My Journey to NOW

Sanjeevani means "one that infuses life".  The term is from Hindu mythology and really speaks to my purpose.  As 2011 comes to a close and we embark on 2012, I know a lot of people are making their New Year's Resolutions.  Some of those may include ways to look and feel better and be healthy in the coming year.  So I wanted to share something that, for me, has been a "life infusing" journey.

When I first started informally researching nutrition, it was mainly to look good. I've been a life-long vegetarian thanks to my parents.  I am a first generation American from East India and we always had healthy food in our household.  Dinner was usually whole wheat flat bread (चपाती), vegetables (सब्जी), lentil soup (दाल), rice (चावल) and yogurt (दही).  Once I moved out, however, I became what most people refer to as a starchatarian - I hardly ever ate vegetables.

2005

It was 2001 when I began my research, and I was only slightly overweight and looking to lose those last 10 lbs.  I tried almost everything I could think of from ediets to Diet To Go to South Beach (not easy when you are a vegetarian).  I tried various combinations of counting calories, keeping track of what I ate in a journal, eating the majority of my calories in the morning, not eating after a certain time of day and I quickly became what is known as a yo-yo dieter.  I'd lose a few pounds and then gain it all back when I got tired of the regimented eating and feeling unsatisfied.  I never attributed my weight to Cheetos and Oreo's.  After all, I am a vegetarian and I was always below my daily allotment of 1,200 calories!!  I continued to search for another answer, the holy grail, expecting there to be one - I just had to find it!

One cool weekend day in February 2009, I happened to be doing my informal research on nutrition and diets.  I cannot remember what specifically I searched for when I stumbled upon Kimberly Snyder's blog - specifically the one about the Raw Cacao Truffles.  I had always questioned why we cook our foods when many of the vitamins, minerals and enzymes get destroyed in the heating process.  I read more of her blog at that point and was sold.  I hopped right onto that bandwagon and immediately began my raw food journey.  I made a green smoothie every morning, ate salads for lunch and dinner, and consumed coconuts and avocados and many other raw goodies for other times of the day.  I dropped weight so quickly, I was amazed!  I'd never been able to do that even on strict calorie counting diets.  I was eating whole plant foods and had tons of energy and never felt hungry!  WOW!

2009

Unfortunately, because I dove right into it, I was soon bombarded with a slew of detox symptoms including acne and bloating and cravings for sugar.  I ended my short raw food phase after one month during the engagement party of a really good friend of mine.  Because of my intense cravings, I binged on everything there including crackers with Brie and apricots, cheesecake and many dairy, white flour and/or sugar laden snacks.  I felt horrible and fatigued and felt like I was dragging.  I went right back to my previous way of eating - being a starchatarian with a few modifications.

So I continued my search while I continued various versions of my green smoothie, one of those few modifications which I will post in a later blog.  In the meantime, I became an aunt, got married, acquired two kids, and was generally dealing with all of these changes in my life.  It wasn't the time to make a drastic change in my lifestyle from a diet perspective since it would have been hard to keep up with it.  But I knew that I wanted to make a change because those few weeks I was eating whole plant-based foods was the best I'd ever felt.

2011

Which leads me to NOW.  I am physically in the best shape of my life at 35.  I have a lot of energy and have not been sick since I began my endeavor into being a true vegetarian and almost vegan (I admit to succumbing to cheese and some dairy based baked goods every now and then).  I now have the complete understanding of what makes ME feel good physically and as I am adopting these choices into my own lifestyle, I want to tell the whole world in hopes that my story will help you in your own journey.  Kimberly Snyder's book, The Beauty Detox Solution has been a tremendous influence on the way I eat now.  I admit I'm not perfect, but as Kimberly once told me, it's what you do 95% of the time that really counts.  I highly recommend her book - it is my main source of information on nutrition along with her blog.

In my blog, I hope to share some interesting situations in my own life regarding nutrition and hope that you can benefit from it.  I will include stories, recipes, and general information.  I hope that I can be a part of your journey as I continue on my own.