Reclaiming our health

Reclaiming Our Heath: Transitioning to a whole food Plant-Based lifestyle Part 1 (Photograph of me when I was around 30 years old, I’m now 47)

(Photograph of Laresa when she was 13)

Growing up as a part of Generation X, I witnessed the growing prominence of convenience foods and fast-food establishments, which significantly influenced my dietary choices. It would take me numerous years to break free from their hold. During my younger years, my body tolerated these unhealthy eating habits, but I faced a persistent battle with weight gain and digestive problems, which eventually escalated into a range of health-related issues as the years went by.

In my early years, I was fortunate because my parents owned a dairy farm until I was seven. This provided us with a diverse range of fresh vegetables, fruits, and an abundance of farm-fresh milk, butter, and meat. We still bought our bread from a local bakery, and, overall, my diet during those early years was well-balanced. I do, however, recall having an aversion to meat dishes, especially if they still resembled the animal they came from, and I also found it disturbing to witness any form of slaughter, which was not an uncommon sight on a farm. Besides meat dishes, our meals often included homecooked porridges, bread, eggs, a variety of vegetable dishes, rice, and potatoes. We also had an abundance of fresh fruit throughout the year.

As time went on, processed packaged foods, fast foods, sweets, chocolates, biscuits, cakes, chips, and sodas gradually crept into my life. At the time, there was no talk about the potential health risks associated with these foods; it was just the way everyone ate. I began struggling with weight gain and also started to experience continual digestive discomfort around the age of 13. I wasn’t significantly overweight, but I was a bit plumper than most of my peers.

Over time, my colon issues became more pronounced, but I never considered that my diet could be a contributing factor. Just like my experiences with alcohol, everyone around me followed this way of eating. Buying sweets and snacks from the school tuck shop was considered normal, and most school lunches consisted of sandwiches and cold drinks. I can still recall consuming cans of condensed milk and excessive amounts of chocolate bars. I would often overindulge on chocolates to the point of nausea.

I loved pies, hamburgers, chips, pizzas, pastas, and anything that was loaded with cheese, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, and chutney. In addition to my sugar addiction, I also developed a dependency on coffee which I loaded with milk and sugar.

Through the years, I would gain weight and then go on diets, so my weight was constantly up and down. Besides my terrible food habits, I also struggled with unhealthy addictions to cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol. My inner emotional struggles led me to do more and more soul-searching, and this eventually led me on a journey to inner healing and growth. Through the years, I encountered various metaphysical teachers, which led to a gradual transformation in my approach to healthier eating. A turning point in my diet occurred in my early thirties when I attended a holistic fair. It was there that I was introduced to the practice of iridology and underwent tests that revealed critical insights about my unhealthy dietary habits, especially my excessive sugar and coffee consumption.

During this time, I also became familiar with the concept of a blood-type-specific diet, which I faithfully followed for approximately eight years. This marked just the beginning of my exploration into the intricacies of nutrition and the path to a healthier diet. Despite making positive changes, I continued to struggle with persistent colon issues, leading to severe bloating and excruciating pain.

I became intolerant to more and more foods, including gluten, lactose, and sugar. I ended up at holistic doctors, going for kinesiology, more iridology, and other tests, constantly poking and prodding and trying to rectify and find solutions to my health issues. I also ended up going for a colon cleanse, which resulted in my first-ever water fast of 4 days. The water fast resulted in a decision to go vegetarian, but because legumes were off-limits for a type B according to the blood type diet, and I had limited knowledge, I believed that my protein intake was insufficient, which resulted in introducing fish back into my diet and eventually ended up in meat consumption again. It was a confusing period with regards to diet, and I recall feeling that I had very few options left of what food I could tolerate.

In hindsight, I realize that I was trying to find solutions to all of my problems externally. I was making decisions based on external advice and beliefs of others; I followed my mind instead of listening to my own heart and intuition. I was also not looking at my life as a whole but only focusing on certain aspects and unable to see the line that connected it all. I could not even admit to myself that my alcohol intake, my emotional state, and my beliefs based on external influences were playing a role.

After my previous marriage collapsed, so did my old dietary habits. I found myself consuming anything and everything again.

After about a year of consuming processed foods, lactose, coffee, sugar, and gluten, I started to experience new symptoms. Besides having gained weight again, I also experienced extreme dizziness. My circulation was so bad that I would wake up in the middle of the night with my arms completely numb. I also started to notice that the tips of my fingers would go white after any cold exposure. My nails had deep ridges and my thumb nails were starting to curl over. My asthma had worsened, and I felt exhausted most of the time.

I realized that going back to my old ways had now taken a further toll on my health, and like before, I decided to undertake a 3-day water fast. This was the beginning of a deeply inspired transformation for both Laresa and me…

Reclaiming Our Heath Part 2: 

Laresa’s lifestyle diverged significantly from my own. Despite being part of the same generation, she consistently prioritized healthier choices when it came to her diet and exercise. Her journey began as a young tennis player and later transitioned into golf, which played a pivotal role in maintaining her health. Additionally, her health-conscious parents were instrumental in steering her away from the consumption of fast food and sweets, educating her from an early age against serious offenders like coloring and msg.

However, like many of us from our generation, she also placed her trust in the good intentions of the food industry. Consequently, as an adult, she consumed what she thought were healthy processed foods, like certain Cereals, processed Dairy products, Sauces and Canned goods, not realizing that they were all laden with hormones, artificial additives & sugar.

Even though she was exercising regularly for many years, regretably , her experience with processed foods, especially a high intake of processed dairy, had detrimental effects on her health. As a result, she encountered issues such as digestive problems, migraines, severe leg cramps, skin problems, and sinus issues.

From our own unique life experiences, Laresa and I have been inspired to embark on deeply personal journeys that have led us to explore the intricate world of nutrition. Over time, we found ourselves embracing a whole food plant based lifestyle. It’s essential for us to emphasize that our preferences in no way undermine or oppose anyone’s individual dietary choices. We deeply respect personal dietary preferences, understanding that each person’s path to well-being is unique.

However, compelled by a growing understanding of nutrition, we feel a strong calling to share our knowledge and insights about the modern food industry. In our quest to understanding and exploring various nutritional options, we’ve uncovered some facinating facts about this industry.

Over the last four years, we’ve witnessed remarkable transformations in our bodies and conducted thorough research. Our findings are grounded in scientific studies, which we’ll be sharing in our upcoming post.

To be continued…

Written by: Verna du Toit