Finishing the Race

If you were to come to my home, more than likely I would offer you a glass of homemade juice. I am so excited about how healthy I feel and how beautiful my skin looks—now that I eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables. I want to share the love! I could easily forget to add fruits and vegetables to my diet and lean towards chocolate, pastas, scones, and crackers, however, my health dictated that it was time to make purposeful changes to my diet or succumb to a bleak diagnosis. So, I started juicing and making smoothies.

For me, drinking smoothies is like an IV packed full of rich, beneficial vitamins and minerals. This nourishment gives me the feeling of little warriors boosting my immune system, little repairmen maintaining the upkeep of my body, and makeup artists improving my skin tone. The beauty of this complex system is my body efficiently performs all these tasks on its own—now that I give my body the tools she needs.

Two years ago, I found out I had cataracts forming in my eyes. I have assisted in hundreds of cataract surgeries, and the average age of our patients were in their 70’s and 80’s. This revelation surprised me, since I was only 51-years old and did not have an outdoor occupation.

My niece Stephanie was studying naturopathic medicine, and recommended that I watch the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. I am a prove it to me kind of girl; seeing people in the documentary reverse their disease by the selection of foods they consumed intrigued me. The testimonies were inspiring, so I started juicing and made a large smoothie once a day, five days a week. I also I made an effort to incorporate as many plant-based foods into the majority of my meals.

Recently, I had another eye exam. My doctor told me my eyes are as clear as glass. He asked me if I was doing anything different or changed my diet. I smiled, and said, “yes.” He asked me if I was eating more greens. My smile widened with a nod. He then proceeded to tell me the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, found in dark green vegetables, help prevent cataracts. You can check it out on the American Optometric Association website:  http://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/lutein?sso=y. I am living proof, I reversed the formation of cataracts with my diet—no more cataracts.

This is so exciting to physically see my body heal itself based on the foods I eat. The bonus is how vibrant and healthy my complexion looks at 54-years old.  Surprising to me, now that I routinely eat a diet high in plant-based foods, my body craves fruits, vegetables, and my smoothies.

You can imagine how thrilled I was when close friends of ours offered us some of their heirloom carrots, red potatoes, orange beets, onions, kale, and herbs fresh from their garden. I felt like I was digging up gold. Now when I look at fresh produce, I see life and health! Thank you Scott and Amy for sharing the love.

Keep in touch; I’ll share my smoothie recipe with you in a future blog.

To your health! Julie