honesty... pregnancy... food

I'm about to be incredibly honest.
And it won't just be in this post.
It's been a while since I've had a chance to write at this blog. Not because I haven't been writing (quite the contrary), but simply because I have been swept up in a tide of life-changing happenings.

First- my mother was diagnosed with and treated for stage 2 ovarian cancer. 20 weeks of hospitals, chemotherapy, dietary and lifestyle changes and now we wait.
Treatment - for the most part - went well and has been as successful as we could hope for. Now we wait to see what the future holds for a woman who aside from this silent affliction was so healthy you could see it in her eyes.

Second- (and very excitingly) I have fallen pregnant with my first baby. This of course has taken up my time and mental space for many reasons, but the the most prominent and unexpected change to my life has been the prolonged and severe morning sickness that it has brought with it. 18 weeks on I am still running to the bathroom at least 4 times a day to lose my lunch and my kitchen forays have been curbed by a hyper-sensitive nose and gag- reflex. Quite a restriction considering my life interests.

Both of these major events have impacted heavily on the way I interact with food, in positive and negative ways. Certainly the certainty I used to feel surrounding my food choices has been somewhat diminished in the last 5 months. Quite a surprise for my food focused lifestyle.

There's a lot to be said for dietary changes supporting chemo treatment- and more (even if not all of it is good) to be said for the sliding diet of a severely ill mother-to-be. From one extreme of healthy eating to a desperate grope for anything that will stay down, the last 5 months have been nothing if not a wild roller-coaster ride of different food choices.
What have I learned? Never take any food choices for granted- you never know when your list of favourite dishes will be turned on it's head, or be tossed out the window.

Here's a foodie confession for you- salty hot chips (whilst not a nutritional tick) may well be god's gift to the morning-sick expectant mother. I never thought I'd be so happy to see them. And I have a new-found respect for the deep fried potato.
Whilst I'm not 100% back on track with my rational food choices, I am ready to start exploring food again and it's exciting to be back.
In the next few posts I'll share with you some fabulous recipes my mum and I explored to support her chemotherapy and some guilty secrets that got me through the worst of my pregnancy nausea. Sure they might be varying messages when it comes to nutrition, but they are all valid and interesting food experiences.
Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for my afternoon hit of chocolate milk (*cravings*).