Gone Crunchy: What I’ve Learned on My Natural-Living Journey
My pup and I after a run at Middlefork Forest Preserve.
I can’t say I grew up crunchy, per-se. As a 90s kid living in Chicago, I ate the standard American diet: Fruit Rollups, Froot Loops and Wonder Bread were lunch box staples. I spent hours in front of the TV watching PBS (we didn’t have cable); and apartment-living was all I knew, with little outdoor space to speak of.
In spite of my less-than-crunchy ways, my Eastern European immigrant family helped guide my path into natural-living from an early age. The standard treatment for a cold or flu was raspberry jam in hot tea. If I scraped myself, my grandma would dab a little iodine on it; I thought the swampy green color was so cool! My family also encouraged me to spend time outdoors year round, and daily trips to the local parks were non-negotiable.
The Crunchy Progression
See crunchy Jane run.
I became more health-conscious after graduating from college at Loyola University Chicago (go Ramblers!), but it wasn’t until my late 20s that I really embarked on my crunchy journey. While training for my first Chicago marathon, I realized that what I ate before and after my training runs made a significant impact on my performance. Eventually, I realized that food isn’t just fuel for my…fairly mediocre…athletic pursuits, it literally makes me who I am!
After cleaning up my diet of nearly all ultra-processed foods, I started exploring how I can live more naturally in other areas of my life: I researched low-toxic alternatives and switched to all-natural personal care and household products. The more I focused on “crunchifying” my diet and lifestyle, the better I felt both physically and emotionally. I was convinced that natural-living is the only path to wellness.
An Ironic (and Dramatic) Lesson
My family including my first furry soulmate who we lost in 2024.
Fast forward to today: I’m a mom to one crunchy toddler and one Australian Cattle Dog puppy. I’m still an avid runner, nutrition nerd and outdoor-enthusiast. While I’m a proponent of natural health, my son’s arrival into the world gave me a newfound appreciation for conventional medicine.
As you might have guessed, I wanted an unmedicated birth without any intervention. Well, my son had different plans. When he finally decided to make his grand entrance, he tried to do it foot-first (he was footling breach which was a surprise to me!). His plan led to an emergency C-section with general anesthesia and many of the interventions I wanted to avoid. Yet, without modern surgical technology, there’s a good chance neither of us would have made it.
Ironically, this experience also gave me a new appreciation for my crunchy lifestyle. My recovery was smooth: I was walking around the neighborhood with my husband and newborn just 2 days after surgery, and I was able to cook breakfast and make my usual pour-over coffee (I had plenty of help, but was craving the normal routine). I attribute my recovery to the crunchy habits I formed before and during pregnancy.
My New Crunchy Philosophy
“The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t know SHIP!” (My toddler repeats everything). Before setting off on my crunchy journey with just a bag of organic avocados and fermented sauerkraut in hand, I didn’t really buy into the whole clean eating, organic or sustainable thing. In fact, I’d dismiss anyone that preached eating more organically: “That’s just for west coast hippies!”
I had no issue buying conventional produce and meat, and a Chick-fil-a biscuit sandwich with a Dunkin mocha latte was considered a perfectly acceptable pre-work meal. Looking back, I wished I was more open-minded earlier in life. Today, I’ve grown into a very curious person; I like to question everything. I also like to test out ideas for (or on) myself because something that works for one person or family may not be what’s right for me or my crew…or it may not be right for now.
I have learned that life is a balancing act, and I need to hit the right equilibrium (former business major here) when it comes to wellness: diet, exercise, sustainability, stress management and social connections.
My own natural-living journey has made me more open-minded to differing opinions and lifestyles. Maybe there’s a secret nugget of crunchy wisdom I have yet to discover.
