From Junk Food to Whole Food
How I did a complete 180 with my diet and lifestyle and took my health into my own hands. Check out some free, delicious recipes at the end of the article!
By Amanda Sick | PlantCreations.com | IG: @Plant__Creations | linktr.ee/plantcreations
*Just as a disclaimer this is not me pushing my diet on anyone, but rather sharing my personal story on how and why I made the changes that I did for my own health as well as highlighting the importance of limiting ultra-processed foods regardless of diet preference*
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a priority of mine and I make sure to do something every day that will benefit my physical and mental health. Although, this has not always been the case. In fact, it was quite the opposite in terms of what I was eating for the first two decades of my life. If it came from a drive-thru, box, package, or frozen section at the grocery store then there is a good chance I ate it growing up.
McDonald’s, Fruity Pebbles, Toaster Strudels, Doritos, Capri Suns, and Lunchables are just to name a few of the so-called foods that were staples in my diet for many years. My food pyramid as a kid was basically fast food, refined sugars, and ultra-processed junk filling up 90% of it and the top 10% was the occasional bowl of fruit (usually fruit cocktail) and some canned veggies. If I ever had a salad it was iceberg lettuce with cheese and croutons drenched in ranch dressing. So as you can see, I had a very well-balanced and nutritious diet as a child. The unfortunate reality is that most people who eat this way and feed these products to their children simply do not realize the negative impact a diet full of ultra-processed foods has on the body.
These unhealthy eating habits continued on into my high school and early college days. I remember a typical day of eating in high school would be Poptarts for breakfast, whatever super healthy option was being served in the cafeteria for lunch (typically pizza, burrito, or cheeseburger), and then I would grab some Taco Bell or Panda Express in the evening for dinner. Towards the end of high school, I did start to become interested in cooking for myself, but even then it was something simple such as lemon pepper chicken and frozen potato wedges I’d throw in the oven. So I’m not sure I would really call that cooking. It wasn’t until college that I began to make small changes here and there with my diet.
At 20, I was challenged by a friend to give up all red meat for 30 days. As someone who ate bacon every weekend and frequently hit up fast food drive-thru windows for cheap burgers, needless to say, I was very hesitant to even try. Despite the hesitation, I accepted the challenge, and that initial 30 days turned into 8 months. Rather than going back to eating those bacon cheeseburgers, I actually removed all meat and seafood from my diet thanks to another challenge by a different friend. Our plan was to do it together and basically see how long we could last. I honestly did not think I would last very long considering I ate chicken at almost every meal. Sure enough, about 7 months went by and instead of going back to eating meat, I made the personal decision to remove all animal products from my diet after researching more about the dairy and egg industries.
If someone would have told me I would someday stop eating all animal products and go vegan, I would have laughed in their face. I will say that “vegan” does not mean healthy. You can be vegan and be living off of Impossible burgers, Oreos, and potato chips. When I first went vegan, I was eating highly processed meat and cheese alternatives, non-dairy ice creams, and other vegan junk food. I think at the time I did believe I was making better choices but I now know that is not the case from a health standpoint. It is important for me to make that clear because it is the changes that followed that really are what made a noticeable difference in my health and sparked my passion for living a healthy lifestyle.
With how I ate for so many years, I am honestly surprised I did not end up with more severe health issues. The human body is so resilient, especially at a young age, and I was very active in sports growing up which I believe helped. However, throughout my childhood and into my teens, I struggled with migraines, digestive issues, painful menstrual cycles, acid reflux (that I was on medication for), and frequent cold and flu symptoms. In college, I began to develop pretty severe acne out of the blue. I experienced some minor acne in high school as most teenagers do, but this was much worse.
I tried numerous topical creams, face washes, soaps, etc but nothing seemed to help clear up my skin. Not knowing what to try next, I went to the doctor and of course, their only suggestions were to try hormonal birth control or a prescription-strength antibiotic. I remember leaving that appointment with both prescriptions and having an uneasy feeling about the whole situation. For a few days I went back and forth on which pill I thought would be the better option to try. After doing some research on both and weighing the pros and cons, I luckily came to the conclusion that I was not going to take either one. Instead, I wanted to do everything I could to get to the root cause of the acne and heal my skin naturally.
At the time, I had no idea what that would entail or if it would even be possible but I am so thankful that I made the decision to go the holistic route. I began diving deep into researching the connection between skin health and gut health. I soon realized that the acne was my body’s way of telling me something was wrong on the inside and in order to clear my skin, I had to address it from within. I truly feel that my diet finally started to catch up to me and my body was experiencing an overload of toxicity. The acne was a symptom that needed to be addressed rather than suppressed by taking a pill which would have only made the deeper issue even worse in the long run. This is why getting to the root cause of any health issue is extremely important in order to truly heal.
Now with saying that, I am not going to pretend like it was an overnight process. Often going the natural route is going to take longer, but in my opinion, is the more sustainable and healthier way to go about issues that are related to diet and lifestyle choices. It was right around my 22nd birthday when I started to get serious about massively limiting things such as refined sugars, gluten, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods. All of which I knew were contributing to inflammation in my body and making the skin problem worse. I started swapping out the overly processed vegan products for more whole food plant based options. I began to pay more attention to ingredient lists on products that I was buying and became more mindful of everything that I was putting in and on my body. I completely stopped wearing makeup and using other harsh chemicals on my face because I knew that was only irritating my skin even more.
I bought a juicer and started juicing which is another thing that had an immensely positive impact on my skin. Juicing extracts the structured water from the fruits, vegetables, and herbs which is packed full of nutrition. It gives the digestive system a break while still flooding the body with nutrients which is especially important when working on healing the gut. I also started incorporating more raw foods which is something I never paid attention to or understood the importance of prior to changing my diet. Raw foods have all of the vitamins and minerals intact as well as the digestive enzymes that have not been altered or destroyed by heat. I noticed a huge difference in my overall energy levels, skin, and mental health once I began to regularly consume more fresh juices and raw foods. This in addition to focusing on stress management, regular exercise, quality sleep, and intermittent fasting all played a role in clearing up my skin and improving my overall health and well-being.
By changing my diet to one full of mainly whole plant based foods, I started to get more creative in the kitchen. I quickly became passionate about creating healthier versions of foods that I grew up eating and sharing that with others. I love being able to take simple ingredients and turn them into a delicious but healthy meal or dessert. I believe food should taste great while at the same time acting as nourishment to the body. This can be difficult for many people to relate to, especially if you are like me and grew up on highly palatable foods that alter your taste buds. Most of the foods that I eat on a regular basis are things that I would have never even tried when I was younger. I had the mindset that the food that was good for me didn't taste the best and the food that tasted good wasn't the best for me. I no longer have that same view towards food and can honestly say I enjoy everything I eat especially knowing that I am giving my body what it needs to stay healthy.
It has been about 4 years since switching to a whole food plant based diet with lots of raw foods. That along with juicing, intermittent fasting, regular exercise, stress management, a positive mindset, and time in nature have all been a huge part of my healing journey. I no longer deal with any of the issues that I previously mentioned, my skin is the healthiest it has ever been, and I can’t remember the last time I felt sick. The body knows how to heal itself when given the proper tools to do so. It honestly was tough dealing with the severe acne and working to heal it naturally through diet and lifestyle. Although, I am grateful that my body gave me the warning signs it did at a young age so that I could make the changes necessary to live a healthier life and encourage others to do the same.
Whether plant based or not, one of the most important things anyone can do for their health is to drastically limit the consumption of ultra-processed junk disguised as food and incorporate more whole foods into their diet. It all starts with small changes here and there that will lead to a more significant impact over time. I can say from experience, that as you begin to see positive results with your physical and mental health you will only want to keep making healthier choices and it does get easier the longer you stick with it. You only have one body, so why not take care of it the best you can?
MY RECIPES
If you are looking for some easy and healthy recipes I have included a few of my favorites below. I also have my first recipe ebook, Simply Sweet, for purchase on my site that includes over 50 plant based treats that are all vegan, gluten free, and refined sugar free. Feel free to check out my food page on Instagram (@Plant__Creations) where I post daily if you are interested in eating more plant based or just want some inspiration for new recipe ideas!
Amanda’s Favorite Recipes
Here are a few of Amanda’s favorite recipes that you can find on her website, PlantCreations.com. Check out her website for many more!
Instagram (food page): https://www.instagram.com/plant__creations/
Instagram (personal page): https://www.instagram.com/amanda.sick/
Recipe E-Book: https://myplantcreations.com/e-book/p/76bq3b5ayindns0h0mvwmb8ecrqzfl
More Recipes: https://myplantcreations.com
Online Apparel Store: https://plantcreationsonlinestore.itemorder.com/shop/home/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmandaSick
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Yup, you are what you eat. Any gardener can tell you this, any arborist, anyone raising livestock. It is hard for many to understand that the standard American diet is actually worse than what vegetables and livestock get. If you want, you can create diabetes in livestock, but people don't do that because of the bottom line.
And livestock is now getting food that just might do that. How far we have fallen, a scripted decline.
Tlavers know about Nourishing Traditions? If you have one cook book in your house, that's the one.