Vegetarian Testimonial No. 5
A Vegetarian For 12 Years

I originally went vegetarian because I felt my health going downhill rapidly.  I was very, very sick.  I had lots of headaches, I was overweight, had stomach problems, couldn’t sleep at night, had mood swings and just didn’t feel good.  My skin was a mess, and I didn’t look good either.  I was constantly sick with throat and sinus problems.  I had no energy and had a number of food addictions, including a coffee addiction.  I had gone on a high-protein diet and it severely messed with my metabolism.  That’s when things really got out of control.  I had tried everything and nothing seemed to work.  I read a few books, including “The Body Ecology Diet.”  I didn’t think I could do it, but I thought, well maybe if I “remove myself from temptation,” I could break the cycle of some of the terrible food addictions I had going on.

So, in an act of almost sheer desperation and not knowing what else to do, I went to the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego for a week.  Their focus is on introducing people to the raw vegan way of life (a type of vegetarianism) and educating people on proper nutrition while they feed participants meals, helping everyone to feel better right away.  This experience totally transformed my life.  I immediately felt better and had a renewed energy and vitality that I had not felt in many years (if ever). My health and energy level improved substantially in just one week. 

Once I returned to my home in L.A., I continued my educational process about this lifestyle.  I read more books, connected with other people who are involved with this lifestyle and went to lots of raw and vegetarian restaurants.  The more I learned and the healthier I ate, the better I felt, and it was a cycle upwards; rather than a spiraling, out of control cycle downwards, which is what I had been experiencing.  Within a few short weeks, ALL of my disease symptoms disappeared and I felt better than I ever could have imagined.  I had my energy, my positive outlook and my YOUTH back.  I was literally a new person.  It was not an effort at all putting healthy, nutritious, non-toxic food into my body because I felt so good and so on top of the world.  I never even knew life could be so good.  It was easy for me to let go of the old habits of eating “bad” foods (i.e., highly processed and junk foods).  I just didn’t want them anymore.  I was more in tune with my body and listening to my body.

I feel like I have my life back.  I feel great, look much better than before, sleep better, and I have the energy and vitality of a teenager.  No more mood swings. And no more “getting sick” -– I don’t even worry about it because I know that as long as I’m eating healthy and keeping a positive, healthy mental outlook and keeping the overall stress levels at a minimum, I don’t get sick.  It just doesn’t happen.  Since I focused on the health aspects of the lifestyle, I figured the weight would take care of itself, and it did.  For the first time in my life, I was free from the bondage of “bad” food.

For the most part, being a vegetarian is not difficult for me.  Once in awhile it is challenging to be around non-vegetarian friends and family.  But, when I really stop and think about the fact that I now have control over what I put into my body and I love myself and my body like never before, and when faced with decisions from one moment to the next, I CHOOSE to make the loving one because I never want to slide back to where I once was. I don’t view it as a diet—I view it as a lifestyle—and now that my habits have changed, I don’t give it a second thought.  Eating vegetarian is now second nature.  I just naturally reach for the healthy foods because I WANT TO.

I eat a lot of salads; dark, leafy greens; green smoothies, veggies; fruits; some nuts and other natural fatty foods such as avocados, coconut oil and olive oil.  Sometimes, as a treat, I have soaked legumes or more traditional vegetarian dishes such as brown rice and veggies and/or black beans.  I finally understand the truth of the saying, “You are what you eat.”  I recommend this lifestyle to everyone searching to improve their health—this is the answer they’re looking for.

Vicki's Web Site is: www.rawteacher.com/vickirosenthal