The reason I decided to become vegan?
Roughly a year ago out of nowhere I developed PMS (pre-menstrual symptoms)which I have never ever experienced before. I never used to have any cramps, any breast pains, any mood swings, bloating etc etc. All of a sudden I found myself taking pain relief medication every time I had my period. It started with painful cramps, then became very painful breast pain that would last for weeks, bloating, irregular cycle etc which also meant forcing me to rely on extra pain relief pills.
I remember that I went to the GP to ask if something was wrong with my body because I was getting all these pains at the age of 32. Obviously, after all the check ups she just told me that there was nothing to worry about.
Well knowing myself, I decided to do my own research and find out what causes PMS and how to get rid of it.
I have never hated my period, like most of my friends who dreaded the idea of their period.
I knew that having my period meant that my reproductive organ was healthy, that my uterus was producing every month a thick lining that had the purpose of housing and nourishing an embryo (in case conception) and shedding it just because conception didn’t happen.
I started to research and learn that there was a connection between PMS and the imbalance of a woman’s hormones (estrogen and progesterone).
Most of the meat and dairy is being pumped with artificial estrogen (growth hormone) that is helps the meat and dairy industry to produce more, quickly for a fast profit. So they spend so much money to market these products so that the demand increases, and in order to satisfy these demands, they have to produce fast. This fast production leads to the use of un-natural components such as pesticide, preservatives and hormones.
I couldn’t ignore these facts so I embarked on a personal experiment to reverse my symptoms.
The first month I reduced dairy and meat I noticed a huge difference and improvement.
I wasn’t miserable but I still had symptoms.
Then in April 2017 I decided to completely eliminate dairy, eggs and any type of meat from my diet. My husband decided to be supportive and to embark in this adventure with me.
I am absolutely grateful and will always cherish his ability to support me in my decisions. I know that for him to give up his cheeses was the hardest decision ever.
For those of you who don’t know me, I am a professional chef,and my work requires me from time to time to taste food that contain dairy, eggs and meat.
I have respect for my job and for the customers and workmates who spend their hard earned money to enjoy a meal I serve. For this reason, I will, for various reasons, taste food items that contain animal products.
The journey has been amazing, filled with discoveries and culinary adventures.
I discovered that I had more energy by consuming plant based products. I discovered that my taste buds were awakened by the taste of a variety of vegetables and fruits.
I discovered that anything and everything can be veganised and it can be super tasty.
I discovered a whole new world of people who are vegans and healthy, that influence people with their lifestyle and recipes.
Grocery shopping was a little bit challenging at the beginning, but slowly it became natural to read all labels and avoid most of the aisles.
I discovered that most products that are vegan, have loads of preservative, sugars, colouring etc etc.
So I am slowly concentrating my grocery shopping around items that are plant based, preservative and colour free, products that have ingredients which I know (no chemical names), a short list of ingredients etc etc.
I once again in my life learned that food can be either poison or medicine to my body and the choice is mine.
My health is my responsibility, my health depends on the choices I make everyday.
I decided that 2017 was going to be my journey to a healthy life.
In January I stopped smoking, cold turkey, mind you I have been smoking since I was 15 years old.
Fast forward to today, September 2017, I can proudly say that I am 100% FREE OF PMS.
A healthy lifestyle is a step by step process and I have one more step to take and that is called EXERCISE 
Here below some resources (links) if you are interested in this lifestyle.
Documentaries to watch
What the Health, You are what you eat
Got the facts on Milk? The milk documentary
Books to read
Vegan Vloggers I follow for inspiration and recipes:
Ellen Fisher (vegan recipes, vegan lifestyle, vegan pregnancy, breastfeeding, parenting)
Unconventional Mama (vegan recipes, vegan lifestyle, breastfeeding, parenting)
Shine with Plants (high raw vegan recipes, lifestyle)
Healthy Crazy Cool (vegan athlete and nutritionist, high carb and high fat recipes, lifestyle)
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