About Organic Eater: Hey! I’m Dana (pronounced Dayna), and this is my blog for encouraging healthy eating and fulfilling all you have been called to do with good health. I believe in a “purpose-driven” life (see Rick Warren’s book), and no matter what you’re passionate about, you need good health to continue doing it! This is not a blog about living longer necessarily, but living better. Being able to do all you’ve been called to do, as long as you have breath to do it. Connecting how you feel to what you eat. We all know extra weight and physical decline (for ourselves and our family members) affects our decisions and abilities, and I want to encourage you to eat and be your best, so you can continue (or start) to do what you’re passionate about! No matter where you are in your journey, you can take steps towards more natural health. See my “Getting Started” page if you’re feeling intimidated with starting to make changes in your life. Notice it says “Eater”, not chef. This blog will have plenty of recipes, but they won’t usually be my creations. There are bazillions of healthy recipes out there already, and I just want to pass the great ones along to you, so you don’t have to waste your time with the complicated ones and the duds. The same is true for many articles/links I will post for you. I am not trying to re-create the Organic wheel here. I’m trying to make it more accessible to you. So, if you agree with my version of “healthy”, subscribe to my blog as a kind of “filter” for all the organic living info that can be overwhelming to many. Notice also, it does not say “gardener”, “farmer”, or “nutritionist”. I am none of those, but if I find helpful information on any of those subjects, I’ll pass those along too. This is an organic living blog, specifically geared toward newbies and seekers, and those not living on a farm. (I love farmers; I just won’t be writing any organic farming posts.) And by “organic” I do not mean USDA certified organic.
Let me be clear on this point. In America, that certification is “the best we’ve got” right now. I use it as a guideline, but realize there are plenty of great foods and products out there which are not officially certified by an expensive (and stringent) USDA label, especially when it comes to the farmers markets. See my Organic Defined page for more explanation and lots of links to define organic.
OrganicEater started on Twitter (@OrganicEater) and I quickly realized 140 characters was not nearly enough for all I wanted to share with you! I created an Organic Eater Facebook page, which is an amazing source for links to articles I find, but that wasn’t “enough” either. Hence, the blog. This blog will be known for what it is FOR, rather than what it is against. I will always try to lean toward the positive and stay away from most politically controversial issues. I wanna keep it fun here, people! And you can always feel safe letting your kids look around here too. No questionable content whatsoever.
About Dana: Be careful who you listen to. Only follow someone’s advice whom you want to emulate. I may or may not be that person for you, dear reader. I am a healthy 40 something year old, size “medium”, happily married mother of two super kids. We live in a neighborhood, not on a farm, in Charlotte, NC and I’m a fifth generation native to the Charlotte area (I am probably only one of ten who can say that). I love my Southern roots, and it’s very likely you’ll find a “y’all” in my blog. We are part of an amazing church, and being there is a huge part of what has changed my life. My husband works for a non-profit, and I work part-time from home. I LOVE all things healthy and organic (didn’t always) and I enjoy sharing what I am learning on my journey. I shop for healthy food on a budget, so this blog will not tell you that you HAVE to buy expensive organic name brands from Whole Foods in order to be healthy! I truly hated to cook before I learned how to do it in a healthy way, and I still get a little frustrated with real food not being quick enough for me sometimes. Old habits die hard. I will never post a long & complicated recipe here. I don’t have a garden. I don’t even have a green thumb. So, if you’re looking for a gorgeous homesteading, farming, gardening, gourmet “Martha Stewart” type organic website, this is NOT the one for you. I am more of a practical organic-loving suburban mama, encouraging a healthy lifestyle (for real-life busy people), while not embarrassing my family too much! I try to be “green”, but we’re certainly not living “off the grid”. I lean toward a balanced omnivorous “real/whole foods” approach, but will not criticize others for making different choices, and I definitely think we all need to eat more veggies. The Maximized Living, Healing Diet, or “Advanced Plan” is what I most closely follow, which is a mostly sugar and grain free way of living. I also live in the real world, and believe in an “80/20” approach (out of 21 meals per week, only 2-4 can have a “treat”) if you’re not trying to lose weight or not in a health crisis. During those times, it’s 100%. But even in my treats, I always choose a real food over a fake packaged/processed waste of calories! I am inspired by many aspects of the Paleo lifestyle, but am also intrigued by raw vegan recipes (although I would not choose a 100% raw vegan lifestyle for myself). For exercise, I love the MaxT3 workouts of short duration, high intensity, also called burst training. Did I mention SHORT duration? That’s what has kept me doing it! I am a Southern girl learning to live without my Dr. Pepper, sweet tea and my biscuits, and I am here to give you hope that you can do it too. I have had great success moving to a mostly organic, sugar and grain free life, so most of the recipes I share will be along those genres, with an occasional slightly indulgent treat. After learning the definition of orthorexia, I don’t have that issue, and I prefer to stay away from too many extremes. There is a lot of so-called “healthy” information out there, but I actually enjoy filtering through all that information and forwarding only the most practical, helpful, and real-life doable updates. My “go to” reference for most health issues is Dr. Mercola, but I also refer to Dr. Weston A. Price of Nourishing Traditions, Dr. Axe, or my own doctor, Dr. Tony Hyser at Providence Health Center. In my blog roll you will find Nourishing Traditions, Paleo, sugar & grain free, vegan, and anything else I find interesting or entertaining. I am a discerning 40 something, so I can “eat the fish and leave the bones” when reading. Just because I link to a page on a blog, does not mean I agree with everything else on THEIR blog! I tell you all of this up front, so you know what you’re getting here, and you can make an educated decision as to whether or not following my blog would help you. For anyone who cares, I have a BS in Home Economics. Another suggestion is to look at my pictures and decide if I look like someone you should be listening to. You probably shouldn’t take suggestions on healthy eating from someone who doesn’t look healthy to you:). This blog is dedicated to my grandparents, the original Organic Eaters in my life. I miss them all so much, and I’m thankful for their legacy that influences what I do here. If you want to know more specifics on my personal healthy journey, read this post “Why I’m here and why I’ll never go back” that includes a “before” picture. Yikes.
My organic family:)
In summary, I want this blog and my life to be known for what I am for. My Christian world view will influence everything I write, but I hope that any/every one will feel welcomed and appreciated here. I want to honor all those who visit, and will not allow any negative comments, unless it is constructive criticism. I do not take this for granted, that people would actually take the time to read what I have to say. I am honored you are here and hope you come back often!
Confession: if you’ve read down this far, you deserve to know this about me: I color my hair and wear non-organic makeup sometimes. The makeup transition is a slow and expensive process for me, although I will get there eventually. The hair, well, I started going gray in college, and I have no idea how much there is now. Salt and pepper, heavy on the salt. Call it vanity, but I’m not ready to give up color yet. I may never be. I’m on a journey too!:) oh, and I only wear my Birkenstocks inside the house. We’ll get through this together…..
Disclaimer: the opinions in this blog are not meant to take the place of medical advice. Consult with your doctor before following any suggestions or recommendations here. This is ONLY the story of what has worked for ME!
Now you can go on back to the HOME page, and follow OrganicEater.com via email or RSS! I’m also on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram (my personal fave). All of those links are also on my home page.
Organic Eater 
Have you tried using Henna? You can get the same beautiful red/brown color you have in your hair with henna WITHOUT the harsh, dangerous chemicals of dyes!
I haven’t, but I should try that!
Hi Dana
I just came across your blog while searching for a chia seed dressing. You are a sister after my own heart although you got smart at a younger age than I. I have just recently started the journey of cutting out most dairy and grains, eating whole foods instead of quick processed foods, cutting out most sugar and going organic. It is a step by step process and it is great to hear someone who is not a nutritionist or health food guru talk about what they have learned and the process they are going through and that it is do-able. I will be digging through the rest of your blog to find the buried treasures that I am sure are there.
Blessings
Linda
Thank you Linda! I appreciate your thoughtful comments!It IS a step by step process, even 2 years in. Always more to learn, but definitely getting easier now!:) thanks again! keep in touch with your progress. all the best to you!!
Dana!! I have just taken a moment to sit down and really look at your site.. Can’t wait until tomorrow when I have the whole afternoon to really dig thru it!!
Love y”all!!:)
Tiffany from IG
Thanks Tiffany!!! I wanted to tell you that I almost picked the same blog picture/theme as yours, when I was deciding. I love that one you chose! so pretty! see you on IG soon, I’m sure!:)
Hi Dana! I live near Charlotte and just met your sister at “Healthy Home Market” store. She was wonderful and was helping me buy some wheat free stuff for our (my husband and I’s) new way of life. He suffers from digestive issues and trying the wheat-free is the only thing that has seemed to work so far! I am truly enjoying your blog and can relate to a lot of your posts as we live in Charlotte (well, Indian Trail, to be exact). Nice to “meet” you : )
Hi Jessica! Thanks for letting me know! I am not surprised you are getting results by eating wheat free! Congrats & keep up the good work. It is sooo wonderful not to have stomach aches anymore!!
It took several months before I felt relief in my joints, so
if that’s an issue for either of you, keep going! I hope you find plenty of encouragement here & let me know if you’re looking for any specific recipes or have questions. There is way more in this head of mine than I ever get to blog about!:)