“Discover how I transformed my health from a junk food junkie to a holistic nutrition advocate. Follow my journey of change, healing, and mindful eating for a healthier, more vibrant life!”

“I grew up in the countryside of southwestern Pennsylvania. My family believed that nutrition and diet have a deep connection with health. They strongly embraced a holistic whole foods nutrition view. My father believed in homeopathy and also in the power of vitamins and herbs.”

“I, in turn, believe in naturopathy, the power of holistic nutrition, vitamins, and herbs. I think it is important to understand how nutrition plays a role in our health. I believe in leading a healthy lifestyle to prevent chronic illness.”

“When we are healthy, we are able to live life to the fullest. It is within our power to do so. If we are sick with chronic illness, it is extremely limiting. I realize how fortunate I am to be healthy. I will never take my health for granted ever again, and neither should you!”

“I realize that when we are healthy and at our best, we are extremely powerful! Therefore, leading a healthy lifestyle and proactively taking care of ourselves are among the most powerful things we can do. Moreover, we can always make changes; it is never too late!”

“My Childhood Journey:Holistic health nutrition versus Junk food”

“I was raised on organic fruits and vegetables. My grandmother was a strict vegan and followed a rigid macrobiotic diet. I learned early on that food and nutrition are distinct concepts.”

“I also grew up on vitamins, and even though I was a very picky eater, there were many fruits and vegetables I definitely loved.”

“However, I also had a massive sweet tooth, and I loved chocolate, sugar, and junk food. As a kid, it was pretty easy to get junk food from other relatives and at school.”

“My lunch would consist of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, green peppers, 100% juice, papaya, vitamin C tablets from GNC, and sunflower seeds. Of course, I would trade my lunch to get the ham and cheese sandwich with potato chips, Hostess cupcakes, and Twinkies.”

“What I loved most were simple carbohydrates and lots of sugar, especially chocolate. When I was six years old, I could eat not just a few chocolates, but a few boxes. It was pretty bad!”

“I remember being under my maternal grandmother’s bed, feasting on boxes of chocolate. When she finally found me, she pulled me out from under the bed by my ankles and put the boxes of chocolate on the highest shelves in the closet.”

“In my teens and early twenties, my cravings for sugar and simple carbohydrates intensified. Due to my slower metabolism, I stood at 5’6″ and easily fluctuated between 150 to 180 pounds.”

“I remember that I was always hungry. I never felt too full. I really loved carbs-I could eat ten slices of bread at once.”

“Fortunately for me, I was always a really active kid. I was constantly running, jumping, and playing. Later in my teens, I would walk for one to two hours straight, as fast as I could. I have always loved walking.”

“My grandmother was the type who worked around the clock and only got three hours of sleep a night. She was a master at multitasking and could complete hundreds of tasks very quickly. Because she was vegan, she would eat fresh tomatoes from the garden for breakfast and green peas at night for supper. I remember that dinners were usually the same-three different vegetables, a potato, and a salad.”

“And I just couldn’t eat only fruits and vegetables-my grandmother’s diet was too strict. She ate only fruits, vegetables, legumes, wheat, and oatmeal, and this was her diet for life. She never ate meat, fish, or dairy. However, she did give me milk, cheese, yogurt, meat, fish, and peanut butter. Once in a while, she would have a little peanut butter and cheese, but not too often.”

“She considered pasta and pancakes to be junk food. We had pasta, pancakes, pizza, and ice cream only once a year. By the time I was 17, my addiction to sugar and carbs was really out of control, and my weight was constantly fluctuating.”

“my turning point:the moment i knew i had to change”

“I was completely preoccupied with food, especially sugar and carbs. It drained my energy, made it impossible to maintain my ideal weight, and was a constant struggle.I knew I had a problem.”

“Even after walking for miles every day, I would eat pizza or a bagel with cream cheese. I could go to a party and eat ten slices of pizza. I loved cold spaghetti with tomato sauce for breakfast and could eat a pound at a time-pretty horrible. Fortunately for me, my body was mostly muscle rather than fat. Still, I could easily weigh 180-190 pounds.”

“My twenties were not the best time of my life. I wanted to look a certain way, but I just couldn’t make it happen. I was so obsessed with wanting to be a size 8; to me, that was the perfect size.”

“For a long time, I knew that what I was doing to myself was really bad. I started eating fast food when I was 19, and I just loved the burgers, chicken tenders, milkshakes, and ice cream. After a few years, I stopped eating fast food for good because I realized how unhealthy it was.”

“Along the way, I didn’t have anyone telling me how to conquer my bad eating habits or what to do. I just started figuring things out, little by little. The first step I took was when I was at the grocery store. I looked at my cart, and then at the half gallon of ice cream I had. I knew that if I bought it, it wouldn’t even last a week. So, I put it back and bought a pint instead. That was when I started cutting back on my portion sizes.”

“During all those years, I still ate a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grain cereals, whole wheat bread, and fiber. But at the same time, I consumed a lot of junk food, simple carbs, sugar, and sodium.”

“Was I truly happy with myself or my body? No, I didn’t like or appreciate my strong body. I also didn’t enjoy always being so out of control with my eating habits. It was a really tough and continuous battle.”

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