Jennifer Richards’ from Rumbles Paleo and her Additive Free Journey

I warmly welcome Jennifer Richards’ “The Chief” from Rumbles Paleo to the Additive Free Kids Community.

I can relate SO well to Jennifer Richards’ passion and enthusiasm for healthy eating!  Here you can find out a little more about Jennifer Richards’, how she got started on her additive free journey and how Rumbles Paleo came about.

1) Jennifer, what started you on your journey and where you are today?

My journey to a more healthier life started about two years ago when I began my health food My journey to a more healthier life started about two years ago when I began my health food company, Rumbles Paleo.

I had been battling with eating disorders since the age of 16 (I’m now 36) and I was so frightened of food.  Every mouthful I put into my mouth was a stress, because to me food was just something that would make me put on weight, no matter how healthy / unhealthy it was.  Not eating food, was a way for me to lose weight.  I had totally lost touch with the reason why we eat.

I had left my teaching job and took on a less stressful job as a waitress at a cafe to put some thought into what I really wanted out of life.  While working there I met some cross-fitters who talked to me about their Paleo lifestyle.  It intrigued me, so I started doing some research of my own.

What I read about Paleo/Primal eating truly changed my life and my philosophies on food.

For the first time in my life, I was reading about a way of eating that talked about eating food to nourish your mind and body.

The paleo/real food philosophies talked about eating real fresh food as a way to thrive, as a way to get your body in optimum health so you can be in a state of vitality that allows you to live according to your true potential. These philosophies talked of weight loss as a secondary benefit, and encouraged eating real fresh food, free of preservatives, additives and fake ingredients, to give you vitality.

It was a new philosophy that didn’t focus on weight loss specifically and it actually encouraged eating as much as you like! I’d never, in all my years of obsessively researching every fad diet in the universe, heard of such a way of eating that encouraged you to eat! It was so refreshing.

And so I finally understood what food was for. It was about feeding your body with essential vitamins, nutrients & essential fats, real foods that nourish your body and allow you to go out in the world and kick butt with strength of mind, body and heart.

Hallelujah!!! And so I converted to a real food diet.

I ate piles of vegetables, bought beautiful organic, grass-fed meats and started experimenting with healthy baking recipes to make delicious nutritious snacks. I started to LOVE food for the first time in my life and I ate with gusto and excitement, using food to heal my mind and body.

I fell in love with food and the real food/paleo philosophies so much, that I went into partnership with my gym instructor and begun my own snack food company which now manufactures and distributes gluten-free, dairy-free, additive-free snacks to health food stores, cafes and independent grocers all over Australia.

Now I’m on a mission, and that’s to reverse the epidemics of disease and illness we see robbing people, and our youth, of their health and true potential to live a life according to their dreams.

I’m on a mission to create a world-wide epidemic of conscious minded people who have the strength of mind, body and heart to live a life of unlimited potential.

My motto is, “You are what you eat, and you become what you think about.”

Healthy thoughts are just as important as healthy food, which is why I wrote my two first kids books, and why I’m ¾ way through my first children’s novel, because I want to give children the tools necessary to chose prosperous thoughts and release negative self-sabotaging thoughts. It’s also why I’ve become a practitioner in EFT, Matrix Reimprinting and Sleep Talk.

Additive free thoughts are just as important as additive free foods!

2) What was the tipping point for you to start eating healthy?

I haven’t always eaten healthily. I rode the roller coaster of eating disorders for 20 years. I see-sawed between bulimia and anorexia, one minute not wanting to eat anything at all and then the next, wanting to shove as much food into my mouth as possible. I had no idea what food was for. To me it was either a tool to put on or lose weight.

I had no idea that food was designed to fuel our minds and bodies so that we could live and thrive.

As you can imagine, I was at my wits end when it came to food. I had no idea what or how to eat anymore. Food and what to eat, or whether or not to eat, was always on my mind. When I did eat, I felt so guilty, like I’d done something bad. This guilt was soul destroying.

Then when I discovered the real food philosophies (i.e. jerf or Just Eat Real Food), my life transformed. Eat fresh food and thrive. It seemed so simple. I decided to follow what I now call the “logical, simple rule” which goes like this…

If it comes from nature than it’s the universe’s gift to us and it’s been sent to keep us vital and strong…so eat it! If it doesn’t come from nature, then best not to eat much of that.

And that’s it, logical and simple. I also begun talking to my food and my body, to feed myself with wonderful and honourable thoughts. I’d say to my food “I love and respect you and I know you’re here to make me fantastic.” As I would eat my fresh food I would say to myself, “I love my food and my food loves me. I honour my body and I honour my health. I fill you with vital food and loving thoughts.” Weird, but it was a game changer!!!

3) Do you eat additive free all the time?

I eat additive free food 95% of the time. On a day to day basis I chose to eat foods that nourish my body. But having had an eating disorder for more than half my life, I don’t put any food off limits. I try not to associate any guilt to what I eat, no matter what it is. If I’m at a friend’s place for dinner than I eat whatever they feed me and am thankful to be in their company sharing a wonderful meal, no matter what it is. If I’m out at a restaurant for dinner then I will sometimes order a dessert or get a side of hot chips because in that moment, it feels like a nourishing thing to do. To share a piece of cake with someone, a bottle of wine, a plate of thick cut potato chips and bond together over them, in my mind, is a super healthy thing to do!

4) Did you find it easy to transition to additive free?

For me the transition into an additive-free way of eating was a natural thing to do. Once I understood what food was for it just seemed super logical. Why, on a day-to-day basis, would I want to eat crap ingredients, totally devoid of any nutritional value, foods that contribute to the obesity and sickness epidemics we see robbing people of their true potential? It didn’t make any sense. So for me, it was quite easy.

I do however understand, how addictive fake foods are, how the industries that have created them have manufactured and manipulated their products to purposefully be addictive. I love chocolate, and it would be one of the foods that I still crave. When I eat it, I can feel my body turning into a beast! It’s like I can’t get enough. And that’s exactly what many of the chocolate brands have engineered their products to do.

So if and when I do chose to eat chocolate, I have to do it in a very controlled manner. I have to talk to the chocolate and talk to my body and eat it very mindfully. I focus on its texture, its taste, its aroma and make a real experience out of it.

5) Do you find that you need to used packaged food options sometimes for when you are time poor or on the run?

Sometimes I’ll use packaged foods. It’s mainly tinned tomatoes though for when I’m making Bolognese sauce. I of course also use a range of sauces (tamari and coconut aminos mainly), vinegars and oils that are staples in my cupboard for cooking. Sometimes I buy superfood bars from the health food store and of course, Rumbles Paleo cookies are spectacular!

But apart from that, I don’t use any packaged foods at all. I’m quite prepared when it comes to my food. In my freezer I always have soups, bone-broths, curry’s, casseroles, etc. Whenever I cook, I just make up huge quantities and freeze whatever’s left over, so there’s always something on hand for me to eat. It’s also not hard to whip up a salad or omelette. Boiled eggs kept in the fridge are a life-saver too.

6) What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone contemplating starting an additive free journey?

My first piece of advice is to really question why you’re doing it. If you’re doing it because your friends are doing it, or because you read one article about it, than it’ll just be a passing fad for you and you’ll end up back on the fake food train.

Read up on it, understand why it’s so important and apply what you learn to your own life philosophies. It’s my understanding, that nothing in life will become a way of life for you, until it’s incorporated into your values and belief systems.  So know why you’re doing it.

My second piece of advice is to go slowly. You don’t have to completely eradicate every piece of “fake-food” from your life in one go. There’s an old Taoist saying I love, “The Journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step.”

Small incremental changes lead to transformational change.

Once you understand why an additive free life is important, pick one area to go additive free. For example, you might choose to change your snacks to additive free options. Do that for a few weeks, and then pick another area of your diet to change. Maybe change your lunch and then do that for a few weeks.

Build on the small wins, gain confidence and take it one step at a time. People have programmed their minds and bodies to think and eat in a certain way. The slow and steady approach allows reprogramming to take place, new habits to be formed and long-term success to be gained.

Looking for some other Rumbles Paleo options?

Visit the marketplace to find it packed with additive free options waiting for you!