I’ve struggled a bit  to write this post. You know, with whether to share or not. But since gaps will soon appear, and I disclose a bit about the trajectory of my life on a pretty over-sharey and consistent basis, I kinda have to. Just to not appear gappy, I guess.

I’m also feeling a little ashamed. Shame, hey. It’s the most alien of emotions. Most of our personalities are in fact the cruddy layers with which we mask our shame. Unmasking is to get naked and squirm in the breeze. To be without our fun! brash! personalities. To be just plain, old ordinary us.

You see: I bang on virtuously about all the healthy stuff that I do. Noticed?  I’ve also shared that I’m writing a book. And in the past few weeks, both have come a little undone. My health has taken a nosedive. My thyroid has arked up again – it’s tired of the pushing. And, as always, it’s done so because I needed to be told. And so my book has had to be put on hold while I stop, recalibrate, listen. And begin the slow process of going back to me.

Which feels shameful. And a lot like failure. When I let it be seen that way.

I’ve done this many times before. I know what to do now. Hey, I bang on about it on this blog all the time!! Much of the decision to stop and recalibrate is about me “being my message” and not just preaching it. And actually living the only life I will ever want to live.

The truly wonderful thing in all this is that this (temporary) unraveling has, as always, reminded me of what this life I want looks and smells like. Being unwell does this. It pulls into sharp view the vulnerability of life. We could go any time. So, FUCK IT, let’s get real and raw and shed the layers!! Cut to it, Sarah!! Live it…CRUDLESS!!

This excites me no end. The other week week I got to chat to Andrea Beaman. Andrea is a US chef and health coach. She appeared on the first (and fifth) series of Top Chef. She’s the food expert on CBS News and she trained with INN, as did I. Just to put her in context. She knows food, OK.

But this is the thrilling bit: Andrea healed her thyroid disease with… food.

Yesireee. She refused to take medication and, after two years of careful, healthful eating, she was fixed. I remember reading about this a while back and getting so heartened. I’ve always believed this should be possible, despite being told by countless specialists that I’d been on medication for life (they also told me I was infertile, but goddamn if I didn’t turn that around).

I had to chat. So we did. I figured you’d like to hear what we shared…(and let me just say, there’s no need to tell me that I um and ah a lot. I know. It was early and I hadn’t slept.)

podcast Andrea [ 32:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The concept is friggen fabulous. It fits with everything I believe in. I haven’t got there yet. I’m trying. I lapse. My stress still puts spanners in works for my progress. As do my hormonal fluctuations. But stories like Andrea’s inspire me. As you might know, I believe my thyroid disease is a symptom of the way I lived for a long time. I damaged my body with my previous lifestyle habits. Ergo, I believe, I can fix it with better ones. This is why I do what I do (bang on about sprouts and bone broth and quitting sugar).

The key bits I took from my chat – and that I believe work, too – are flagged below:

* you need to experiment with different eating styles. Andrea played with macrobiotic eating and it worked for her for a while. Me, I’m finding a grains-free approach better.

* cholesterol-rich foods are needed for thyroid health. Eggs! Eggs! Fat! Eggs!

On Sunday I met Louise Hay. For anyone unfamiliar with this true gem of a human, she’s the author of You Can Heal Your Life, which has sold more than 50 million copies! And she owns Hay House, which publishes the Big Gurus (Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Doreen Virtue etc).

I’ll be writing more about the very particular lesson she taught me, soon, for Sunday Life. It caught me off guard and I got very teary because her lesson spoke straight to my struggle right now. She knew this and sat with me for an hour, smiling at me as I tried my usual tricks for explaining myself away (words, words, words!).

But in the meantime I thought I’d share some other little insights I gleaned. Because she shared many. Today I read her new book You Can Create An Exceptional Life, which goes into detail about how she runs her life.

Louise is about to turn 85. She healed herself of cancer many years ago and has gone on to live an extraordinary life. She’s as upright and fit as a 40-year-old. Slim, tall, a vibrant, natural face and a playful energy. She’d just got off an international flight and has been presenting and signing books for days. And yet she said she felt great. So her tips ‘n tricks for a well life are worth sharing:

1. Eat protein and vegetables. We sat and she ate breakfast. This is what she ate: peppermint tea, scrambled eggs, 3 sausages and some prunes. She ate the prunes with the sausage. Nice. As a rule, she follows the Westin A Price diet (as do I). Not strictly (ditto). So no sugar or gluten, limited grains, plenty of natural fats and a lot of veggies. Like me (via my Integrative Nutrition studies) she’s tried many different eating approaches and has settled on WAP principles.

2. You don’t need things. When she sat down I got rid of the clutter on the table. “We need less stuff,” she said, in a broad way. “Less clothes…I go shopping and I think, I don’t need this!” I instantly wanted to hug her. It’s been reported that while she’s a very wealthy woman, she lives minimally. She drives a Smart Car. And grows her own veggies.

3. Don’t worry whether you can do it….