Vegan Anniversary!

Happy Vegan Anniversary, to ME! It’s amazing how much things have changed for me over these last NINE years. I’m in a constant state of learning, healing and growing – and I owe it all to making the switch from vegetarian to vegan. Twenty four years ago (just before I started high school) I made the decision to cut all meat products out of my diet after viewing a segment about slaughterhouses. I could no longer look at another animal without thinking about their feelings. There was no adjustment period for me and no cravings because I had the truth about what really goes on tattooed in my brain.

 

I didn’t initially go vegan for the animals, but I can definitely say that I will be vegan for life because of the animals. Nine years ago, I was a chronic migraine sufferer and it took one that lasted for three months straight to make me see that something needed to change. After being in and out of the hospital, numerous scans, blood tests, a spinal tap – not one doctor could tell me what was going on. They did tell me that I would have to be on a migraine medication for the rest of my life. One that came with many side effects, but because I put so much faith in doctors at the time, I truly believed that that was my fate.

A while later (that persistent migraine still there) a friend took me to a holistic practitioner and guess what his first question was? “Have you ever had an allergy test done?” This question was in regards to food. He was the first person to connect diet to health issues – that listening to your body can heal you. Rather than masking symptoms with pills, get down to the root of the problem, what’s causing the symptoms and stop them! The test results were shocking. The lengthy list revealed foods I had been eating all my life and no joke, when I eliminated every single one, that persistent migraine vanished. That is when I became vegan. I stopped eating dairy and eggs – at first because I was allergic, but a year later, I continued on this path for ethical reasons. I learned that just because they’re not killing the animal to produce milk, cheese or eggs, the cruelty was still there. I began to feel good inside and out AND felt a sense of peace that came with no longer supporting the dairy and egg industries.

Even after eliminating all animal products, I still battled the occasional migraine and digestion issues. I even had a colonoscopy done due to severe pains and bleeding. There I had learned that the medications (prescribed and OTC) I was taking had done a number on my colon AND I had colitis. Not only was I furious for not taking charge of my own health, but I was mad at the doctors. I made a promise to myself that day to do MY OWN research from there on out and focus on healing my body. Good news is that I’ve been off all medications for the last six years and after doing my own research, I also eliminated all forms of soy. Guess what? Not a single migraine and I’m happy to report that I’ve completely healed every single one of my health issues. Knowing what I know today is the very reason why we made the decision to raise Willow on a plant-based, gluten-free, soy-free “diet” – I want her to feel the very best she can while doing her part to improve our planet. Not only am I proof that food is medicine, but Willow is, too. Not only has she managed to avoid the common cold, ear infections and various other sicknesses, but she’s also thriving!

Why am I sharing all of this with you? For two reasons:

(1) “Most people have no idea how good their body is designed to feel.” ~ Kevin Trudeau

(2) You ARE in control and have the POWER to make a change…not only for yourself, but the planet.

So, stop dieting, turning to pills and thinking that how you’re feeling now is as good as it’s going to get. I’m not saying you have to stop immediately, but vow to make some changes…baby steps even. Read some books or watch a documentary – learning about others transformations, how they healed was a huge eye opener for me. It was all proof that food truly is medicine.

If you’re on the fence about a plant-based diet or would like to learn how our every day choices impact the animals, your health and our planet, I urge you to check out one or a few of these documentaries. I’ve included links and/or trailers, but you can view a lot of these in full via Netflix.

• Earthlings

• Forks Over Knives
• Cowspiracy

• Food Inc.

• Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
• Vegucated

• Live and Let Live
• Peaceable Kingdom
• Fed Up

• Food Matters

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Love and light

❤