by Stephanie Bucklin, Originally posted 5/1/2015
Here’s my story…
About three years ago, I weighed over 265lbs., I was 33 at the time, and I was feeling really toxic. My body was aching all the time, I would get weird cramps, my digestive tract felt horrible, and my yoga practice was not really helping to relieve the discomfort as much as it did previously. Always looking for my own answers before turning to help (I think this is a symptom of my Type-A personality, or perhaps my independent-woman stubbornness…), I started researching natural cleansing techniques.
What motivated me more than the feeling of toxicity was that I found lumps in different parts of my body, which was starting to freak me out. I found them in my bicep muscles, my thigh muscles, and even one along my upper cervical spine. But, the one that scared me the most was in my right breast near my ribcage. I was so scared that I had breast cancer. Having already been disenchanted by Western medicine, I was apprehensive about scheduling an appointment to . But as the pain in my breast continued to worsen, I was convinced I needed to get it checked out. So I scheduled my first mammogram.
I started changing my diet early on during my research, mostly on instinct. I realized that I was putting “shit-food” into my body. This included lots of fast food, hamburgers and French fries mostly, and frozen dinners, as well as things from packages that were easy to make. So I decided to cut out processed foods and preservatives. Then I started cutting out white flours and refined sugars. I tried using the USDA’s MyPyramid as a general guideline for food intake. With proper nutrition, I actually started to feel better. Cutting out processed foods meant that I was spending more time in the kitchen preparing meals, and ironically, spending less money at the grocery store. Watching my sugar intake also meant natural weight loss. I was pleased that getting healthy was helping me in more ways than one.
In the meantime, I continued my research. One day, I was looking through the documentaries section on Netflix and came across a film called, “The Beautiful Truth: The World’s Simplest Cure for Cancer” (Watch it here: http://youtu.be/wvzDHGLEUyw). This is an amazing documentary made by a fifteen-year-old in the Alaskan wilderness named Garrett Kroschel who simply posed the question, if there was a cure for cancer that didn’t require expensive drugs or “Why are so many people dying of heart disease, stroke and cancer?” and started searching for answers. Having asked the very same question myself in preparation for writing my book, “Stupid Human Tricks,” I was intrigued. What Garrett found out will truly astound you. It was through this film that I discovered Dr. Max Gerson and the Gerson Therapy. I bought the book, “The Gerson Therapy: The Amazing Nutritional Program for Cancer and Other Illnesses (Revised And Updated)” by Charlotte Gerson (Dr. Gerson’s now 90-year-old daughter).
As I was delving into the details of the Gerson Therapy, I went to my mammogram appointment. Nervous and a little nauseous, I walked into the room to strip down. I was bummed that I had to take out all my earrings, which were at the time those surgical steel one’s with the little balls in the center that are next to impossible to get back in once you remove them. The nurse who took the x-ray was very gentle and sweet. She reassured me, explained the process, and took a few pictures of my breasts squished between two clear Plexiglas plates. I had heard horror stories about how painful it was, but this was from a woman with D-cup breasts. Thankfully I have smaller boobies, so it wasn’t too uncomfortable, mostly just weird seeing my boobs get squished. Afterward, I put my clothes back on (couldn’t get the earrings back in without help) and was told my results would be mailed to me in a couple weeks and that they would call me if there were any need for concern. Two weeks later, my results came in the mail – no lumps, no cancer! Phew!!
On with my research…As I was learning from Charlotte Gerson and other sources, vegans don’t get cancer! I also learned that Max Gerson proved people with cancer have a higher toxicity level than their bodies can handle. When toxins are consumed, the body stores them in fat cells to deal with them later. If a person encounters too many toxins in a given period of time, the body gets bombarded and this can lead to cancer and other health issues. Vegans rarely get sick, and in fact, they tend to shed the unnecessary pounds and live longer and healthy lives than their non-vegan counterparts. This peaked my interest tremendously, as I really want to live beyond 100 years old. I started researching how to become vegan. It was then that I opted to remove meat from my diet and become a Vegetarian. I wasn’t quite ready to remove dairy products and eggs to be Vegan, but removing meat was easy. For one thing, I had already been Vegetarian once before, for a couple years during my teens. Secondly, I hadn’t been eating as much red meat and I learned that I really liked grilled tofu. Thirdly, I found an awesome recipe book, “Vegan Vittles: Down-Home Cooking for Everyone” by Jo Stepaniak (Vegan Vittles: Down-Home Cooking for Everyone) that helped me with the transition. I was pleased to find that a Vegetarian diet is complementary to yoga practice. As a result, my yoga practice improved tremendously. To my delight, cutting out meat made me lose even more weight.
As an interesting turn of events, I went to a chiropractor in Ventura, Dr. Kristofer Young (Ventura Chiropractic & Massage), who taught me that over 50% of humans are lactose intolerant and told me that the discomfort I was experiencing in my ribcage could be a sign of a dairy allergy. He explained that the muscles surrounding your digestive system react similarly to the way the muscles of your throat and chest do during an allergy attack – the muscles swell and cramp up. When the digestive tract encounters a food allergen or toxin, the muscles in the ribcage, stomach and between the hips will be in turmoil within 2 hours of eating. My experience with cutting out dairy products has been interesting. Within the first week, I noticed that the chronic pain in my hips and knees went away, and the discomfort in my ribcage dissipated. It was undeniable, I’m allergic to dairy. I was a little sad, not because of cow’s milk or even yogurt, but because I really love cheese…soy cheese just isn’t the same.
Unfortunately, having not yet learned how to be vegan, I struggled in the first six months of my transition. The difficulties I experienced were almost enough to deter me from the transition completely. I had weeks where I wasn’t getting enough protein in my diet and had terrible mood swings and bouts of depression and anxiety. Then I got sick – I was coughing for 3 months when I finally went to the doctor for steroids to resolve the cough. I went through periods of time when I did eat meat, then I would get mad at myself for (literally) “chickening out” which resolved me to start over again. Most often, I have given in when eating in restaurants, with cheese. I had my doubts that I could make it work for me. I even read some people need animal protein in their diets, based on their blood type or DNA. I’ve since learned this is a lie perpetuated by the meat and dairy industries. I’ve also come to believe cheese is a “gateway food” that will lead you to willingly consume other animal products.
During this time, I was enrolled in classes at Ventura College. One of my classes, Holistic Health & Healing, taught by Raeann Koerner, was helping me transition not only into a more healthy lifestyle, but a more spiritual existence. During Holistic Health Week on campus, we had a guest speaker in our class, who just happened to be speaking about Veganism. I was excited! His name is Gary Yourofsky (ADAPTT). He opened my already enlightened mind about becoming Vegan. Here’s an excerpt from my journal, which was inspired by this experience:
1/31/2012 9:58a.m. –‘For the first time in a long time, I feel free. I experienced a presentation tonight that opened my mind.’
After Gary’s presentation, I got smart. I read a few more books that I checked out from the library about Vegetarianism and Veganism. I read online about proper nutrition for Vegans and started balancing my food intake more effectively. I learned about the Complex Carbohydrates & Proteins requirement for keeping up energy balance and blood sugar levels (see chart attached). I started eating more foods, more variety, more frequently; I added a protein source to most of my meals and snacks; and I really focused on getting at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables into my daily intake. These simple things totally resolved all my issues, and I’m consistently eating vegan meals and snacks now.
Over time, I have realized that I’m a little too hard on myself. Nobody’s perfect. I’ve also realized that I feel worlds better when I don’t have animal products in my body. So I severely limit my intake of these products as much as humanly possible. I tell people that I’ve been “refining my body.” I’m now healthier than I’ve ever been, and as it turns out, Veganism was my best answer. I’ve lost over 115lbs and I feel amazing! I haven’t been sick in over a year. I eat a ton of fresh whole foods, I exercise regularly (yoga/hiking), and I’m still seeing gradual weight loss.
All in all, I’m a very happy Vegan! ~S
UPDATE: Returning to Veganism, 2020
