Always question and consider the source. And listen to your body.
When there were serious medical issues,
I consulted western trained physicians who’d diagnose and offer prescriptions.
I brought in eastern trained physicians to translate and offer alternatives.
My personal experience tells me that
Western care is excellent at stabilizing acute situations quickly, and
Eastern care rocks at supporting the rest by working with the body instead of manipulating it.
Wellness begins with digestion.
why digestion matters
Sluggish digestion creates ama – the leftovers your system could not fully process.
So the load starts in the gut.
Ama is picked up by lymph, which drains and empties into the bloodstream.
Liver and spleen are the filters.
When the incoming load stays high, the byproducts (ama) keep circulating and the vulnerable tissues bear the brunt.
Depending on your weak links, residue settles deeper into the tissues in this order: muscle → fat → bone → marrow/nerve → reproductive.
Bottom line: Clear the gut, keep lymph moving, and the body stops warehousing yesterday’s waste in tomorrow’s tissues.
on medication:
While medications don’t automatically “wreck” you, they do change the terrain and nudge every step of the gut → lymph → blood/liver-spleen → deeper tissues sequence.
Every doctor I’ve had since the start of my wellness journey has given me herbs and natural remedies to counter the negative effects of drugs when they were ever needed.
what my body taught me
Food is not just fuel, it’s medicine. It heals.
It’s also two-way feedback (though it’s often used as a fix).
It informs how you feel after you eat. Which tells you if the food is medicine for you.
It informs how you feel before you eat. The food you reach for reflects your spiritual hunger.
My body spoke to me in little ways: skin, sleep, mood, bowels, energy.
When digestion was calm, everything softened. When it was inflamed, everything tightened.
ayurveda in plain language
Ayurveda gave me a simple compass:
Notice your constitution, your season, your state, and your food.
Protect agni, your digestive fire.
Clear ama, the sticky residue of what you can’t digest.
Agni (digestive fire) is your capacity to break down, absorb, and transform.
Ama looks like heaviness and fog after meals, a coated tongue upon waking, constipation or loose stools, sour burps, undigested food in stool, and dull body aches.
These aren’t diagnoses… they’re conversation starters with your body. Listen to them.
the east west bridge
I respect both paths.
For sudden and serious events, I go to the hospital to stabilize first.
For chronic patterns and prevention, I work with food, breath, sleep, and rhythm, guided by Ayurveda and by modern evidence when it helps.
the gut brain thread
The belly and the brain are in constant conversation. Stress and speed tighten the gut, and softening the nervous system makes digestion possible.
So I make meals a practice. A sacred ritual instead of a plan.
I protect the conditions that let agni work: warmth, moisture, time, breath, presence.
Do I get off track? Yes. And then I correct.
a simple framework you can try
OBSERVE
Notice before, during, and 15 minutes after you eat, your energy, mood, bowels, bloating, and ease. Notice your sleep quality. Keep a tiny log for 7 days.CLEAR
Reduce the obvious aggravators: ultra-processed foods, excess sugar, alcohol, ice cold drinks. Nosh less and give your digestion a break between meals. If you’re unsure about a trigger, run a short and careful elimination and reintroduction (ideally with the support of your clinician).WARM & GROUND
Favor warm cooked meals when digestion feels weak: soup, stews, rice, lentils, gently spiced veggies, and ghee. Add ginger, cumin, coriander, fennel, and turmeric. Sip hot water or ginger tea.BREATH & CHEW
Begin with 2 slow breaths. Put the fork down between bites. Chew.SET GENTLE RHYTHMS
Eat at similar times each day. Create a light dinner that finishes at least 3 hours before bed. Sleep in a cool, dark room. Wake to warm water. Move your body in the morning.QUESTION & DISCERN
Learn from your body and from your clinicians (choose the ones that you feel safe talking with, that will look you in the eye, actually see you, and give you time). Question everything, including me. Experience will tell you the most, trust them. Keep what serves. Let the rest go.
a few meals that helped
Kitchari when I felt restless and cold.
Carrot ginger soup when appetite is tender.
Rice with ghee and toasted cumin when bowels are unsettled.
Spiced oatmeal with warm fruit when mornings feel scattered.
Small, warm, and simple.
the trust at the end of my fork
What if the point is not to master food, but to be in a living relationship with it?
What if you asked your body what it needs before you asked the internet?
Here’s my call to trust:
Trust the warmth of a simple meal.
Trust the two breaths before the first bite.
Trust the quiet after.
Trust the clear signals that follow.
Let meals be messengers. Let your body lead.
– Savitree
Your Guide to Food as Medicine: I'm here to help you unlock your natural vitality through the power of food and mindful living.
P.S. — here’s a printable cheat sheet called First Line companion: a 2-page guide to check, reset, and trust your body.
I pulled the essentials into a one page companion. Inside, you’ll find the quick check before and after meals, a morning dashboard, signs of sluggish digestion in the Ayurvedic lens, a gentle 7-day reset, when to seek medical care, an east west decision tree, and the mantras we use at the table. Here it is –