How on earth did I end up here?

It's a question several of you have asked me in different ways, and I'd love to share.

FIRST, this did not happen overnight. Much of it was the result of spending my summer in Switzerland and eating excessive amounts of dairy and fish. I almost gave up being vegetarian this summer. When I came home, I had gained weight, felt lethargic, had no energy, and was struggling with bad allergies. I was so badly in need of a detox that I decided to go vegan for a while to reset my diet to truly plant-based. I started with a fruit and vegetable smoothie fast for 2 days. During this time off of school and work, I began reading several vegan blogs for tips on healthy, whole foods eating.

SECOND, I learned through reading all of these blogs and watching an excessive number of documentaries about something known generally as WHOLE BODY HEALTH. I learned about people who have successfully cured cancer, diabetes, allergies, and countless other diseases by altering their nutrition. I became enthralled by this idea that God designed our bodies as one smooth machine, and did not intend for us to fix just our blood pressure or just our cholesterol level with medication. When something is wrong with your body, something is wrong with all of your body - not just one part. 

THIRD, I learned even more about the processed food industry. Every day people are consuming things that are definitively known to cause cancer and other diseases, not to mention make them fat. All of this led to a complete revamp of our kitchen where, over the course of 2 weeks, we got rid of all our processed food in exchange for REAL FOOD. Now, my number one goal is NOT to avoid cancer. Honestly, I couldn't care less how I die or if I die young. I do, however, have some insane part of me that wants to pursue being an ultra-athlete, and I was so fascinated by this idea of completely aligning my food intake with my body's true needs.

I promise you, I did not just wake up one day and start eating barley for breakfast. I hate that I even come close to identifying as a crunchy granola hippie right now. BUT, after a few weeks of detox, I saw incredible changes in my body.

• I NEVER feel bloated anymore. Ladies, anyone with me? You heard me. Never.
• I lost 5 lbs. quickly, but more importantly I lost fat.
• I get a horrible stomachache if I eat anything with high fructose corn syrup in it. Guess what?!? That's the body's natural reaction. We have just become numb to it.
• I do NOT miss meat or dairy in the slightest, despite having tried to go vegan before and feeling completely deprived. 

I realize that this whole vegan thing is NOT for everyone. I do not believe it is. I believe it's my thing, and you can get your own thing. I do, however, believe that there is a revolution to be had! By changing the diet back to whole foods and listening to your body's reaction to everything you eat, magical things can happen.

I hope this has helped you all understand my journey a bit more, and if you're interested in reading more, check out these resources:

• Skinny Bitch, by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin
• The Food Revolution, by John Robbins
• Food, Inc. documentary
• Forks Over Knives documentary

If any of you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an email or comment. I'm not an expert, but I'm fairly well-read and would be happy to discuss anything (e.g. healthy fats, too much soy intake, how to make the transition, etc.).

(ps) Recipes page coming soon!! For now, here's my lunch today:

Sizzling up tofu with worcestershire sauce and Bragg's liquid aminos. I do this the night
before for an awesome salad the next day!

The finished product: raw kale, grape tomatoes, bell pepper, shredded carrot,
sprouts, tofu, and Trader Joes' soy ginger vinaigrette.

 Today's mantra: Find what makes you healthy and whole. Don't accept the status quo.