Although I was raised vegetarian, I didn’t understand the benefits about eating a healthy plant-based diet. I wasn’t exactly a healthy vegetarian either. I consumed a lot of Kraft Dinner during my childhood and ate a lot of processed foods such as chocolate bars, potato chips, hard candy, french fries, and veggie pizza. Sure, I was vegetarian, but I was an unhealthy and very sick vegetarian! As children, we think we are invincible from disease or death. I was never sick as a child or teenager and I was as thin as a rail, despite my terrible food choices. It wasn’t until I was 25 years old that I became very ill, and it was then, when I was diagnosed with a thyroid disease after the birth of my first child. Perhaps it was the curse I needed; I needed to wake up and change my life before my health continued to deteriorate. One thing I’ve learned through reading research is that a disease doesn’t just happen overnight. Diseases can sneak up on us at any time, especially when we don’t expect it! Take for instance heart attacks. Many young men and women in our country are having heart attacks from lack of exercise and/or consuming too much meat and clogging their arteries. It sometimes takes a decade of harm, stress and unhealthy eating habits before a disease presents its ugly head and causes havoc on our bodies.
Once I was diagnosed, I decided to make some minor changes with my diet. I still wasn’t perfect, and indulged once in a while enjoying my sweets. My biggest struggle was how much bread and cheese I was consuming at every meal. I ate toast, crepes or eggs with cheese for breakfast. For lunch I had another sandwich with cheese on it, and for dinner more toast with my cheese pasta. Cheese and bread can be our greatest enemies, especially for someone with an autoimmune disease. I was oblivious. I thought eliminating most of my junk food would help, and besides I was a vegetarian. This is one of the biggest misconceptions for many people to understand. Vegetarians are not always healthy if they make the wrong food choices. Fast forward 12 years later, after struggling with several miscarriages, I had my second child and was being investigated for diffuse systemic sclerosis after testing positive for the antibody and having several of the symptoms. My body and pregnancy never seemed to dance well together, and the more stress I put on my body, the more autoimmune diseases I was being diagnosed with. Although, I was faced with another health challenge, I refused to throw my arms up in the air and give up. Besides, I’ve always been a fighter! I decided to research about the benefits of a gluten free and vegan diet. Research suggests that individuals diagnosed with an autoimmune disease often have more than one. Several of my aunts and cousins have autoimmune diseases such as thyroid disease, lupus, connective tissue disease, polyarteritis nodosa, etc; and guess what?! They are all meat eaters. So, before someone wants to challenge me and say, "It's because you were raised vegetarian", think again! I often want to blame my disease on genetics, but I know that genetics isn’t the only role responsible for the development of diseases. After researching the benefits of a gluten free diet, I decided to go 100% gluten free and vegan and even began eliminating night shade vegetables to reduce my chronic pain and inflammation. After only 3 months I noticed a lot of improvement with my overall health and my autoimmune disease antibodies started to decline. Although going gluten free or vegan isn’t necessary for everyone, I believe it has helped me tremendously. Today, many of us are attempting to divorce our love affairs with sugars, animal proteins and fats, as it has been creating devastating health consequences in our families and our country. As more people are diagnosed with degenerative diseases, I felt compelled to plant a small seed that would soon grow healthier roots in people who are seeking a healthier and happier lifestyle. Creating this website and blog has allowed me to make small steps towards changing myself and encouraging others. I have witnessed many of my friends and co-workers make remarkable improvements in their health by making small changes to their diets. I have also seen my own personal success in minimizing symptoms of my autoimmune disease. My journey of growing up vegetarian and making the transition to become vegan was a decision I made not only for my health, but also for the environment and the animals too. This lifestyle has allowed me to be more compassion and appreciate life to the fullest.
Join me in the fight against disease!
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