Our Paths To A Healthier Life

"The most ethical diet just so happens to be the most environmentally sound diet and just so happens to be the healthiest."

- Dr. Michael Greger

Edmond Yunis (MD)

(Famous yuca chef)

Edmond Yunis

Alejandro Fenn

(Lover of broccoli)

Alejandro

Elizabeth's Story

At the age of 22, upon my return from a cruise with my soon-to-be husband, I was rushed to the ER because of hives covering my entire body and edema all over my face. My allergy tests soon came back. I was allergic to all shellfish. I stopped eating shellfish of course, and the hives and edema eventually subsided, but the underlying inflammation and swelling was still there for months.

Flash forward a few years to when I became a mom. I always struggled with abdominal pain, bloating, inflammation and severe allergies. I suppressed the constant pain as much as I could while raising 3 kids and sought every medical expert I could find. I tried everything, from Metamucil, Prilosec and steroids to Zantac (recently recalled due to cancer link), way too many rounds of antibiotics, and every possible allergy medicine I could get my hands on. Nothing worked; the problems were only dulled but the root causes were clearly not being addressed.

It was only until after two shoulder surgeries that I began to really research not only how to improve my recovery but also how to improve my digestion (I was suffering from severe opioid-induced constipation). It was then I discovered a plant-based diet. I didn’t make the switch all at once, but I cut out all meat while taking 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar daily. Within a week, the heartburn that I had suffered from my entire adult life was gone. I slowly eliminated all dairy as well and finally stopped eating sushi (for awhile there I was eating it two times a week!) After two months of eating a plant-based diet and really focusing on a diversity of vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains, I went back to my gastroenterologist. I no longer had my normal array of symptoms. My doctor was shocked. And he asked, “Hey Elizabeth, how did you get rid of all this?” My response was, “Well Doctor, two things: 1, I stopped listening to you (i.e. taking antibiotics without any dietary or lifestyle changes), and 2, I changed to a whole food plant-based diet.” He’s been using me as a case study for other patients ever since.

For most of my life, the constant pain and malaise just became my new normal. But I only realized this was not normal when I made the full commitment to a plant-based diet and starting feeling like myself again. My mental clarity and stamina are now inseparable from my millennial colleagues and I have been able to climb huge mountains, including Angels Landing last year. 

Elizabeth

Elizabeth's Story

At the age of 22, upon my return from a cruise with my soon-to-be husband, I was rushed to the ER because of hives covering my entire body and edema all over my face. My allergy tests soon came back. I was allergic to all shellfish. I stopped eating shellfish of course, and the hives and edema eventually subsided, but the underlying inflammation and swelling was still there for months.

Flash forward a few years to when I became a mom. I always struggled with abdominal pain, bloating, inflammation and severe allergies. I suppressed the constant pain as much as I could while raising 3 kids and sought every medical expert I could find. I tried everything, from Metamucil, Prilosec and steroids to Zantac (recently recalled due to cancer link), way too many rounds of antibiotics, and every possible allergy medicine I could get my hands on. Nothing worked; the problems were only dulled but the root causes were clearly not being addressed.

Elizabeth

It was only until after two shoulder surgeries that I began to really research not only how to improve my recovery but also how to improve my digestion (I was suffering from severe opioid-induced constipation). It was then I discovered a plant-based diet. I didn’t make the switch all at once, but I cut out all meat while taking 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar daily. Within a week, the heartburn that I had suffered from my entire adult life was gone. I slowly eliminated all dairy as well and finally stopped eating sushi (for awhile there I was eating it two times a week!) After two months of eating a plant-based diet and really focusing on a diversity of vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains, I went back to my gastroenterologist. I no longer had my normal array of symptoms. My doctor was shocked. And he asked, “Hey Elizabeth, how did you get rid of all this?” My response was, “Well Doctor, two things: 1, I stopped listening to you (i.e. taking antibiotics without any dietary or lifestyle changes), and 2, I changed to a whole food plant-based diet.” He’s been using me as a case study for other patients ever since.

For most of my life, the constant pain and malaise just became my new normal. But I only realized this was not normal when I made the full commitment to a plant-based diet and starting feeling like myself again. My mental clarity and stamina are now inseparable from my millennial colleagues and I have been able to climb huge mountains, including Angels Landing last year. 

Alejandro's Story

I started my journey to a whole food plant-based diet as a matter of reducing my environmental footprint. Being an economist by training, once I learned the magnitude of the economic resources and waste associated with production of animal products, from water, land and crops, to oil, deforestation and carbon emissions, I realized I had to make this change.

I started with eliminating meat at home, while still eating it at restaurants, and then moved to cutting all meat and fish from my diet. At that point, I started doing more research. I began implementing a ketogenic diet (albeit without meat), but still ate lots of cheese, butter and eggs. It was at this time I came across a now well-known book from one of the leading doctors advocating a whole food-plant based lifestyle: How Not To Die by Dr. Michael Greger. I read it front to back multiple times in the park across the street from my apartment and was captivated learning about the connections of animal products and processed foods to disease and the power of plants for treating and reversing chronic illnesses. It was at this time I went all in.

I scoured Youtube to find my favorite cooking channels. The variety of delicious cuisines I could prepare was growing immensely, from chana masala and oil-free salad dressings to amazing stir fry dishes and Mexican-style black bean stews. My friends always loved coming over for dinner parties.

My health improved quite a bit. The common brain fog I felt in the morning was no longer. I realized the unsettled feeling I had in my stomach throughout my childhood wasn't just a normal thing. The all too well known feeling of tiredness after a meal was not a thing any more. And I really liked not having to watch my portions, as I tend to eat large quantities of food. My body went from feeling like a normal car to a Ferrari, and it is that feeling that has kept me going ever since.

Alejandro

Alejandro's Story

I started my journey to a whole food plant-based diet as a matter of reducing my environmental footprint. Being an economist by training, once I learned the magnitude of the economic resources and waste associated with production of animal products, from water, land and crops, to oil, deforestation and carbon emissions, I realized I had to make this change.

I started with eliminating meat at home, while still eating it at restaurants, and then moved to cutting all meat and fish from my diet. At that point, I started doing more research. I began implementing a ketogenic diet (albeit without meat), but still ate lots of cheese, butter and eggs. It was at this time I came across a now well-known book from one of the leading doctors advocating a whole food-plant based lifestyle: How Not To Die by Dr. Michael Greger. I read it front to back multiple times in the park across the street from my apartment and was captivated learning about the connections of animal products and processed foods to disease and the power of plants for treating and reversing chronic illnesses. It was at this time I went all in.

Alejandro

I scoured Youtube to find my favorite cooking channels. The variety of delicious cuisines I could prepare was growing immensely, from chana masala and oil-free salad dressings to amazing stir fry dishes and Mexican-style black bean stews. My friends always loved coming over for dinner parties.

My health improved quite a bit. The common brain fog I felt in the morning was no longer. I realized the unsettled feeling I had in my stomach throughout my childhood wasn't just a normal thing. The all too well known feeling of tiredness after a meal was not a thing any more. And I really liked not having to watch my portions, as I tend to eat large quantities of food. My body went from feeling like a normal car to a Ferrari, and it is that feeling that has kept me going ever since.

When we have our health, both in body and spirit, only then can we become our best selves in serving humanity.

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When we have our health, both in body and spirit, only then can we become our best selves in serving humanity.

💌🍎🥦Stay in the loop with our latest updates and new content sent every week 🥦🍎💌