Today I'm excited to introduce you to Caroline, an 18 year old mover and shaker! She's going to tell you a little about her journey and how it has given her the courage to proudly live out her Real Foodie lifestyle!
Hi Kelly the Kitchen Kop readers! My name is Caroline and I write for the blog Gutsy!
First let me introduce myself. I am a spunky 18 year old who loves real food and nutrition. I actually like to research and cook food more then I like to eat it. I know, it’s a little weird, but there is so much more that goes into food than just eating it!
What is Gutsy?
I started my blog, Gutsy, because my whole life revolves around being different. Ever since a young age, I have been sensitive. I was always the child with allergies and the one who couldn’t eat the birthday cake or go to the movies because it was too loud. Being this way taught me to accept myself for who I am, and just be different. It was harder then, but now that I have found my passion, I want to go all out!
I pick out the eyes of my sardines and eat them. It's good vitamin A.
I am passionate about being gutsy in life. I don’t care if you catch me picking out the eyeballs of a fish or fishing around in the stockpot for the last chicken heart. You are probably thinking…um… gross, but that is partly what it means to be gutsy!
Now, You don’t have to go to those extremes, but even just the little things like earthing in the sand or drinking raw milk is gutsy. The biggest challenge is, are you afraid to be this way in front of family or friends? Why should we feel embarrassed for doing something that is so good for us? Is it because we don’t always want to be the one who is “different” or “weird”?!
Well, once you have had a pretty serious health problem, one so big that it takes away all of the fun in life…then you don’t care what others think as much. I have had many experiences that make me realize that I cannot live how the rest of society does.
I'll tell you more about one of those experiences in another guest post here on Kelly's blog: Is your mattress toxic?
Also, please stop by my Gutsy blog and check out my yummy GAPS recipes!
So what about it, reader friends? ARE you gutsy enough to be the lone weirdo in a room now and then? If you've found yourself in that situation, tell us how you've handled it?
More you might like:
- This post with a similar title from Melissa the other day cracked me up: Is it hard to be weird?
- I'm not normal – and I don't even want to be normal anymore!
Gutsy Girl says
Hey! It’s nice to meet folks here, especially Caroline! I’m 28 and I call myself “Gutsy Girl” online because well, I am. 😀 I’m on SCD instead of GAPS but the two are ‘nearly’ synonymous. I don’t want to steal blog traffic, but I wrote recently about what it means in my life to be “gutsy” and I think you might enjoy reading about it! Just pop over to my blog if you like.
Congrats, Caroline and others who are making significant changes to improve your health. That really is gutsy and awesome! Hugs to everyone!
Gutsy Girl (Sarah Bosse)
Carol G. says
Caroline,
You are just the kind of person that I love to call friend. You are too funny and sassy as can be and I mean that as a compliment! You are an inspiration to all of us, young and old. You go!
[email protected] says
Haha Thanks Carol! I love meeting people like myself, who really care about their health and are not afraid to say so!
Sarah Kay Hoffman says
Super excited to stumble upon this post…and to meet another gutsy girl!
[email protected] says
Sarah! I am glad to meet you too! I guess there are two of us 🙂
Soli says
What I love is that in terms of food, I am becoming less weird in my circles. Not because what I am eating is worse, but because THEY are eating better. When you have people come to you and say they’ve changed their eating habits because of your blog and gotten healthier, you’re doing something right!
[email protected] says
Soli. Thanks for saying that! You are so right! I never though of it that way..though I have found a great group of people who all want some cod livers right now. I guess I am not the only one after all!
KitchenKop says
Soli, I’ve had the same experience with my friends, and I love it!
Although I have to say that with some of my friends, much of it was started by THEM first and not me. I remember years ago when they were telling me how they buy organic peanut butter, I thought they were a bit over the top… I try to remember that so I know how others feel when I get going on something!
Kel
Dr. Schuster says
Great post! When you do what most people do, you’ll get what most people get. And if you look around, as far as health is concerned, I am not so sure you want to be “normal”. I want to be extra-ordinary, or “fabnormal”. Being different is good!!
[email protected] says
I love this! Thanks so much for pointing that out to me 🙂
Melissa @ Dyno-mom says
Good luck with your blog, Caroline. You gotta love the name!
[email protected] says
Thanks Melissa! I do love the name 🙂 I really like your post the other day too! we think alike!
caroline says
Thanks 🙂 I hope you too will have good success with your business. The right people will come to you and I am sure that you will change lives. Its just the little things that people hear that make a difference as well 🙂
Val Kuphaldt says
Thank you, Caroline! 🙂
Val Kuphaldt says
This is very awesome, Caroline! I’m not sure how many consider me the “weirdo”, but I’ve had a couple of big health issues (I’m without a gall bladder and have recovered from Crohn’s) to deal with in the past, and now have my own business starting up to help people with both fitness and traditional/nutrient-dense nutrition. I hope I can help as many as I can, though so many friends and family, and doctors, seem pretty closed-minded to this kind of nutrition, even when seeing the changes in my health. I hope you inspire as many as possible through your blog! Take care :).
Dani says
I had to laugh at the fish eyes part–I taught my family to eat the “cheek pockets” from the trout that we caught. Probably not as high in vitamins (maybe they are–now I’ll have to research that LOL), but DANG are they tasty little morsels!
I’m not afraid to be gutsy in front of my family; hubby “goes along” with it and tells me that he agrees, then goes out and has a double cheeseburger and arnold palmer from a fast food joint–and then wonders why he feels lousy. “I never did before!” to which I respond, “you’re not 18 anymore.” How wonderful that you’ve learned to eat for health at your age–for those that don’t, it becomes a lifelong struggle to learn healthy eating habits that they didn’t form while younger.
Speaking of younger, when I’m gutsy with our 17-year-old (she’s only with us part-time, as she’s at her mom’s every other week), she rolls her eyes and tells me that “everything causes cancer.” I just want to shake her (I NEVER do, but I still want to), and help her see. I think I’ll send her over to your blog and see what she thinks of that. You go, girl!
caroline says
Yes please! Send me her way! That is my goal to help people my age realize that not only their body’s are going to suffer but their children as well! Thanks for making me feel better about the fish eyes. I guess i’m not the only one 🙂
p.s. my little sister say’s “everything is toxic” 🙂
caroline says
Lori, thanks for all the suggestions! Wow you really got it nailed down 🙂 Don’t worry about the fish eyes, I don’t know anyone else who eats them besides me 🙂 At least you take a fish oil supplement, thats still Great! I have a really good story coming on Kelly’s blog soon that I think you will like 🙂
Lori says
Caroline,
I, too, have problems with the movie theaters being too loud, and I have problems with many check out scanners at the grocery stores as they just kill my ears! I cannot take shrill sounds. When an ambulance goes by, even with the windows up, you will see me with my fingers in my ears! I’ve always had this problem. My brother does, too, and so did my maternal grandmother.
I’m *old* as I have grandkids your age, but I like to jam to my oldies music, but sometimes certain songs hurt my ears, such as when they play vviolins (think ELO music or certain songs by the Turtles), or Pan Pipes like are played in ‘Wild Thing’ by The Troggs.
I carry a really high quality pair of ear plugs in my purse (and they come in their own carrying case) so that I have ear protection when I need them. My sister made fun of me years ago at a concert because I wore my ear plugs throughout the entire outdoor concert, but when we left, her ears were itchy and ringing and mine were fine.
I rarely got to movies, but when I do, I wear my ear plugs! the movie theaters thinks everyone is hard of hearing! With the ear plugs in, I hear everything without my ears being harmed. I would never take a child to the movie theater without ear plugs! The noise is so loud it can harm their ears.
I have too many food prejudices to eat the foods you eat (like fish eyes~ UGH!!!). I don;t care how good they are for me, I could never eat them! In fact, I don’t like fish at all and do not consume it in any way except for as oil supplements in capsules as I just can’t eat it. Too disgusting for my taste buds.
However, I enjoyed your article! Very well written.
Leah says
We are the certified WEIRDOS in our family. We laugh it off and my two and half year old knows no different. She too has numerous sensitivities. Hers seem to be to soy though and anything that has ever eaten it or contains it. To bypass that we grow everything! Veggies, fruit, pigs, chickens. We’re working on the cow. Till then we get our grassfed beef and raw milk fro some wonderful people. I say the weirdos are the ones who eat the poison and wonder why they are always sick. the ones who eat the toxins and wonder why everyone is infertile, the ones who eat the GMO and wonder why everyone had diabetes, cancer, heart disease.
KitchenKop says
You’re so right, Leah.
caroline says
I agree Leah! I am so jealous that you get to raise and grow everything..that is a dream of mine someday. Right now we don’t live in the right area to have chickens (its illegal! and we cannot even have a clothes line!) ugh, well the day will come and I will be great! Im the big weirdo in my family and my sisters just said something the other day without me even being there that made me think..its rubbing off.
jenna @kidappeal says
oh, and we paused the live feed so we could all go walk around outside barefoot, this always decreases a headache pain for us!
caroline says
EARTHING!! Love it…I am typing while I sit on my earthing mat. It really helps 🙂
jenna @kidappeal says
caroline – you sound like my six year old. his summer camp went to a movie yesterday, then we watched olympics together while we ate our dinner, as a special summer treat. my poor guy was moaning in pain before bedtime, too much screen for one day. we are hopeful that vision therapy will help rid him of screen based headaches. i’ve suffered with frequent and severe headaches all my life. real food makes a difference, but it didn’t quite close the gap. now we can add vision therapy to our gutsy treatments and hopefully by next summer we can watch the occasional movie without feeling awful.
caroline says
Jenna! Wow this is supper interesting! I bet I could use vision therapy too because I hate to watch TV. I am ok with the computer because there are no flashing pictures of loud noise. Good luck with your therapy, and thanks for haring this new information with me 🙂
Jill says
Oh my goodness! Can Caroline be any cuter? Seriously, what an awesome girl! Love seeing such very young people grab hold of the reins to improve their own lives and health, and then reaching out to help others as well! Go Caroline!
KitchenKop says
I know!!!! 🙂
caroline says
Thanks Jill! I really had no choice because my health demanded a lot of attention. It literally took over my life to the point where that is all I was doing. I decided why not just decide to love nutrition and health so life could be more fun. Now researching is what I do in my free time..I really want to help save the world from their problems too 🙂