I’m a girl that has always had a love affair with food. Growing up in South America where fresh fruits and vegetables were always abundantly available, I spent my childhood indulging in succulent mangoes, mouth watering coconuts and titillating cashews. Food was always readily available and I took advantage of it. One thing I indulged in a lot was pepper sauce. Yep, freshly ground pepper sauce was a staple of mine. I inhaled it.
I’ve always favored exercise, but as I grew older, the demands of everyday life eclipsed my need to work out. I lapsed on it and gained a ton of weight. A few years ago, I had a bout with Gerd. I changed my diet and effectively managed to get it under control. But my good eating habits didn’t last long. After a year, I went back to eating whatever I wanted.
You see, I come from a foodie family. Both my parents and all of us siblings can cook exceptionally well. Growing up together, we’d spend so much time cooking late night meals and indulging in whatever we wanted. With that being said, it was tough to keep the healthy eating habits up. I indulged in both the good and the bad. I ate too much of the very things my Doctor told me not to and once again found myself battling a severe case of Gerd.
After emergency room trips and a few trips to different doctors, I was told to just lay off all the trigger foods and lose weight. I was also over-stressed, not working out and getting very little sleep. Now I had to pay very close attention to what I was eating. I began to keep a food diary, the point being to help me figure out my trigger foods. I discovered that wheat, dairy, caffeine, citrus and spicy foods were most definitely the cause of my agony.
I lost about 40 lbs in about 3 months just because I wasn’t able to eat much. Now I was forced to eat healthy. I also developed an exercise routine and I’m experimenting daily with healthy recipes. The good thing is, I’ve always loved veggies and fruits and I’m enjoying them even more now.
This blog is kind of a journal for me to document my journey to a healthier me. I hope that somewhere in here, my story, recipes and new healthier lifestyle will inspire you to become a healthier, more fabulous you.
Mali
