Other things I dealt with along the way include…

👉 Never sleeping well and trouble getting up in the morning

👉 Poor concentration – reading comprehension was the toughest

👉 Chronic headaches – I just never felt good!

I used to fantasize about being in the hospital since I felt sick and didn’t want to have to take care of myself.

I was quickly catapulted into nutrition after passing a kidney stone while in graduate school for social work. And exactly 2 weeks later, I passed another stone from my other kidney. Since kidney stones are believed to be related to diet, I made some dietary changes almost immediately. I certainly didn’t want to go through that kind of pain EVER again! The pain in my side felt like I had sprinted a full marathon without any preparation or training whatsoever!

Over time, I made even more dietary changes after feeling like I initially had gone a little extreme. I made some readjustments, and all was good until I was dealt another blow by my dentist. One holistic dentist told me that my “cavities are increasing at a frightening rate.” After having suffered from lifelong dental issues (you name it, I’ve had it done more than once), it seemed like I couldn’t do anything right. Too much pain and discomfort, tens of thousands of dollars, and multiple teeth were lost in the process. I’ve been accused of not brushing enough, brushing too hard, not brushing long enough, not flossing properly, etc. But no matter what I did, it was never the right thing.

At that dental appointment, I decided to take my health back. Enough was enough. There had to be a way to prevent my health issues rather than to just deal with them whenever they arose. Doing some research, I found an inspiring book called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. And it was written by a dentist in the 1930’s! This book inspired me to go back to school for a masters in nutrition, and to get to the bottom of my health issues once and for all. 😃

Since then, I’ve improved my health and have better understood my motivations to eat. I see how junk foods are purposefully made to addict us to them, how misinformed we are by various health claims, and how our environment shapes our eating habits. I’ve also vowed to help other people with their food challenges, especially since food is something we need to survive (unless of course you’re a breatharian).