My Journey with Healthy Eating and Lifestyle

It's no surprise that this pandemic has put a dent in many of the regular day-to-day activities that once required us to step out into the real world and interact face to face with our experiences. I don't know about you guys but, what is supposed to feel like a quarantine now feels like house arrest. I sympathize with all of you who are stuck at home and unable to hit the public gyms regularly; go outside like you once did, work, or socialize because of this whole quarantine situation.

In the summer of 2020, being a victim of martial law, like many of you, I took it upon myself to enroll in an online course through C.S.N.N. dedicated to healthy eating and lifestyle to further my understanding of this subject.

My journey with Healthy eating and cultivating the life I desire didn't occur steadily until after I graduated high school. During my journey with eating healthy and holistic living, I have observed that many don't understand what healthy eating means. It wasn't until I got sick that I started to think about the correlation between diet and disease and how it affects our bodies. Essentially this is what started me on the path to Natural Nutrition. Since then, I have learned that eating healthy means eating various foods that give you the essential nutrients you need to maintain your health. I now see food as the most basic link to maintaining good health, vitality, and energy.

Nutrition, I would say, is essential for everyone. And as mentioned in my previous blog posts (which I suggest you go read), eating well is an excellent way to help your body stay strong and healthy when combined with physical activity.

Switching to a healthy diet doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Eating healthy is something that a lot of people desire to do but often don't. For many different reasons; 1. To eat well cost money 2. It's seemingly too complicated to stick to just one diet, 3. Most people don't know where to start, and 4. (Being the most prominent influence), 9 out of 10 times, many people can't imagine life without a particular food or guilty pleasure. I've been there. Trust and believe me when I say I have been there, and I understand. I have been there too many times to recount that I just got sick and tired of being in that miserable spot of wanting to choose better and peaceful options for my life yet constantly feeling anxious, stagnant and helpless. And Just because I was there doesn't mean you have to be.

The reason why I say that is because I'm here to tell you today that Healthy eating doesn't have to be overly complicated. Assume you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting options and Nutrition advice out there. Or bad about yourself for not being able to afford whole quality foods, never mind a particular lifestyle, you're not alone. It seems that every guru who assures you a specific food or lifestyle is good for you, you'll find another saying exactly the opposite. The truth is that while particular foods or modes of living have beneficial effects on one's overall well-being. It's your overall dietary pattern and day-to-day activities that determine if the way you are living is healthy or contributing to your dis-ease. The base of eating healthy and living a wholesome lifestyle should be cultivating wholeness, in my opinion, while restoring processed food with natural food whenever possible. Eating food that is as close as possible to the way nature made it, never mind being one with nature, can make a massive difference to the way you think, look, and feel.

Like many of you, my journey with healthy eating and building the life I desire was and remained a personal experience that drove me to understand better how the foods in my environment affected my overall health.

For many years, I have been a victim of food sensitivities and left at the mercy of food consumption within the standard American diet limitations. I have taken antibiotics for an array of prolonged health issues for as long as I can recall, and it wasn't until my late teens I began taking a serious interest in my health. After going through what was and remained the most traumatic experience of my youth, I took it upon myself to begin my healing and restoration journey. I began to study and learn how to heal and reverse the dis-ease I was dealing with through diet, exercise, my faith, being out in nature and what would eventually become an entirely new modification (or upgrade) to my life. I've personally seen the power of nutritional medicine take flight in my journey and would like to testify to the wonders and results of food as medicine and healing for one's body, mind and spirit. As I have been on this route for some time now, I hope to continue furthering my knowledge and professional credibility within the field of Holistic Nutrition and Naturopathic Medicine to help those seeking holistic guidance on their health journey as I desperately once was.

Now, I don't want to get too personal, nevermind write out my entire life story. Still, I realize that you probably came here to understand my relationship and journey with healthy eating. And lifestyle, So let us get into it.

My life's predominant themes have revolved around connection, survival, adversity, rest, recovery, transmutation, healing and celebration —a never-ending cycle of what I like to call God's series of tests. But regarding my particular situation with this topic, I have always had a somewhat inconsistent or, for better, lack of words fluctuating relationship to food. Healthy eating was something I did not excessively give much thought to growing up because, in my earlier childhood years, food was seemingly never an issue.

After I was born during the civil war in Liberia, my father relocated us to Nairobi during his time spent with the U.N. Looking back on my early childhood memories, I remember life filled with Color. I remember consuming Sweet-tasting fruits, homemade pastries, and fresh spices. Smelling nostalgia-inducing aromas (such as honey-suckle, jasmine, lavender, & frankincense ), seeing diverse, friendly faces all around while experiencing all the freedom a little girl could dream.

My family's situation was well situated and balanced, as I recall when we lived in Kenya. My siblings and I often were fed fresh and live foods. My family owned our property and was socially involved. So we would often host dinner parties alongside holiday shin-digs and prayer at our home. The majority of the time, we could afford to raise some livestock like chickens, harvest some of our food, grow fruits and vegetables (sugar canes being my favourite) and a couple of fruit trees in the front of our compound. We lived just moments away from in-town, so you could say we lived somewhat a rural yet modern life. It was beautiful, vibrant, and stable, especially since technology was becoming a massive advantage to those who could afford it. My father was a computer engineer, so we had all the latest gadgets and updated systems. Those were the days. Truthfully, life was good. We never went a day hungry nor without fresh Foods. My siblings and I grew up learning to respect food, respect the source of food, and never waste food. My parents had grown up when food was often scarce, and I recall hearing many stories growing up about how many times they either went to bed hungry or starved of food as a form of punishment from their caretakers. These stories were emphasized greatly during the holy month of Ramadan as a means to teach us gratitude regarding food and security. Despite their efforts with a lack of resources during their days, they always managed to rely on times where the little things brought them excessive joy. And still, to this day, I am grateful for the values my parents instilled in us because it has allowed me to enjoy and appreciate everything I have in my life. Although there were times when God had blessed us tremendously, there were also times where we struggled greatly, mainly when we immigrated to Canada.

In the early 2000s, when we immigrated, for some time, life seemed normal. I mean, what was I to expect. I was just about to begin grade school, which was exciting, but soon after, my health began to suffer. The foods and life just weren't the same as back home. Back home, I could run around outside and play for hours on end with my neighbours and exhaust all my energy. Go to bed, get up and repeat the next day. In Africa, the sun was blazing and always out, so getting vitamin D was never an issue. In the beginning, wintertime was hard to adjust to and obtaining that natural vitamin D source was more challenging. But we managed to adapt. Having supper with neighbours back home wasn't an issue then here because, as the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, so the village was also my family. We could go into their shops or homes and have supper, but here, Canada was different. Everyone stuck to themselves, and I had to abide by a curfew because of school, and I couldn't stay out or go to other people's homes.

It was straight from school to home. My parents would give me strong warnings about talking to strangers, friends I should avoid, and stressing the importance of maintaining good marks. Things began to feel as if I had to be on guard, defensive or over-perform all the time. So I started slipping away into the realm of dreams and make-belief. At some point, my teachers began calling home more frequently to complain about my behaviour and attitude. They would call home to let my mother know that I was acting out, not completing my schoolwork, had trouble focusing or was frequently sick. My mother would often say I was doing all of this because I was looking for attention.

It hurt because I was not doing anything for attention.

I constantly battled health-related issues without understanding the who, what, when, why, and hows at such a young age. It wasn't a very comfortable experience. I was often told at home by my mother that I was ungrateful, rude, demanding and challenging every time I refused to consume Eggs, milk, cheese, wheat, or soy. Being new to Canada, my mother didn't have a strong network of people or knew many Food places accustomed to our traditional diet. And unfortunately, It wasn't until I was eight going onto nine, both of my parents noticed that my fundamental physic was changing. I went from this chubby jolly bubbly, happy little girl to this malnutrition-looking, sickly, low mood, sluggish kid. My skin texture was changing, I was getting many liver spots on my cheeks, and my immune system was lowkey shutting down. We had no idea what was going on, but I would often get blamed for why I was looking the way I did or for my behaviour every time I wished to express my feelings and emotions or discomfort. Both my parents were stressed. Being in survival mode, one can only assume that it was easier to blame the child for their issues instead of actively seeking the information or professional guidance to help them. If we did not have the runs or the flu, you weren't sick in their book. It's not their fault; however, being immigrant parents, they experienced a lot of shock, so they didn't know what I was going through, nor did they have the correct type of western knowledge or education at the time to help me.

Suppose you made it this far in congratulations. I'm just going to pause because I want to take a moment to explain to you what the link between diet, behaviour, and mood is. I struggled for many years with a great belief that I was always a problem. Still, the truth is, A diet lacking in essential nutrients or containing too many nutrients is detrimental more to one's health than processed chemicals or endocrine disrupters, which is likely to have adverse consequences for brain function, mental health, and behaviour. With children in this particular case, Behavioural challenges can result when a child reacts to a food to which he or she is intolerant. Eating regular meals helps regulate blood sugar levels and may influence some of the hormones that control our mood and ability to concentrate.

For this reason, poor attitude and behaviour are often present in children who have been without the correct type of foods and essential nutrients for too long (for example, children who haven't eaten breakfast or those that are seemingly intolerant to dairy, gluten or wheat). Another example would be if your child has a glass of milk, and their body begins to produce cytokines. In that case, the brain's resulting inflammation can lead to meltdowns, irritability, anxiety, depression, brain fog, and more (https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/can-food-intolerance-cause-behavioral-issues-children). In my case, I wasn't eating three meals a day consistently. I'm ashamed to say that when my mother would prepare foods that I didn't like or couldn't tolerant, I would hide them underneath the kitchen stove. One time I got caught, she found my three-day-old sandwich and made me eat it—worst experience.

On top of that, our quality of life soon became somewhat dysfunctional. Being new to Canada and not having many outlets or a diverse range of people to reach out to for resources was slightly tricky for my parents. We went from what seemed to me at the time as having it all to having nothing. I was always on edge, sad, struggling to repress my anger and uncomfortable at home. Especially when the rest of my older siblings arrived in Canada, I truly felt alone and very misunderstood by everyone around me. Both at home and in school.

I noticed that all of the kids around me had luxuries that I would often see on the television when we lived in Nairobi. Like big boats, well-made Scooters, E- bicycles from Japan, the latest in immersive computer games, and high-class holidays to the islands (i.e. the Bahamas, Caribbean, etc.). That never bothered me because I had a bike that I adored. It brought me so much value. Sometimes I would go riding with a few of my classmates, and even in that respect, it was nice to see my classmates happy with their material goods. It was. Especially the look on their face when their parents would show up in the middle of class and bring them McDonald's or the chicken fingers of their liking. It always put them in a good mood and made it easier to play and get along when they were seemingly satiated. The only thing that consciously bothered me was that I lived in an oil richen town, yet I was openly considered the standard American version of the poor. Whereas back in Africa, my family was and is still very wealthy. Most of these kids in Canada had money, not Saudi oil money. Still, they had Alberta money, which meant that their parents were well off and could afford to provide them with these fresh, tasty foods from the farmers market, hot dog lunches, book fairs and pay extra for field trips that allowed these kids to get in touch with the world around them.

On the other hand, I often felt left out of many things because most of our house income was going towards bills and providing the best education for my older siblings to ensure their academic success. Not being able to participate in overnight camping trips or attend ski trips to the mountains the way my peers did was honestly the very least of my problems but having to hear later them brag about it wasn't very pleasant. I always felt left out and less than these kids and found it hard to relate to them. They used to pick on me and call me weird alongside an array of unpleasant names. I began comparing my dull life to my classmates and soon found myself complaining to my parents regularly and often getting spanked for it. At some point, I stopped complaining and appreciating my parent's efforts because now I desired to have what most Westernized kids had. I became drunk on envy of their consumer lifestyle, partly due to the freedom, independence and emotional fulfillment it looked like they had. I was determined to rise above my limitations and acquire what I thought at the time was a symbol of freedom. Little did I know most of my classmates and their families were just consumers. Now, I realize that my jealousy over my classmate's lifestyles was just capitalism at its finest.

The minimalist life is more along the lines of my preferred way to live these days. Its less of a headache. Back then, however, I would often complain and began to fall resentful of my parents (My father, in particular because he was the big boss that ran this show). And before you call me a brat. My mother was never home for one, and neither was my father. They were always working ( sometimes over night shifts) or fussing over business deals, finances, and property, concerning our quality of life. As much as they meant well and had big plans they were determined to make happen. The stress of constantly hearing it and then evolving around those expectations was detrimentally stressful. My parents definitely did not come on this side to be what most Liberians would classify as modern-day slaves. It was shocking to see them go from running an empire to being belittled by those that preach land of the free. I often felt bad for them because they had to suffer just to provide us with stability and a roof over our head.

I instructed myself to be grateful for the basics of things provided for me because that was how I was surviving. I didn't have a choice but to be thankful. My family situation was somewhat all over the place. Being that there were about 13 of us in a five-bedroom house. It sucked for a bit, but we managed and made it work. My siblings were all enrolled in post-secondary at the time, vying to become nurses, engineers, medical & hospitality professionals. I sometimes felt as if my father took more of an interest in my older siblings' academic success than he did in my personal or emotional development and mental well-being. But, he did what he could; Times were very stressful.

Nevertheless I always had clothes on my back. But not knowing better then, I felt resentful most of the time because it seemed like he provided them with all the quality, timely care and essential resources to facilitate their learning. Then there was me, the loudmouth, over-sensitive kid who was told too often to keep quiet because I was too loud, and defensive for a girl.

On the lines of food, as a family, for the most part, we tried to maintain our traditional African diet (https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030612p26.shtml) . But, because some of our most potent foods were not always available, we followed the Standard American Diet (https://www.atkins.ca/how-it-works/library/articles/the-sad-consequences-of-the-standard-american-diet). We had homecooked meals, typically containing meat, yams & potatoes, rice, soup, bread, alongside the Mediterranean diet (i.e. greens, vegetables, fish and meat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_diet). We never ate out and never ordered in, except for a once-a-month treat to McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut or K.F.C. I had inferior cooking skills at the time and would often get shammed by my older sisters and brothers. Yet nobody was seemingly willing to teach me. For the most part my siblings are very kind, helpful and considerate people. They never made life hard for me. but it was only during Ramadan that life felt normal for what felt normal to me. As time went by, my eldest sister, who was in nursing school, noticed that I wasn't looking like myself; I was always tired, sick, low on energy, irritable, and my weight was constantly fluctuating. My doctor said I had food sensitivities, low iron and magnesium levels, was battling depression and dealing with a few complications they could not entirely identify. Which made sense, but the food sensitivities and difficulties of these underlying issues began to worsen and, at some point, became difficult to manage. Running tests and always being in the hospital was not fun.

By the time I was 15, my parents had split. I saw how the separation impacted both of my parents, and it broke my heart seeing this once powerful couple fall apart. Fortunately for them, all of my siblings were done University, moved out, and were thriving. But for my two younger siblings and me, it seemed like quality of life began to decrease, and as was my mental and physical health. Emotionally I was numb and jaded. Because our parents had split, our house income was no longer the same. Consuming good-quality or consistent meals was seldom an option. We were in survival mode once more. We moved to the north-east part of town and couldn't afford much but the basics that allowed us to eat, go to school and my mother work. Although my mother's income was decent for a single mother, she still struggled wildly, and it was very tough seeing her go through everything she did, but I would be lying to you if I said we went hungry. We never did.

My mother, however, sometimes would not eat to make sure me and my two younger brothers could have enough. I may not have come from a silver spoon (as my mother would always say), but we had God, and we had the life that was inside us. When I turned 16, I was very sick. We could not identify the root cause, but I was later diagnosed with endometriosis because of my irregular menstrual pain (https://www.uclahealth.org/obgyn/endometriosis). My mother soon became highly concerned about our whole situation and lack of balance, so she soon applied for my Grandmother Rose, who was in Liberia, to come to Canada. When she arrived, I felt as if life was stable. My Grandmother is a light in my life. She would spend endless nights in her room praying for me and speaking life into my being. When I felt disgusting and ugly because my body was changing, she told me that I was beautiful. She never once blamed me. When I couldn't find the strength to get out of bed to go to school, she would sit in my room and try to cheer me up. She would tell me stories about her life, share wisdom, and encourage me. She took time to help me heal my emotional wounds. They use to cook soul food at home with ingredients she brought from Africa and the ingredients my mother was constantly buying from the new town's cultural food store that was three blocks away from our place (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_food). Through these foods and my Grandmother's presence, we soon began to create a sanctuary of healing in our home.

As time went by, my Grandmother's visa expired, and she had to return to Liberia. But the cooking didn't stop. My mom continued cooking more traditional soul foods at home. She saw how it made us feel. She would cook Fufu, Gumbo, plantain, okra and rice, collard greens, bake cornbread, and take her time filling the pot with love and tender care (https://hekint.org/2018/10/05/fufu-and-the-body/). Even then, thank God at the time for the beautiful friends that I did have. My squad always made sure I was well. I mean, there were times in the beginning when I often use to feel as if they only hung out with me because they felt sorry for me. But regardless, they proved to be good people. If I couldn't afford lunch, they had me. If I were going through the motions at home, they would pick me up, and we would go to Friday prayer or on lovely nature walks, have dinner at their house or stimulate our passions for knowledge by indulging in storytelling, spirituality and deep conversations. So with the good friends, I had in my teens. They kept me in good spirits and always shared, and I will forever be grateful for knowing those beautiful people because they showed me what genuine kindness means. They were a blessing and influenced my journey in a very impactful way.

Although I wish I had learned and known much more about mental illness & suicide prevention to have been able to support some of them better when their scales became unbalanced (https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/). I learned a lot from those around me about food and what food from different parts of the world means for other people, and its use in health. I learned a lot about healthy eating for mood disorders, epigenetics (the study of heritable changes in gene expression)—social justice issues revolving around food, agriculture and disparities within healthcare, alongside different subjects within the realm of anthropology. And a more dynamic, hands-on approach to environmentalism.

My first-year college was pretty fun. I adjusted pretty well my first semester; I mean, how could I not? I went to the best, most socially engaging institute in the province with the best professors and a high employment rate. My first semester was LIT. Straight up. There was a Party like every other weekend. My peers were all adventurous, mature, well-learned intellects and worldly. So it was never a dull moment, and most of us had the same classes and shared a lot of common interests. I had Communications, Marketing, Business Law, Organizational Behaviour, Business Productivity Software, Macro and Micro-Economics, etc. I was apart of the L.E.A.D. program (dedicated to personal and leadership development). Still, my second semester, it was hell. I struggled so much. I found myself in the counsellor's office like every other day, crying and having what I would call the genius world record of nervous breakdowns.

Because we both shared the same faith and similar cultural background, my counsellor found it easy to relate to me vice versa. He shared many helpful & resourceful information & tools that were often spiritual and faith-driven while speaking wisdom, confidence, and encouragement. He suggested I read Malcolm X's autobiography to broaden my perspective.

He then later recommended I get a tutor.

So I did.

My tutor later told me she thinks it would be beneficial to see a psychologist (https://cpa.ca/public/whatisapsychologist/). At first, I was offended because I had this toxic belief that only crazy people see psychologists (which couldn't be further from the truth). She was kind however and took it upon herself to educate me on psychology (https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-psychology/chapter/outcome-contemporary-fields-in-psychology/) and the different subgroups within that realm. (i.e. Therapists, counsellors, and psychologists) available for various purposes. She then spoke about C.B.T. therapy (https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610). Feeling foolish for my ignorant belief, I agreed and later saw a lovely lady named Jane who did my assessment to understand better what I was dealing with. Long story short, it turns out I have A.D.H.D. (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adult-adhd/symptoms-causes/syc-20350878). It was a bitter-sweet revelation. But whatever.

An enormous weight was lifted off my shoulder because 2 and 2 began to add up (but that's another story for another time). As time went by, I started to get frustrated because I was not progressing as fast as I wished. All of my friends were at the University of Alberta now, trying to become nurses, doctors, environmental stewards and so forth, and then there was me. I was struggling with the dumbest things. I became so frustrated and angry with myself and my lack of. That I shut down for some time, then got sick and tired of my bullshit and decided to seek further help. And if anyone hasn't told you. There's no shame in receiving support from people, be it family, friends or even medical professionals. If you feel like your suffering and drowning with your head underwater, don't be ashamed to reach out; Too often, I find that we as humans feel a great deal of shame around seeking counsel to issues we may not know how to navigate correctly. I was one of those people, and I'm fortunate I got the help I needed. My quality of life improved a great deal after I decided to trek the path of restoration. It was a very emotional, stressful, yet significant time in my life.

Indeed, it wasn't after I turned 19, I began re-building myself and reparenting my inner child. I knew that I had to get things under control. I have always been paranoid about dying young due to developing cancerous or cardiovascular diseases because of some hereditary genes that run in my family. Some of the processed foods and environment I was in was still somewhat exacerbating some of my conditions.

Learning in-depth about those topics allowed me to start healing and connect with my child-like spirit, transform from my ashes and rise like a phoenix to be born again. It would be quackery to tell you all that I was saved or born again through holistic nutrition, my passions and my burning love of science and service to the environment. But truthfully, Like a baby. I felt rebirthed. I felt connected to not only myself but the world around me. I went from me to WE. I saw past the veil and started to see the bigger picture of life and purpose within the grand scheme of things. I began to CONNECT & LIVE without comparison, low-self esteem, judgement, fear or dis-ease. It was indeed one love. I was no longer in survival mode.

When I finally came to terms at 19 with my mortality, I had a massive epiphany during a prayer circle on campus at my former post-secondary institute. I decided to follow my passion for the life sciences (particularly ecology and biology) midway into my business program. I dropped out and pursued what I now see as my calling. During my time spent in Edmonton learning about the life sciences, I began the Holistic Nutrition Diploma program at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. It is the only school in Canada that offers education in Holistic Nutrition and Holistic Health.

After seeing my first Naturopath ( https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/aa104756spec) and T.C.M practitioner (https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/aa140227spec ). I soon began forming a bias opinion of western medicine regarding the interconnected/social aspects between the patient, environment & doctor alongside the ethical practice of factual public information distribution.

Born in Africa and going through culture shock upon coming here, I realized that what we are taught in the East is not honoured nor maintained in the West. Unfortunately, it's sad to say the culture of healthy living in the West has conditioned many of us to connect "health" with aesthetic or weight loss, quick-fixes and synthetic medication, affecting the foods or lifestyles we deem healthy as a by-product of strategic marketing. I am ashamed to say I fell victim to this after a couple of years of getting right with my health and body. I started training as a dancer, and I began tracking macros. I understood the primary macronutrients, the concept of fat loss, muscle gain, and so much more - but now, with everything I have learned, I realize that this is not healthy, not in my opinion. The issue is that many people have not received all of the correct info; There is a wide range of misinformation in these streets let me tell you. Especially, social media.

And to anyone reading, please don't get offended by what I am about to say next. But, I often find that Social media "influencers" and celebrities are sometimes missing critical information because their business model is based more on inspiration or an algorithm than fact-checked information. I get it, though. People are quick to share info because they are desperate or looking for information. So they look towards celebrities, social media channels (such as Twitter, Instagram or Facebook) as their trusted sources. And frequently, I wonder if most people fact-check their information (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact-checking). And I'm not talking google searches. It's sad; it is. "The work" here, to focus on, in my humble opinion, should be actively doing the work behind the scenes while sharing and receiving accurate information. And to share knowledge by expressing one's truth through creativity and service, not aesthetics or get-rich-quick pyramid schemes that promote unhealthy behaviours, teas, diet pills and quick fixes. With the understanding that I possess, I cannot with any good conscience instruct people who are putting their health in my hands to consume or live in ways that feed their disease. Not only do I encourage foods and a modification to one's life that are high vibrational, but I want to teach my prospective clients about the abundant foods available to us that enrich both our lives and our health.

I understand that not everyone has access to the same resources or foods. But there's no shame in taking small steps where you can. I have learned through experience that the small things add up and make the most impact. In our modern-day society, the supernormal stimuli of technology, social media, and fast foods make it harder to cut them out or initiate a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle. However, now fully understanding the science behind how the foods we eat affect us. I feel compelled to guide people—giving them the facts and helping them navigate today's political, marketing jargon to lead whole, well-adjusted, healthier lives!

In conclusion, consuming healthy foods while cultivating a healthy lifestyle is possible. It would be best to get clear on what you want and need from your life. You don't have to live in a big or well-off city, have all these fancy gadgets and luxury getaways. There isn't a specific path to health everyone has to follow. The sooner we all accept this- the happier and more at peace we'll be. You are worth taking time to explore being healthier. Be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and together let's make this world a happier, healthier, better place. Looking back now, I realize that the situations presented in my life were opportunities to evolve, learn and grow. Throughout what I have learned and have come to appreciate since my experiences and immersing myself in the study of Holistic Nutrition and Medicine, eating a healthy diet is not about strict limitations, or depriving yourself of what you love. Living well, in short, means to live. P.E.R.I.O.D.T.! It is about feeling transcendent, having more power, improving your energy, and heightening your spirit so you can show up on every blessed day to kiss life with enthusiasm, vitality and gratitude. It starts by simply saying. I Want Change. and striving to make it happen through patience and perseverance.

A bit longer than my usual posts. I am humbled by those who took the time to read my healthy eating and lifestyle journey all the way through. As always, thank you all immensely for your positive support and until next time. Take care.