MY t-shirt design!
How can fresh fruits and vegetables transform a life? As early as my late teens I felt fatigued, bloated and clouded in my thinking. For over ten years, I suffered from Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, a form of hypothyroidism otherwise known as an underactive thyroid caused by an autoimmune deficiency. I'll never forget when the doctor said diseases are degenerative and my medication would increase with age. This was my fate, or so I thought.
Athletic since youth, it was hard to view myself as ill. I had a lot going for me. Growing up on a farm in America, fresh air, clean water, and seasonal produce surrounded me. This was part of the benefits package that came with country living. I grew up in small farming town so no wonder the peaches were sweeter, the plums juicier, and the apples crispier than any from supermarkets.
Sure, I considered myself a healthy eater, preferring bottled juice over soda pop and whole wheat bread instead of bleached, white bread, but the truth is I ate many over processed and additive-filled foods from cans, packages, and boxes labeled "healthier", "low fat", or "low calorie". However, my idea of eating fresh fruits and vegetables was just something to add to processed meals as a healthy addition. A bowl of fruit or a green salad often accompanied larger portions of foods with mysterious fillers, neon colors, and preservatives.
Despite my efforts, my diet resembled too closely the Standard American Diet, also known as the S.A.D. diet fresh fruits and vegetables are lacking and many of the nutrients are zapped out ...little did I know killing the nutrients were killing me!
Today I'm medication free. Healing and body is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional phenomenon and I don't believe food to be the only solution for good health. However, it is one of the facets in our daily lives that we have the most control over.
