Hello and welcome to my blog. This blog follows my journey to healing through natural hygiene. I consume a lot of fruit in my diet, along with an abundance of greens, veggies, lesser amounts of nuts and seeds, and some cooked wheat/gluten-free grains and starches such as rice, quinoa, potatoes, and squash.
I know what you may be thinking. "That can't be healthy for you," "That is way too much sugar," "How do you get your protein?" ....
Well, at one point, these ideas that are so ingrained in us, had a hold of me as well. You know, the ones that are so much a part of our cultural identity that we don't even question them anymore? The ones that say, "Carbs make you fat," "too much sugar causes diabetes," and "make sure you get in lots of protein!"
Here is my story:
I was somewhat of a sickly child. I always had bad allergies, took antibiotics regularly, was diagnosed with "bronchial spasms" (I now know I was just a child a lot anxiety), and was on different inhalers, nose spays, antihistamines, received allergy shots (weirdest concept ever, btw), and by the time I was a teenager I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I was put on Zoloft (that lasted for a very short while), and Xanax (that lasted for much longer, and at one point I would consider myself addicted to it).
2006: I will spare the details, but I went through a medical procedure that traumatized me physically and emotionally, and for nearly 4 years I was a mess. Immediately following this event, I started gaining weight (up to 40 lbs), couldn't get out of bed, I had heart palpitations, tight joints, broke out with acne (I had never had acne), excessively oily skin and hair, and my menstrual cycle was gone. I didn't have my period for 6 months, and when I did 6 months later, it was irregular for 3 years. I tell you about all this because it was the catalyst to my change. Had this not happened, I may have never been so desperate to search for answers and learn the truth about health. So in that sense, I am grateful for this happening to me, as it led me to my mission.
2007: I mustered up the strength to go back to school and started digging for ways to feel "normal" again and became interested in dieting after I connected the dots between diet and health. This seems to obvious now, but it wasn't always back then. I dabbled in Bob Green's, The Best Life diet, and South Beach diet, and Weight Watchers. I started buying foods that I THOUGHT were healthier. Lean turkey, low fat cottage cheese and yogurt, whole wheat bread,oils, and some fruits and veggies. Obviously, this did nothing for me. I was still grocery shopping at Wal-Mart and didn't know about health food grocery stores until later this year. I also took up marijuana smoking at this time and it became my constant pastime for the next two years. I used it to escape and numb (and have an excuse to hit up fast food joints). It also opened my mind to things like traveling, compassion for other beings, and alternative ways of life as opposed to the scripted, go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, bit (Not that there is anything wrong with this, I just come from a place where this is what you are basically bred to do, no questions asked, no alternatives presented. So it was something for me to realize that it was okay if my time line didn't play out like that).
2008: I came home one day and found a PETA brochure on my kitchen counter top (I was living with my mom at this time, as I was very depressed and unmotivated to do much else). It was my sister's, who used to be vegetarian, and I would even make fun of her for it. The PETA pamphlet described the conditions inside of factory farms, and explained why not eating meat is better for our health, for the animals, and for the environment. I don't remember what happened next, but I think I got online and did a little more research. From that day on, I never ate meat again (with the exception of sushi once a month for a while). Later that year, about 3 months into being vegetarian, I suddenly woke up around 6am to a segment on Good Morning America (or one of those early morning shows). I fell asleep to a TV until I was 23 years old. I haven't owned a TV in almost 3 years! (But the computer has probably taken its place). Anyway! There was a woman author (I forget who she was) talking about the raw food diet. The gourmet version. For some reason in my sleepy stupor, I remember listening and everything just clicked. I thought, "of course, food is not made to be cooked," "keep it in it's natural state." I thought I had found the answer I was looking for, and started experimenting, reading every book on raw foods, and frequenting raw food cafes. This remained a passion of mine for the next few years. I even worked at a Raw Foods Cafe in Austin in 2011, but I was always on again, off again raw. I know now that it wasn't sustainable, nor optimal to consume as much fat as I was consuming, and I wasn't getting enough calories, or fuel food (aka CARBS). While it gave me better skin, and slightly more energy, I still kept on the extra weight, and was always bloated. I knew I could feel better.
2009 & 2010: I was totally living on my own at this time and became fully committed to being a vegan. I read Skinny Bitch, by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin, and The Kind Life, by Alicia Silverstone. Being vegan made so much sense to me, and it was pretty easy, with the exception of sushi (and that spicy mayo they put in it), and cheese. Everything else pretty much went over night, but for a little while I still consumed these other things, but gradually stopped. I was eating a lot of raw foods, but more concerned about being vegan, than raw. Over this time I slowly started losing weight. I was up to 146lbs at my heaviest, and in a period of two years went to 130lbs, where I stayed for another year and a half. I stopped smoking cannabis, and a fog lifted after about a good, full year.
2011: I considered myself a vegan at this time (high fat) and was feeling a lot better. I was still mildly depressed, emotionally numb (I didn't realize this until later), carrying extra weight, and having irregular periods, but I was seeing hope, and the dark days seemed to be behind me. My skin had cleared up, I didn't have that morning grog, and I had more energy throughout the day. I was studying journalism in school, but knew that my passion was with natural health and healing. I also knew that I didn't like school (never have) and was struggling with the decision to quit college. We are so conditioned (or at least I was) to put so much value on a piece of paper, even if that means putting us in debt and sacrificing our time, happiness, and ultimately, our life. I liked journalism, and writing about topics that I liked, but I also knew that I didn't want to be a news journalist. I wanted to be independent in my writing and reporting. I knew I could just blog or write a book. I knew I would be cut off by my dad financially if I left school, and that was scary at first, but ultimately I didn't want to be living my life for someone else. I knew I could make it on my own. So later this year I quit going to college and never went back. Instead of going to school that semester I took a permaculture internship in Hawaii and my life hasn't been the same since. Also, I met a man who would become very special in my life and still is. He was coincidentally also a vegan. He was a funny vegan, though. He just ate loads of bananas and oranges all day, and when I would make us salads, he would ask me to not put oil in it. He would sort of deflect at first when I would ask him about all of this, but soon, I coerced him into explaining to me his high fruit diet. Afterall, I was always wanting to know more and learn everything I could about health. He explained to me the 80/10/10 diet and told me about Dr. Douglas Graham. He drew a picture chart showing how food moves through and processes in our bodies, and he explained to me why high fat diets hinder glucose feeding our cells. It was another "aha," moment that clicked. Except for this time, after I learned more and continued to educate myself, all my questions were answered about health. There was no more confusion or mixed messages. It was practical, and simple. It was the human diet, it should be simple. Animals aren't running around wondering, "how many calories should I eat in a day?" "Is this healthy for me?" Their instincts guide them to their species specific diets, and so do ours, but we have forgotten and been trained to ignore our instincts, often times from birth.
2012: Although I was very familiar with the high carb, low fat vegan lifestyle at this point, I still wasn't following it heavily until the fall of this year. I had definitely started eating a lot more fruit (I had a big smoothies every morning), but wasn't paying attention to fat. I had periods of time where I would eat primarily fruit, like when I went to Guatemala for a month, and it felt real good. At the end of the summer, my now boyfriend and I bought a VW Vanagon and decided to travel around for a couple of months. This lifestyle led me to Raw til 4 (a variation of 811 that incorporates cooked carbs at dinner time) by default. We ate mostly fruit all day on the road, because it required no cooking, and at night we had huge salads. Also, I came up with this amazing root veggie stew that we LOVED. We ate some variation of it almost every night. In this time, I lost a lot of weight, unexpectedly, and started feeling so good. My periods also became regular this year :) At the end of the year we settled back in Austin and I went high fruit full force. I still eat cooked foods as well.
2013 : I focus on low fat and eating as many carbs as I desire. I do not restrict calories and see this as a lifestyle of abundance. I eat more now than I ever have and I can get through a very hot 105 degree yoga and pilates class, something I never could do. I am complimented almost daily on my skin, my period is every 25-27 days, I poop a lot, I feel good wearing anything I want (for the first time EVER in my life), I haven't taken a pill (not even an over the counter) in about 3 years, my hormones and pH are balanced, and it feels pretty good. I would like to eventually be all raw, but I'm going at a rate that works for me and doesn't have me obsessing. I have since been educated on The China Study (the longest, most in depth nutritional study ever conducted in human history). It's similar to 80/10/10, promoting a high carb, low fat, plant based diet. The only difference is it includes cooked foods as well. So, over the last 5 years I have completely immersed myself into the education of what it means to be healthy and the plant-based lifestyle. Some people assume that not eating animal products is part of a tree hugging trend, but it just so happens that this lifestyle is backed by some pretty clear science. I have learned about how our bodies function on a physiological level and what our cells require for optimum health. I have learned what our bodies require for optimal absorption and digestion. I have learned how much protein and calcium our bodies REALLY need, how too much can actually have a negative affect, and how the majority of the population is misinformed about healthy quantities and sources of protein and calcium that the body can actually absorb. I have learned that sickness and disease are not determined by genetics or bad luck and that they thrive in acidic/toxic/deficient environments, and that we are fully capable of preventing the majority (if not all) chronic diseases, cancers, and ailments. I have learned that our bodies need an alkaline environment to thrive, and that most of the foods we consume on the SAD (Standard American Diet) fall under the "acidic" category. I have also witnessed and read accounts about how the life of a factory farm animal is. "Suffering" is the word that comes to mind. These animals live a life of suffering, ending with abuse and violence, and then we eat it. We consume the fear and sadness of these animals, which can translate into our own emotional states. The living conditions are horrendous, and much of the time the meat has to be soaked in chlorine or some other toxic chemical to rid off the potential existence of e-coli. Animals are pumped with steroids and hormones to make them grow 3 times faster than a normal, causing their limbs to break and causing adolescent girls to start puberty and younger ages because they are consuming them. I could go on and on. If you watch the movie Earthlings on YouTube it will open up the world of factory farming to you, and I can't imagine you would still want to continue to perpetuate this disgusting industry. I also became aware of the environmental impact that eating meat had on our Mother Earth. The United Nations released a study concluding that meat production causes more air pollution than all the cars on the road. Methane is a gas produced by factory farms, and it gets trapped in the earths atmosphere, causing it to heat. Also, all the food we use to feed and fatten up our livestock (who are biologically supposed to be eating grass anyway) could be used to eradicate world hunger. Factory farms also contribute to the fact that 1/3 of the world has dirty drinking water. All in all, when people ask why I eat a plant-based diet, I tell them it's for the well-being of my body, the well-being of the animals, and the well-being of the planet.
I know what you may be thinking. "That can't be healthy for you," "That is way too much sugar," "How do you get your protein?" ....
Well, at one point, these ideas that are so ingrained in us, had a hold of me as well. You know, the ones that are so much a part of our cultural identity that we don't even question them anymore? The ones that say, "Carbs make you fat," "too much sugar causes diabetes," and "make sure you get in lots of protein!"
Here is my story:
I was somewhat of a sickly child. I always had bad allergies, took antibiotics regularly, was diagnosed with "bronchial spasms" (I now know I was just a child a lot anxiety), and was on different inhalers, nose spays, antihistamines, received allergy shots (weirdest concept ever, btw), and by the time I was a teenager I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I was put on Zoloft (that lasted for a very short while), and Xanax (that lasted for much longer, and at one point I would consider myself addicted to it).
2006: I will spare the details, but I went through a medical procedure that traumatized me physically and emotionally, and for nearly 4 years I was a mess. Immediately following this event, I started gaining weight (up to 40 lbs), couldn't get out of bed, I had heart palpitations, tight joints, broke out with acne (I had never had acne), excessively oily skin and hair, and my menstrual cycle was gone. I didn't have my period for 6 months, and when I did 6 months later, it was irregular for 3 years. I tell you about all this because it was the catalyst to my change. Had this not happened, I may have never been so desperate to search for answers and learn the truth about health. So in that sense, I am grateful for this happening to me, as it led me to my mission.
2007: I mustered up the strength to go back to school and started digging for ways to feel "normal" again and became interested in dieting after I connected the dots between diet and health. This seems to obvious now, but it wasn't always back then. I dabbled in Bob Green's, The Best Life diet, and South Beach diet, and Weight Watchers. I started buying foods that I THOUGHT were healthier. Lean turkey, low fat cottage cheese and yogurt, whole wheat bread,oils, and some fruits and veggies. Obviously, this did nothing for me. I was still grocery shopping at Wal-Mart and didn't know about health food grocery stores until later this year. I also took up marijuana smoking at this time and it became my constant pastime for the next two years. I used it to escape and numb (and have an excuse to hit up fast food joints). It also opened my mind to things like traveling, compassion for other beings, and alternative ways of life as opposed to the scripted, go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, bit (Not that there is anything wrong with this, I just come from a place where this is what you are basically bred to do, no questions asked, no alternatives presented. So it was something for me to realize that it was okay if my time line didn't play out like that).
2008: I came home one day and found a PETA brochure on my kitchen counter top (I was living with my mom at this time, as I was very depressed and unmotivated to do much else). It was my sister's, who used to be vegetarian, and I would even make fun of her for it. The PETA pamphlet described the conditions inside of factory farms, and explained why not eating meat is better for our health, for the animals, and for the environment. I don't remember what happened next, but I think I got online and did a little more research. From that day on, I never ate meat again (with the exception of sushi once a month for a while). Later that year, about 3 months into being vegetarian, I suddenly woke up around 6am to a segment on Good Morning America (or one of those early morning shows). I fell asleep to a TV until I was 23 years old. I haven't owned a TV in almost 3 years! (But the computer has probably taken its place). Anyway! There was a woman author (I forget who she was) talking about the raw food diet. The gourmet version. For some reason in my sleepy stupor, I remember listening and everything just clicked. I thought, "of course, food is not made to be cooked," "keep it in it's natural state." I thought I had found the answer I was looking for, and started experimenting, reading every book on raw foods, and frequenting raw food cafes. This remained a passion of mine for the next few years. I even worked at a Raw Foods Cafe in Austin in 2011, but I was always on again, off again raw. I know now that it wasn't sustainable, nor optimal to consume as much fat as I was consuming, and I wasn't getting enough calories, or fuel food (aka CARBS). While it gave me better skin, and slightly more energy, I still kept on the extra weight, and was always bloated. I knew I could feel better.
2009 & 2010: I was totally living on my own at this time and became fully committed to being a vegan. I read Skinny Bitch, by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin, and The Kind Life, by Alicia Silverstone. Being vegan made so much sense to me, and it was pretty easy, with the exception of sushi (and that spicy mayo they put in it), and cheese. Everything else pretty much went over night, but for a little while I still consumed these other things, but gradually stopped. I was eating a lot of raw foods, but more concerned about being vegan, than raw. Over this time I slowly started losing weight. I was up to 146lbs at my heaviest, and in a period of two years went to 130lbs, where I stayed for another year and a half. I stopped smoking cannabis, and a fog lifted after about a good, full year.
2011: I considered myself a vegan at this time (high fat) and was feeling a lot better. I was still mildly depressed, emotionally numb (I didn't realize this until later), carrying extra weight, and having irregular periods, but I was seeing hope, and the dark days seemed to be behind me. My skin had cleared up, I didn't have that morning grog, and I had more energy throughout the day. I was studying journalism in school, but knew that my passion was with natural health and healing. I also knew that I didn't like school (never have) and was struggling with the decision to quit college. We are so conditioned (or at least I was) to put so much value on a piece of paper, even if that means putting us in debt and sacrificing our time, happiness, and ultimately, our life. I liked journalism, and writing about topics that I liked, but I also knew that I didn't want to be a news journalist. I wanted to be independent in my writing and reporting. I knew I could just blog or write a book. I knew I would be cut off by my dad financially if I left school, and that was scary at first, but ultimately I didn't want to be living my life for someone else. I knew I could make it on my own. So later this year I quit going to college and never went back. Instead of going to school that semester I took a permaculture internship in Hawaii and my life hasn't been the same since. Also, I met a man who would become very special in my life and still is. He was coincidentally also a vegan. He was a funny vegan, though. He just ate loads of bananas and oranges all day, and when I would make us salads, he would ask me to not put oil in it. He would sort of deflect at first when I would ask him about all of this, but soon, I coerced him into explaining to me his high fruit diet. Afterall, I was always wanting to know more and learn everything I could about health. He explained to me the 80/10/10 diet and told me about Dr. Douglas Graham. He drew a picture chart showing how food moves through and processes in our bodies, and he explained to me why high fat diets hinder glucose feeding our cells. It was another "aha," moment that clicked. Except for this time, after I learned more and continued to educate myself, all my questions were answered about health. There was no more confusion or mixed messages. It was practical, and simple. It was the human diet, it should be simple. Animals aren't running around wondering, "how many calories should I eat in a day?" "Is this healthy for me?" Their instincts guide them to their species specific diets, and so do ours, but we have forgotten and been trained to ignore our instincts, often times from birth.
2012: Although I was very familiar with the high carb, low fat vegan lifestyle at this point, I still wasn't following it heavily until the fall of this year. I had definitely started eating a lot more fruit (I had a big smoothies every morning), but wasn't paying attention to fat. I had periods of time where I would eat primarily fruit, like when I went to Guatemala for a month, and it felt real good. At the end of the summer, my now boyfriend and I bought a VW Vanagon and decided to travel around for a couple of months. This lifestyle led me to Raw til 4 (a variation of 811 that incorporates cooked carbs at dinner time) by default. We ate mostly fruit all day on the road, because it required no cooking, and at night we had huge salads. Also, I came up with this amazing root veggie stew that we LOVED. We ate some variation of it almost every night. In this time, I lost a lot of weight, unexpectedly, and started feeling so good. My periods also became regular this year :) At the end of the year we settled back in Austin and I went high fruit full force. I still eat cooked foods as well.
2013 : I focus on low fat and eating as many carbs as I desire. I do not restrict calories and see this as a lifestyle of abundance. I eat more now than I ever have and I can get through a very hot 105 degree yoga and pilates class, something I never could do. I am complimented almost daily on my skin, my period is every 25-27 days, I poop a lot, I feel good wearing anything I want (for the first time EVER in my life), I haven't taken a pill (not even an over the counter) in about 3 years, my hormones and pH are balanced, and it feels pretty good. I would like to eventually be all raw, but I'm going at a rate that works for me and doesn't have me obsessing. I have since been educated on The China Study (the longest, most in depth nutritional study ever conducted in human history). It's similar to 80/10/10, promoting a high carb, low fat, plant based diet. The only difference is it includes cooked foods as well. So, over the last 5 years I have completely immersed myself into the education of what it means to be healthy and the plant-based lifestyle. Some people assume that not eating animal products is part of a tree hugging trend, but it just so happens that this lifestyle is backed by some pretty clear science. I have learned about how our bodies function on a physiological level and what our cells require for optimum health. I have learned what our bodies require for optimal absorption and digestion. I have learned how much protein and calcium our bodies REALLY need, how too much can actually have a negative affect, and how the majority of the population is misinformed about healthy quantities and sources of protein and calcium that the body can actually absorb. I have learned that sickness and disease are not determined by genetics or bad luck and that they thrive in acidic/toxic/deficient environments, and that we are fully capable of preventing the majority (if not all) chronic diseases, cancers, and ailments. I have learned that our bodies need an alkaline environment to thrive, and that most of the foods we consume on the SAD (Standard American Diet) fall under the "acidic" category. I have also witnessed and read accounts about how the life of a factory farm animal is. "Suffering" is the word that comes to mind. These animals live a life of suffering, ending with abuse and violence, and then we eat it. We consume the fear and sadness of these animals, which can translate into our own emotional states. The living conditions are horrendous, and much of the time the meat has to be soaked in chlorine or some other toxic chemical to rid off the potential existence of e-coli. Animals are pumped with steroids and hormones to make them grow 3 times faster than a normal, causing their limbs to break and causing adolescent girls to start puberty and younger ages because they are consuming them. I could go on and on. If you watch the movie Earthlings on YouTube it will open up the world of factory farming to you, and I can't imagine you would still want to continue to perpetuate this disgusting industry. I also became aware of the environmental impact that eating meat had on our Mother Earth. The United Nations released a study concluding that meat production causes more air pollution than all the cars on the road. Methane is a gas produced by factory farms, and it gets trapped in the earths atmosphere, causing it to heat. Also, all the food we use to feed and fatten up our livestock (who are biologically supposed to be eating grass anyway) could be used to eradicate world hunger. Factory farms also contribute to the fact that 1/3 of the world has dirty drinking water. All in all, when people ask why I eat a plant-based diet, I tell them it's for the well-being of my body, the well-being of the animals, and the well-being of the planet.