Meet our Herbie of the Week: Annija!

By going dairy-free and eating more whole, plant foods Annija was able to cure all of her skin issues and eliminate the painful bloating that plagued her daily.

Annija story reminds me SO MUCH of my own! Like me, Annija knew she wanted to change but she didn’t know where to begin–and she didn’t even know how to cook! (True, I didn’t either!!)

Inspired by her boyfriend and his family’s healthy habits, Annija just started experimenting (like me–I walked into the kitchen and hoped for the best).

Eventually she started a blogging her trials and now her online home is one of the most popular blogs in Latvia!

Here’s Annija’s story in her own words…

HH: What message do you hope to convey with your blog:

I think it is very important to tell other people about the benefits from healthy food. I cannot say I am 100{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} vegan (moving towards that though), but I can surely say I am a plant-based eater. I only support natural foods (without chemicals, colorings, preservatives etc.).

HH: What started you on your own plant-based journey?

I started blogging 2 ½ years ago, when I started feeling bad after eating. To be honest, I couldn’t cook at all at that time, because I never thought it could be interesting for me. Then I met my boyfriend, who had eaten well all his life, while he was a child. I thought to myself – he has been well fed all his life, so I must take care of him too. I started experimenting with my meals and tried to quit some products to see if we would start to feel better.

HH: What benefits have you experience since transitioning to a more whole foods, plant-based diet?

My allergies have cleared up since changing my diet. When I was a child, I had serious allergies from milk products. I got a terrible rash all over my body, when I ate any milk products.

I had serious skin issues as a teenager. It was terrible, and I was about to cry when I saw myself in the mirror. My dermatologist told me that I should not use milk products, but I didn’t want to accept that. I mean – all the advertisements and commercials were telling me that milk is good for your bones, milk is healthy, milk is good. Since my parents were zombied by this information too, we didn’t want to believe my dermatologist.

HH: Did finally going dairy-free help?

Quitting milk made my skin better.

HH: Did you experience any surprise benefits?

Eliminating dairy also stopped my bloating issues, which made my everyday life very uncomfortable. Of course, when I changed my eating habits, I also lost some weight, but I would like to suggest people not to get too enthusiastic on losing weight, because insufficient weight can also cause health issues. All in all, the base of a happy body hides in a balanced diet, which means eating as much as body asks, but only good quality food, not junk food or “cruelty food”.

Thank you so much Annija for sharing your plant-based journey with us!

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Meet our Herbie of the Week: Tim!

Tim gave up on himself, then he tried to change one small thing. Then the next day another small step: just 4 more stairs today. Tim’s wife was there through thick and thin, literally, and they couldn’t be happier now!

Read Tim’s story in his own words…

Walking out of the doctor’s office reality had finally sunk in. I was not going to be around for another year. My wife and kids would very likely not have a husband or father within the year. My blood pressure was 255/115, I was on three medications to bring it down. My cholesterol and triglycerides were off the charts (literally). I was on a ton of heavy medications. I was also self-medicating and struggled with addictions of all kinds. My weight became so out of control that the doctor could no longer weigh me in his office. I was having trouble breathing and had severe sleep apnea. I was born with a genetic disorder called Elhers Danlos Syndrome, and my joints are very loose and hypermobile. The excess weight was too much for my already destroyed joints to handle. I was constantly on crutches, canes, and immobilizers. I was cast and fitted for very expensive leg braces that would hold my legs from buckling. My wife was actually putting my socks and shoes on me in the mornings. Nothing was working and my life was spiraling out of control. I was going to die and I don’t know if I really cared. I would try diets and I would lose some weight and then gain it all back. It was a vicious cycle. The more I hurt the more I medicated, the more I medicated, the more I hurt and as a result I had lost my passion for life. I was just surviving, hoping I would wake up the next morning. I was committing a sort of slow suicide.

Every day I could see the hurt in my wife’s eyes as I grew more and more unhealthy. We were in the process of dealing with my father and her mother both being diagnosed with aggressive cancer. It was very hard to see the pain she was going through. One night I realized that she would soon have to deal with the same pain as a result of the choices I was making. I had become an expert on excuses and reasoning why I had become who I was. In the back of my head I think I knew that at least some of what I was going through was self-induced. A very long story short…If I even had a chance to save my wife from more pain I was going to give it a try. Although I really didn’t care about myself I figured it was pretty selfish to put her through another death that was self-induced. When you watch someone cling to life and struggle to stay alive you can’t help but appreciate life no matter how bad you think you have it. While I complained about how bad my knees hurt I watched as my loved ones struggled to just breathe. Perspective is an amazing thing!

I made some phone calls and started the process to get a gastric sleeve. I had done the research and this sounded like the best option. I was scheduled for the meetings and pre-op tests. I had to get clearance from my primary doctor. This was just a formality, or so I thought. My wife was skeptical which was weird because as an addict you learn to become a master at manipulation. I just couldn’t sell this one to her. I thought by taking her to my doctor he would assure her of what a good decision this was. She and I sat down with my doctor and I told him my plan. He explained that he had ok’d everyone that had ever asked for the surgery. He said many people have had success with it. However, he would not sign off on the surgery for me. I was enraged to put it mildly. I was not healthy enough and he thought that my joints would become worse if I had the surgery.

So there I was, my last hope had dwindled. I have no idea what transpired in my head that night, I am more than positive it was Divine intervention, but I grabbed a notebook and wrote down tomorrow’s date at the top, directly underneath I wrote “this is the first day of the rest of your life”. I got on my knees and I asked the Lord to give me enough strength to change just one small thing a day. Underneath that I wrote: goal- get up from chair 2x. This whole notion was way out of character for me, writing things down is for old people or weirdos. Anyway, I figured if I could get up from a chair once, I could do it twice. The next day that’s exactly what I did. If someone saw me they would have thought I had lost it. Every day I added just one small change. Sometimes it was to just to walk up 4 extra stairs but it was always a little more than I did the day before. I started to log my food but I really had no idea what real food was. In time my food choices started changing. I started to eat things that made me feel better instead of putting me into a food coma. Little changes, many hours of research, and documentaries (Forks Over Knives, Vegucated, Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, and The Gerson Miracle, to name a few) gave me an entirely new perspective on food. The more successes and better food choices that I made, the more I wanted to stay focused. Since I started to focus on change my life has completely flipped upside down. Every single aspect of my life has changed. I hate going to sleep because I’m afraid I’m going to miss something. I’ve had so many opportunities that sometimes I think it’s all a dream. I’ve climbed mountains, hiked on the Appalachian Trail, cycled 100 mile centuries, ran 5ks, 10ks, and a few half marathons. My doctor now refers patients to me for advice, how cool is that? The best part of this whole thing is this: My wife has been there by my side every step of the way. She has done nothing but support me, and she has been my rock. She too has had some major changes in her life. As a result of my lifestyle changes hers have changed by default. We love life together and are making memory after memory. I thank the Lord for my health and happiness every day. I am truly grateful for the second chance He’s given me and I am on a mission to not only appreciate it but to pass it on to anyone that will listen. It’s not magic, but it is quite simply. Just do a little more than you did yesterday.

My wife and I are now thriving on a plant-based diet free of meat, dairy, and oil with starches, vegetables, and fruits as our main fuel source. I eat more now than I did when I weighed 400 pounds and am never hungry, and I never count calories. If you are even thinking about changing your diet please watch the movie Forks Over Knives.

Please don’t get freaked out about the plant-based lifestyle. If someone would have told me I’d be eating this way 4 years ago I would have tossed my burger at them! Give it a try, it won’t cost you a dime.

Thank you so much Tim for sharing your plant-based journey with us!

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