MY FIRST FIVE MONTHS ON A VEGGIE DIET AND IT'S PROFOUND IMPACT ON ME

During this weekend I was thinking that even though I have given you guys many recommendations, techniques, tips and recipes that I apply daily, I haven't been so self explanatory about my personal process. Let me tell you it has not been an easy one, but very rewarding! For years I have been eating healthy (or "clean"), but when I wanted to take it to the next level I started drinking vegetable and fruit juices daily. A few weeks after watching documentaries on animal abuse and the environmental damage that the meat industry generates, researching about GMO, inquiring about how people with cancer have transformed their lives through plant-based foods and the great benefits of lowering or eliminating animal protein in our diets, I decided to change to a veggie diet (full of natural foods, unprocessed and organic) and see how my body responded. Not only that, but as you already know, I removed all toxic personal products and household cleaners with harmful chemicals in them.

You are a world, you are unique and so are your needs, what works for one hurts another, and that's fascinating. The manifestation of our imperfections makes us humble, vulnerable, humans. I want you to see the reality of this process, to be inspired and take what resonates with you, and to have your participation and feedback. This blog is not to show you how perfect I am and for you to do things my way, on the contrary, it's a window into my trial and error while I intuitively discover how to improve my life and health through food, to rid myself from stress and dare to be truly happy by changing my perspective, to live in harmony with this planet and treat my body like a temple...with love and kindness, and not with aggression and self-criticism as I did for many years.

As I begin my transition into an animal free diet, the first thing I noticed was a period of detoxification. I began to feel very tired, slept several naps every day, I had to lower the intensity of my workouts, had breakouts, and the skin of my face became super oily (which did not happen even when I was a teenager), constant headaches, rashes under my ribs when I exercised, among other things. This lasted about a month.

After that time, my face got better, and only have an occasional pimple, I wake up energized and alert in the morning (something that didn't happened before, and also for years I would wake up with puffy eyes, which disappeared), the headaches and migraines decreased noticeably, my allergies are gone (most days previously to the shift, I had to take an anti-allergy medication because I usually had a horrible feeling like my throat was slightly closing), my nails grow like crazy, hair is shiny, my dose of thyroid pills was reduced (which means that it's getting rebalanced), I feel lighter after eating, I go to the bathroom regularly, and I stopped having itching ears (drove me crazy before). Not only that, but for some reason there was a big change in how I manage my life. I learned to look at the bright side of everything, to love and be thankful for every cell in my body that keeps me alive, to experience my present and stop worrying about the uncertain future that I told myself I had to reach at a certain age because our culture says if not, we are losers. I am already victorious, I look for the beauty in everything and everyone, I know that what matters is love and doing what you are passionate about (of course you have to put bread on the table), but most of your time strive for what inspires you. Money comes and goes, and at the end of your life what's left are the memories, and the people who you loved and loved you. This was certainly not me a year ago. I lived in despair and in my own prison, I had everything but felt empty. How difficult is to face everyday life like this, when everything is an illusion of your mind and ego.

Going back to food, right now I've been taking care of my pH and introducing lots and lots of raw vegetables and greens to my diet that are the highest in enzymatic content, to the point of considering a completely raw diet but being true to myself I realize this is a step that I'm not going to take right now. Remember, my philosophy at this stage is to do nothing that makes me feel restricted (that's why I do not count calories, macros, food weight, etc, etc). It's something I did many times in my life and and it generated tons of frustration so I can't. I eat fruits, vegetables, seeds (millet, quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat seed), almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, beans (ocassionally) and superfoods (goji berries, acai, spirulina, chlorella, chia seeds). No white flour or refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, fried food, gluten, dairy, highly processed or fast foods, or anything non-organic or with GMO's. My last blood tests were excellent, two months before when I ate an animal based diet, I had vitamin D and E deficiency and now it went back to normal.

As I have not put any restrictions on food, I think I've been eating more than usual (and enjoying it too hahaha!), all healthy of course, but more carbs that what I used to allow myself. The truth is that for what I've been eating I had not put on weight, just maintained it, but most of all has been a mental challenge with the old Romina. Now I think I'm ready for a second stage where I combine food better, where I 'll give more priority to vegetables and fruit and decrease the quantity of grains and beans, just listening to my instincts and enjoying the freedom to eat what I want. I can't diet! just hearing the word I get four days of bad temper, then three days eating like mad, ending in guilt because I had no willpower to keep with it…that to me is not life, it doesn't suit my personality, and brings out the worst in me. No cheat meal will do, I have to feel the freedom to choose what I want, when I want it as long as it's nutritious for my body and fulfills a purpose (by that I mean I do not eat crap, only natural high quality foods). The only thing I avoid is fruit at night.

Another aspect I'm regulating is my sleep pattern, my husband works nights and I usually wait for him (sometimes arrives as late as 2 am) and this has become "normal" for me, but it's terrible for my body, since all repair and detoxification processes occur properly when there is a balanced sleep routine. I do sleep 8 hours. So this past Friday I started to "force myself" to sleep at 11:00 PM to get up at 7 AM and maximize my day. This makes me feel much more active, productive and that I have better management of my time.

Regarding my exercise routine, I also decided to free myself from the strict pattern I set of going to the gym twice a day for cardio and weights... trading it for choosing to do what I feel like on that day, as well as trying out new activities. Last month I did crossfit, which I thought was excellent to show myself what I can do, and this month I will start doing kick boxing. I usually enjoy going for a walk or jog in the morning and do yoga at home. The important thing for me is to stay active every day in any possible way (as long as I'm enjoying what I'm doing).

Something that affected my progress, (and I'm still paying the consequences) was that I had to take an antibiotic for seven days during the month of September. I did it because I had no choice but throughout treatment, the antibiotic's side effects were HORRIBLE. It gave me a severe vertigo attack that had me in bed for two days, fatigue, nausea, itchy skin, stomach pain, acne…is it worth it? that's what I asked every single day I took it. Remember that antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria but also the good one, causing problems such as systemic candidiasis. Even know I still have constipation and intestinal distention. It frustrates me that what is created to cure us also destroys us, that's why I'm pro-prevention.

Three years ago I started having a pain that comes and goes on my right pelvis at the level of the ovary (sometimes confused with appendicitis), which usually also triggers episodes of IBS, and can make me feel terrible for days and days. I have done several tests and found nothing really specific, there are times that my life is really affected by this nuisance. I don't take painkillers to mask it, because I really try not to medicate. I tell you this because a week after the antibiotic (two Saturdays ago), I had to go to the ER because the pain was unbearable. The first thing they offered was morphine which I didn't accept, they did a two echoes, a blood and urine test, and after six hours they said they didn't know where exactly the pain came from (surprise!), and that I would be discharged. I'm sad how health is handled in the United States, there seems to be no tact, compassion and listening to the patient. Right now I'm still waiting to get a pelvic MRI (not excited about the radiation or iodine contrast), but let's hope to get an accurate result.

Today I had the revelation that even eating the healthiest food to prevent, or all the incredible efforts we make to improve our machines, if we don't nurture our spirits with a daily search for God, with a divine purpose, living in gratitude to have another day on this planet...we can never fully heal. We clearly cannot control everything, or worse, we barely have control over things, so I'd rather put it in His hands and save me all the anguish.

I will never deceive you in my experiences, you will witness my trial and error just as it is, and I will offer myself as a guinea pig to test things so I can recommend them (or maybe not) to you. You will see me change my mind, how I fall and I rise, how I may go in circles from time to time, but always looking straight to the stars. I have less than a year in this new lifestyle and I couldn't have made a better decision, I am happier than ever.

My only rule in all this has been: don't do anything that does not fill you with joy! We only have one life and it's certainly not worth beating yourself against the wall time and time again. Goals are not achieved overnight, and there is nothing better than working on a daily basis living in the now for the dreams you have. All I do and write here is because I enjoy, love and makes me happy. Here I am for you, thanks for reading . I feel very honored to have you.

With Love,

Romina