Like, many of us, I have done my best to exercise and eat healthy foods. However, my idea of “healthy” and what actually is healthy were two different things for most of my life. Growing up, we LOVED Mom’s food! When I moved out of the house and began cooking for myself and family, I carried on similar traditions. Many meals included cream of something and cheeses and sauces. Anything creamed together in a casserole dish was a REAL healthy meal. I always looked forward to 3:00pm snack time with some cookies or cakes. I was the typical person that grabbed the “diet” foods when I carried a few extra pounds. After all, I thought it was all about the calories. I carried on the mentality of “all in moderation” is best.
My Mission is to encourage and educate people toward discovering the healthiest version of themselves through better food and lifestyle choices so that they may feel their best.
Unfortunately, when I hit my 30’s and 40’s, my body began to ache and feel tired, depressed, lack of focus, gas and bloating, irritable, and cold. Let’s not forget to mention that off and on I suffered with vertigo. The doctors did many tests on me but couldn’t find anything definitively wrong and I was left still feeling yucky. Although I was appreciative to the doctors for ruling out anything terrible, I just knew that there was something not right with my body.
My sister suggested that I try an elimination diet to see if I had any food sensitivities. Without any guidance, I worked through it on my own and it was not easy. There are so many hidden ingredients in foods that it almost made it impossible to navigate my progress. I struggled with discovering that the very foods I loved and daily consumed were the very foods that seemed to be causing my symptoms.
How does a person give up foods that give comfort and joy!
The struggle of the unknown leads me to look into a Holistic Diet Approach. I decided to get some education and learned that changing to a Whole Food, Plant Based Diet (WFPB) can greatly change people’s health. So, we began making some changes and it has really made a difference to eat more plant based foods! I have fewer aches and pains in my joints, better focus, better digestion, stronger, more energy, etc. It’s been a difficult journey, but the rewards of feeling better to have been worth making these changes.
Today, I still struggle at times saying “no” to certain foods. The hardest part is when you’re having dinner with friends and family! Restaurants can be challenging too because we don’t know what’s in the food and when I ask what’s in the food, you become the so-called picky girl at the table! The struggle is that we don’t want to offend someone’s food or be THAT picky person, but at the same time, we don’t want to deal with uncomfortable bloating and gas or whatever the symptoms may be, all because we want to spare someone else’s feelings around the dinner table. These are tough issues when dealing with changing one’s diet.
Experiencing the freedom from uncomfortable and sometimes debilitating pain helps me be stronger. I have learned to talk to myself and explain the consequences of my choices. Sometimes I fail but every day, it gets better. My husband has been very supportive and has also been willing to embrace more of a whole-food plant-based diet. He says he actually feels better eating this new way. It’s funny because he didn’t think he felt bad before. I think when we are so used to living a certain way, we become unaware of how we actually feel.
We don’t realize how much better we CAN feel until we give our bodies better nutrition and eliminate the foods that cause issues. Because of my experience, I have made it my goal to help others that may be struggling like me. No matter what age a person is, they can improve how they feel by changing what they eat and how they care for themselves. Even just making small changes can help a person feel better. The hard part is making the transition.
