{Tea Time...All the Time!}

Giving up coffee these last few weeks {per my latest test results that showed it was a major source of inflammation in my body} has been hard!  I've not always been a coffee drinker but my husband has...and shortly after the third baby, I found myself enjoying the little bit he left in the pot each morning after he had headed off to work.  That began a years of addiction.  ;) Hot coffee in the morning, keto coffee, nut pods, honey in the coffee, MCT oil and bulletproof coffee, lattes on tap all day long!  And then iced coffee...definitely my favorite summertime afternoon treat...so long, dear friend...  So, tears were definitely shed over seeing black and white proof that coffee and my body do not get along.  Along with the no coffee news, my suspicions were affirmed that I do indeed have Celiac disease {as does my 10 year old} and am also allergic to almonds, celery and clams.  There are about a dozen other foods that I have a high sensitivity to as well that I've been asked to remove from my diet for at least 3-6 months...like rice, blueberries, avocado, eggs and any dairy.  Basically, I'm living on meat and greens...juicing carrots, oranges and lemons almost daily...and HOT TEA!!!

My precious husband knows how hard this news has been to adjust to and has blessed me with some yummy teas a few times...and I now have a 10 year old who can steep a tea bag like a pro!

As hard as this is to know, I am so thankful for answers.  I've spent years and years trying elimination diets and thinking my issues may be one food only to find that there's something else.  Now I know.  A few of the things that the testing revealed, I already had figured out on my own...but there were some huge surprises.  No grains whatsoever...except oats tested ok for me as long as they are gluten free.  And celery powder is in everything...sausage, bacon, you name it.  Oh joy! Most days I just try to imagine that I am living in the Garden of Eden and have to eat that way! :)  Before the Fall, of course...and where chronic illness and autoimmune diseases don't exist!

So, tea time is a treat and I am loving it!  I still so enjoy having a hot cup of something in my hands early in the morning and this glorious drawer of goodies is doing the trick! How blessed to live in a time where answers are possible...and God gives us everything we need for healing through His creation...and a very vital compounded thyroid hormone tablet! ;)

Hoping to make an intentional habit of offering tea time to friends and family more often as it has definitely warmed my body and soul...and supports the rhythms of rest we all so desperately need.