Let Food be your medicine...

When we read  motivational or inspirational quotes such as the one I used - we are usually enlightened and get a sense of empowerment from them. Maybe we like that we can relate or apply them to our lives, unless its something too close to home; touching subjects like food and health which both are on the top of my priority list.

Being a foodie at heart, what does one do when food becomes the exact thing that hinders your quality of life? Do you adapt a new way of life, eat better to help your health or do you rely on the conventional and much faster (and lets not forget -easier) modern medicine? In a society where we live for instant gratification and patience is hard to come by, making a life change seems such a large task and may even appear to be a hassle.

 I never thought I would ever give up eating what ever I wanted, until I no longer had a choice.

I was Diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis back in 2006 (while on Active Duty- which later led to my Medical Discharge in2008). What I though was a simple pinched nerve turned out to be something way more serious than I could have ever imagined. Shortly after my diagnosis I was prescribed medication (not getting paid - so I wont write the name ha!)This stuff had way more side effects than I bargained.

Being naive and uneducated I felt hopeless and began feeling sorry for myself.

"why am I being burdened with this at the ripe age of 24?" "there goes my future!"

"woe is me"

I learned to live with the physical pain.

Fast-Forward to 2010- at this point I'm tired of not finding relief. Tired of taking the harsh medications. and most importantly- the debilitating pain. Needing assistance to get from point A to point B. Simple tasks like getting out of bed in  the morning, Bathing,  walking, Grabbing a pinch of salt,  sitting too long, even getting a full nights rest where the pain didn't wake me up at 3 a.m. was far fetched and going on a jog was just not in my cards any more. ( for a track and cross-country runner since the age of 9- that was a tough pill to swallow).Having to sleep most of the time on my couch propped up for back support- instead of sharing my bed with my husband, Not being able to carry my Son- that was worst of all. I want to thank my Husband for being such a trooper though the rough days and restless nights. I would be lost without you .



I've had to give myself my shots ( meds) every 2 weeks, which by the way doesn't help with the pain- so I had to also on top of the wretched shots, I had to take a nice little cocktail of pain medication.

Made it interesting trying to live a normal productive life. Going to work, while going to school. Feeling tired all the time.

Feeling loopy from the medication.

Not getting enough sleep because your pain doesn't let you.

Lacking energy. Feeling hopeless.

Gotta keep trucking, got bills to pay!

I began doing research. More specifically I was looking for homeopathic  remedies.

I kept running into "dietary" information, thing I should stop eating to reduce the inflammation in my joints to alleviate the pain.

I would consistently ask a close friend of mine, who was going through Natural Medicine school of things I could do or take for my pain. Any alternatives- and she would always try to help in any way she could.

Turns out everything I love- was on the "do-not eat"  list.
Saturated fats, Trans fats, simple and refined carbs.
in other words, No medium rare steak, no queso-dip with chips, no funnel cake dusted with powder



sugar. no smothered pork chops, No French fries ( I love French fries so much), Rocky Road ice cream, chocolate cake, and the list goes on.

I stopped eating red meat first because it was an automatic flare-up that would sent me into an immobile state and debilitating pain once I had digested and it was in my system.



I have woken up screaming from a dead sleep from the throbbing, stabbing pain.


I stopped fried foods, eliminated vegetable oil, switched to olive oil completely and later stared using coconut oil as well.
I knew that in order to see better results I would have to dive in to a much more strict diet.

I thought " ok, I can do this!"

Shortly after, I  began a job at a Raw Vegan Café, which I thought was just fantastic- I can learn a healthier route- and seek my relief through my diet.

I committed myself to a Raw-Vegan diet (consisted of  veggies herbs, cold pressed oils, nutritional yeast, , fruits, nuts, seeds, water, sprouts, legumes, nothing cooked, to mention a few things)  

Subsequently I was enrolled into culinary school- where cooking, tasting and eating a plethora of Non- Vegan cuisine  was on the agenda everyday.

Being Human and weak to delicious food, my raw vegan diet only lasted 3 weeks.

Not really allowing it to truly take effect as I was ingesting other food during that time.

By far- the hardest "diet" I ever attempted.

Now 2014-

a few years wiser, having changed my diet in small steps through the years, my arthritis is still wreaking havoc on my joints.

A friend and I embarked on a "Vegan-Challenge" together as accountability partners as well as each others cheerleaders. The challenge was to exclusively eat Vegan for a period of 30 days.

I went into the challenge super excited and really looking forward to what ever it would bring forth. Energy boost, pain relief, better sleep but more importantly I knew this was the boost I needed to really take charge of my health and head in a better direction.

Having both a culinary background and raw-vegan experience made this challenge an easier transition. I used the tools I have acquired through the years and put them to use for one common goal.

Better quality of life.

Through the years I've heard people say things like "I could never go vegan" or " I will never stop eating meat" " I can't give up my favorite foods" "better you than me!" Believe me- I get it. I used to say the same thing.

I will chose health over my taste buds every time. Don't get me wrong, I love good food and that is precisely why I have made an attempt to make every vegan meal delicious and flavorful without sacrificing its "vegan integrity ".
I have transformed some of my favorite things to eat into an acceptable vegan version. I hadn't been to creative in the kitchen lately- so this challenge awoke my creativity once again.

Smoothie Prep, Bean and spinach soup topped with avocado, overnight oats, peanut butter snack

Acai smoothie, Tempeh tostadas, Roasted veggies sandwich , ademame and tempeh salad

Plan-tbased protein smootie and veggies with hummus, tofu tacos, vegan Alfredo pasta, Tofu stir-fry

Vegan coconut "shrimp" with pineapple infused rice noodles,  veggie dogs, quesadilla, tofu stir fry with rice and pigeon peas, fried plantains and avocado.

Just to give you an idea of the type of food I ate throughout the 30 days. Kept a variety and made every dish flavorful.

On day 8 experienced a breakthrough. I realized I was able to get a full nights rest with no interruption from my back pain. I began to realize that the high humidity and rainy weather weren't debilitating me like they would normally do ( Florida gets constant rain showers and I was reminded every time through my joints) Except for this time.

I was ecstatic.

Now more than ever I was assured that this was the right thing to do for my body. Its almost like I could see a light at the end of my extremely long and pain filled tunnel. In a world where I hadn't felt relief in years and I had honestly forgot what life was before the pain, I had found relief even if for a few days at  time. I did notice that after 3 days of not using Chia Seeds, my hips started wreaking havoc on me. 

That is such a huge breakthrough for me.

I know it was a long time coming for me. I am extremely grateful I had someone as my accountability partner through the entire journey- it always makes anything easier when you have someone else going through it with you. Thanks Chrystal.

If you're in near the Tucson, AZ area and are looking to get in shape, want a good positive group and an inspirational butt-kicking trainer, check you RBF Bootcamp https://www.facebook.com/groups/roadtobeingfit/

I will definitely be making adjustments to my diet from this point forward. I will most likely remain
vegetarian for sure sprinkling vegan throughout my diet.

If I have animal protein it would most likely be fish- if I have to.

I have found the relief I've been looking for, for almost a decade and I feel extremely grateful.

I wanted to document my journey to help anyone I could. In any way that I could.

If you have related to anything I have said at any point, if you're tired of living in a life of pain, if you're at your wits end, I'm here to tell you : There is hope!!! you have to be willing to take that first step, change the way you look at food. Look at what you're eating and how it affects you - and ask yourself "is it worth it?". Take that step, make a change for your own good. Eat yourself towards Health! It is absolutely worth it.


I'm thinking of doing a continuation to this entry to  talk about specific food I ate and how I was able to maintain my wits ins and nutrients. 

Its hard living with something when no one can understand the pain.

Take your life back!!!

STAY STRONG!!! THERES HOPE!