I want to help you design a life you love. And that is why I’ve created my own Amazon page! Consider my page a curation of the items I believe will help you improve the design of each area of your life—whether it’s baby strollers, organizational items for your desk, beauty products, baby and new mother products, decor for your home, and so much more!

Want to buy doTERRA essential oils and products at 25% off? Click image below and contact me with any questions

Rape, I hate this word and to this day I can barely get the word out of my mouth. Just typing it was painful. I typically refer to my experience, at the age of 16, as sexual assault. It sounds less offensive or harsh. Somehow that helps me. The truth is, I have been terrified to share my story publicly, to allow myself to be vulnerable. However I have come to this conclusion; this is my truth. This happened to me. It is a part of my story. I am okay, I am happy, I am strong, I am a warrior and this story will never define who I am.

One night when I was 16 years old, someone else took it upon themselves to make decisions for me. My right to answer for myself, and make a sound decision was taken from me. What I was left with after that night, are various images, a recollection of broken, blurred memories, burned into my brain that I have had to deal with for the last 17 years through counselling, a lot of conversations with my husband and a few select people.

After what I thought was a fun evening with friends where I very clearly remember having two (yes, two) drinks, the next morning I woke up in a fog. The phone rang and I answered. It was him. He told me, it was a good idea that I go and get the morning after pill. My world became dark. I didn’t understand and so I asked why. He told me why and my response was, “was I awake?” I remember asking this question like it was yesterday. I hung up the phone and began to panic. I couldn’t tell my parents. I didn’t know what to do. I was mortified.

I turned to my girlfriend who was still with me, and asked her what happened. She said that she came into the room and called my name three times and I didn’t answer so she went back to the “party.” My heart sunk further as I realized that something very wrong had happened to me. Was it possible to have only two drinks and fall asleep and not have a full memory of what happened? Absolutely not!

Someone did this to me. I was unresponsive as my girlfriend reiterated to me. My next thought was, why did you leave me alone in there if I didn’t answer when you called. Likely because our culture led her to believe that everything was fine, I was sleeping and there was nothing to worry about. I decided that I needed help and eventually went to my Mom. I began to cry and she asked me what was wrong, holding my arms. I told her that I needed her to take me to get the morning after pill. She asked me why and I said I didn’t know. I told her again, I don’t know what happened.  She began to cry and hugged me as we both fell to the floor. Crying, hugging on the floor. In this moment, she knew. We both did. 

We went to my Doctor together. I didn’t go to school that Monday. I entered a sort of darkness and became almost lifeless at times. I couldn’t face this and didn’t want anyone to know. I couldn’t let my Dad know. No one could know.  When I arrived at school a few days later I was greeted by two girls that asked how the weekend was. I told them it wasn’t good, and they immediately told me they heard I raped this boy. Stunned I asked for more information. Turns out that the rumour was that I tried to have sex with him and he refused. I worked up the courage to confront him in the gym to tell him how much my body was hurting, that I was burning and sore and how could he do this to me. He looked at me in shock and said, “I didn’t do anything wrong.” I told him about the broken up memories that I had pieced together of the evening and his response was that, he believed that I believed those images and memories, but again he didn’t do anything wrong. I’m quite certain he had to convince himself pretty hard to accept this as his reality.

The next few years of high school were filled with moments of darkness. I would be called a whore while walking down the hall. For my birthday, a friend decorated my locker and I was so excited that she did this. All to walk back to my locker after class to see devil horns drawn on my picture, with a penny stuck to it with gum and a note that read, “here’s a penny for you, you little whore.” Once, someone while passing me in the school hall, grabbed me by my throat, slammed me against a locker and said it was because of the look on my face, while she held her fist close to my face and my friend begged for her to leave me alone. The aftermath of bullying was worse than the actual event. I contemplated if my life was worth living and if I would ever be able to stop crying so much.

I would work up enough courage to attend a party, walk in, just to hear SLUT being yelled by someone from afar.  I remember hiding in the bathroom at lunch, and calling my mom all the time to come pick me up from school because I couldn’t handle the constant bullying.  I was put on contract at school for missing so many days. My grades were slipping and I failed a few classes. My mom and I went to the Vice Principle to tell her what had happened, but we received zero support. She was cold and it felt as if she didn’t even believe me. I became an expert in building walls around myself so thick that no one could penetrate them. I mastered a blank look on my face as to not give away what was going on. I wore my hair in a pony tail, and the same jeans and sweatshirt style almost every day. I mastered blending in, not rocking the boat, and becoming invisible.

On the weekends, I could escape school and spend time with an amazing group of friends that did not go to the same school. I will add, that I do have a lot of happy memories with some great friends from this period in my life. Not every day, all day was filled with darkness, but my point is, a lot of it was and when I think back to just how awful the actual event was, but also the aftermath, I am grateful to have made it out in on piece.

I couldn’t wait to get the heck out of my town and head to college. So I turned my focus to taking art classes and anything that I could in high school to give me an edge to go to school for design. I’ll never forget how incredible it felt to open my package from Georgian College and read ACCEPTED. This was my out. I spent the next three years discovering how fun life could be again, exploring my surroundings, making new friends, and having a blast. The lyrics to The Middle by Jimmy Eat World became my mantra as I would blast this song, and sing it out loud over and over until I believed it. 

In 2006, I moved back to my hometown. I love it here. This is my home, and while I may not always live here, I will never run from this place again. I’m no longer afraid to speak my truth and I’ve ended the efforts of others to cover it.

I have now created so much positivity in my life and am working on the art of letting go. I am surrounded by loving friends and family. I have the most respectful, patient and loving husband in the world. I am grateful for my marriage with him every single day. He helps me to tear down the thick walls that I had built around myself. I’d like to say that I’m totally healed from this experience, but I’m not. Each year, month, day, I build new visions of love and hope and surround my inner and outer world with peace.

I will spend my life believing that I can create whatever I want out of it. I am committed to constant growth, personal development, and creating a culture in my own businesses that support women.

To the other survivors, I see you. I hear you. I believe you. You are not alone. You can heal. If you don’t want to share your story you don’t have to. You don’t owe anything to anyone. Be kind to yourself.

I’ll start at the beginning for those that have no idea who I am. For the last 8 years I have poured my heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into building my companies along side my husband, Patrick. We both worked 80-hour weeks, doing everything that we could to build our companies from the ground up. This development and growth took everything we had mentally, and took a significant toll physically. While we were experiencing exponential growth and moving ahead on the high that we got from our constant forward momentum, we developed some bad habits of working anywhere from 10-16 hours a day, with take-out being our prime source of nutrition. Needless to say that when I sacrificed my own well being for the good of our business, I gained 70 pounds and began feeling the consequences of running myself into the ground.

     For those that are busy bees and want to get right to my conception tips, scroll to the middle of this post for helpful links. 

Several years ago, after feeling perplexed with various ailments I was referred to an OB who then diagnosed me with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). PCOS is a hormonal imbalance that causes infertility and that I had unknowingly been struggling with since I was a teenager. My painful, irregular periods, anxiety, mood swings, exhaustion and other issues were coming to light for the first time.

Symptoms of PCOS include:

• Acne.
• Weight gain and trouble losing weight.
• Extra hair on the face and body. Often women get thicker and darker facial hair and more hair on the chest, belly, and back.
• Thinning hair on the scalp.
• Irregular periods. Often women with PCOS have fewer than nine periods a year. Some women have no periods. Others have very heavy bleeding.
• Fertility problems. Many women who have PCOS have trouble getting pregnant (infertility).
• Depression & Anxiety

Fact: There is no known “cure” for PCOS.

Although at the time of my diagnosis, babies were not even on our radar (I didn’t even know that I wanted kids), hearing the word infertility was like a blow to my heart. At this same time, two very close couples to us were struggling to conceive. In the end both of these couples did conceive, however it took them two years of treatments and they went through an emotional roller coaster. Being the futurist planner that I am, I decided that despite Patrick and I not feeling ready to become parents, I consulted my specialist and decided to get further testing done. We did various blood tests on myself, and had Patrick’s sperm tested.

The results? They felt heart breaking. My hormones were so out of whack that my specialist told me that if I ever wanted to conceive, she would send me directly to the fertility clinic before trying because I would need a lot of help. As for Patrick, his results were not great either and posed some concerns for natural conception. While these results were painful to hear, it sprung me into action. I am an over-planner, analytical researcher type that believes that I can be in control of my destiny. Thus began my journey to natural healing and health. I consulted with an endocrine specialist, my OB, my general practitioner, and was even sent to the hospital on various occasions for testing, stress tests, EKG’s and more. No one was getting to the bottom of the issues, or could tell me what the cause was or how to remedy them.

After struggling with my periods since I was a teenager, and being prescribed every brand of birth control pills to try to “control” my period, at 25 years old (7 years ago) I stopped taking the pill. I had read too many horrible things about what it could do to my long-term health and decided that other methods of birth control were healthier for me.

Because my periods were so irregular and I would go up to 8 months without one, I began tracking my cycles years ago as a means to assess my health. I downloaded an app called P Tracker on my iPhone and each time my period came, or didn’t come, I logged it. I also logged the longevity, appearance, symptoms and anything that I could. This started giving me a view of what was happening with my cycles through various lifestyle changes.

In the meantime, my OB prescribed a hormone medication to cause withdrawal bleeds. These pills made me insane. I was suffering from depression, extreme anxiety, insomnia, rapid heart rate, and even went to the hospital twice and was once kept overnight for fear of having a heart attack. I decided, these pills were NOT for me.

Mentally, I refused to accept my OB’s words that my PCOS meant that I couldn’t conceive. I’ve always believed that I can make anything in my life happen. I stuck to this belief and kept telling myself that when I was ready to be a mother, the universe would allow this to happen.

Time to take this into my own hands!

Due to my obsessive, planning nature I began doing research on conception and diet and also worked with my Naturopath for a food allergy and sensitivity test called the IgG test to see if I could avoid dietary triggers that were contributing to not feeling well, or were weighing down my immune system.

I then implemented these lifestyle changes to see if I could in fact make my cycles regular:

1. I rid our entire home of chemical products. Our cleaning supplies were replaced with natural, non-toxic products. From dish soap to household cleaners, everything was replaced.
2. I switched our skin care products to organic, all natural, non-toxic products. I couldn’t believe how toxic things like shampoo and moisturizer could be. I highly encourage you to do the research on the topic and switch to natural products.
3. We purchased organic produce when possible. We didn’t eliminate fast food and take-out, but we did make changes to eat more greens and vegetables.
4. I went gluten free and watched my sugar intake. Because PCOS is often linked to insulin resistance, I knew that my body couldn’t handle sugar well.
5. I consumed little to no dairy due to the hormone issues it can cause, however I do allow myself to indulge when I want to. You can find my favourite vegan, dairy free cheese for purchase online, here.
6. I received acupuncture and chiropractic treatments to ease stress and back pain from sitting at my desk all day.
7. I hired a coach that has been assisting me with meditation, mindfulness and tools to live a more spiritual life. This coach also performed a Life Activation on me. It is a 22-strand DNA Activation that awakens your divine blueprint and heightens your connection with your Higher Self. It also enables you to bring in and hold more Light (positive energy) in your physical body.
8. I researched the hell out of nutrition and supplements. I had already been vegan for four years for ethical reasons, but also due to the hormones and health issues that can arise with consuming meat. About a year ago I decided to start eating some small amounts of fish again. I have about 2-3 pieces a month.
9. I took the following supplements:
   •  Cinnamon force to help regulate my blood sugar (not for use during pregnancy).
   • Dim to help eliminate excess estrogen (not for use during pregnancy).
   • Magnesium Bis-Glycinate for the many benefits. Read more here
   • DHA+EPA a vegan source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil is known to be rancid and toxic so I opt for Dr. Fuhrman’s product. I continue with this product to help with my baby’s development and to keep my eczema at bay.
   • Gentle Prenatal vitamin that does NOT contain folic acid. I take a vitamin that does not contain folic acid because this is the synthetic form of folate that has been linked to breast cancer. Instead, I eat a healthy dose of spinach, asparagus, beans and other veggies to get my natural folate in. I began taking this about a year prior to conception and have continued it through my pregnancy.
10.  We purchased an infrared sauna which I used about 3 times a week. Click here to learn more about my favourite sauna brand, made in Ontario as well as the many benefits of infrared treatments. (not for use during pregnancy)
11. We added a rowing machine and a stationary punching bag to our basement to get my heart rate up before jumping in the sauna, and sometimes just to get some frustration out.
12. I signed up for an online course called the Woman Code by a leading women’s health expert, Alisa Vitti at Flo Living.

The above changes regulated my cycles and I began getting my period every 30-40 days.

Never take any medications or supplements, or make lifestyle changes without consulting your health care practitioner. 

DON’T GET OVERWHELMED. I spent years implementing the above changes, as well as saving for items like the sauna. I didn’t aim for perfection in my nutrition or in my weight; I took baby steps and made one change at a time. Combined, I believe these changes are what led to our natural conception and overall better health. However, I think that my ability to remain positive and believe to my core that I could conceive when I was ready played a major role.

What happened next was nothing short of a MIRACLE as we faced and BEAT all ODDS. 

In 2015 Patrick and I began discussing the idea of children for the future. We were 31 and 32 years old and in no rush. In early 2016 we decided that next year we were going to “try” to conceive and we both felt that we were in a place in our marriage and in our lives that we were ready to give, and become parents. I continued tracking my cycles and carrying on with my healthier lifestyle changes.

On May 28, 2016 we went away for the weekend to the family cottage, just the two of us to get some downtime. After an intimate night, like I had been doing for years, I looked at my P tracker app on my phone to see where my cycle was. To my surprise, it said OVULATING that day. I had this strange feeling that we had just created a life. We brushed it off as we were not “trying” and had been told how hard it would be. On June 13, 2016 I checked my app again, and saw that my cycle was now late. It had been regular for many months due to my lifestyle changes. I went out that day and bought a pregnancy test and before bed, I took the plunge. Two lines. It was very faint, but it was positive. I told Patrick who was lying in our bed, “this says pregnant.” It was 11:30pm. His response was “no it doesn’t.” I laughed and showed him the test. The next hour was filled with a lot of excitement, shock and laughter. I woke in the morning to take the digital test and appeared the words “pregnant.” Seeing these words felt very real and very emotional. My heart was exploding.

The next day I called my OB’s office to share the incredible, surprising news – that the first time that we were ever intimate during ovulation, we conceived. My call was met with an unexcited receptionist and the response was not a “congratulations”, but a “I can’t get you in for several weeks.” I instantly sought a referral from another Dr. who was more than happy to help, be excited for us and I never went back to the OB that told me I couldn’t conceive easily. I just didn’t need her negativity in my life. We have since been working with a team of midwives and couldn’t be happier. Our baby is healthy, and although I remain overweight, I am told that my body is healthy, and we continue to pray that the universe will bless us with a healthy pregnancy for the remaining 17 weeks, and a healthy baby in February 2017.

I will leave you with this –> Please trust your gut. Keep it positive. Believe in the power of your femininity. Believe in your body’s ability. Believe in yourself, and never take no or a negative response as an absolute. To quote Alisa Vitti from Flo Living, I pledge allegiance to my feminine energy and to be a creative force of nature.

Design a Life You Love.

Here is a healthier version that I created of a pumpkin spice frapp, without the added sugar or calories.

Ingredients: organic is preferred

3 table spoons of chia OR ground flax seed

1 table spoon of natural honey – I used honey made locally in Sarnia, available at the Waterbug store.

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup of canned or fresh pumpkin

dash of cinnamon

dash of cloves. Be CAREFUL not to put more than a dash of clove in or it will be too powerful.

Handful of ice

Instructions:

Put all ingredients into a vitamix or high speed blender. Blend until creamy. Enjoy!

Calorie Total: Approx. 350

Protein: Approx. 9 grams

Fat: Approx. Approx. 8 grams

OPTIONAL: ADD non-dairy vegan whipped cream!

Ingredients:

1 can of full fat coconut milk

1/3 cup of sugar of your choice (refined, coconut sugar or other). I tend to use less than this amount and sweeten to taste.

Scoop the “whipped” part out of the can of coconut milk and put in a bowl. Do not use the liquid portion in the can.

Add the sugar and use an immersion blender or beaters to whip up! I love my Bamix Immersion blender, purchased from Kitchen Widgets in Sarnia, Ontario.

I am the proud co-owner of two successful and thriving businesses, the loving dog momma of two insanely gorgeous ladies, a wife to the most amazing man on the planet, and a daughter to some pretty awesome parents and in-laws. I am completely surrounded by love and I give thanks for this every single day.

Those who know me well, know that I like to set a lot of goals for myself. I don’t always write every single one of them down and follow a set list, but I have many dreams and goals in my mind and I am constantly striving to reach them and once I have, I immediately set out to reach for the next one.

My constant goal setting reminds me of the funeral of my great uncle Glen when his son said that one of my uncle’s favourite quotes was: “What you do today is important, because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.” I try to keep this in mind daily. I want to make my days count because I don’t know how many of them I have left.

With each birthday, comes reflection. I usually find myself reflecting on previous years, previous goals and some days and on my birthday I remember the difficult times I have gone through.  The truth is, as happy and successful as I seem today, this has not always been the case.

The reason I am where I am today is because I have constantly reminded myself that the only way to the top and to happiness is to get up, dust yourself off and keep going no matter what.  As the brilliant Mathew McConaughey would say – just keep livin!

There have been times in my life when I wanted to quit or have said this is too hard.

There were the days when I was a sixteen-year-old girl in high school that felt incredibly alone and that would spend spare moments during school hiding in the bathroom to escape the constant name calling and bullying. I was the girl that would be afraid to speak up during class even if I knew the right answer, for fear of being called another name.  I have been called every horrible name in the book.

On my sixteenth birthday a friend surprised me by decorating my locker with images of myself from various events and good times. I was so excited that this friend took the time to do this for me. Unfortunately half way through the day I discovered my locker had been vandalized, horns drawn on my pictures along with names, and a penny stuck onto the face of the locker door with a note.
I will never, and I mean never forget the way this made me feel.

Even though 13 years have passed I find it hard to shake some of the painful memories felt in high school and specifically on my sixteenth birthday. If it were not for such loving parents I may not have made it out of high school alive.

Through the painful times, somehow my sixteen-year-old self knew to keep going, to put my head down and improve my grades, apply to college, move to Toronto and show this world what I was made of. I knew that I could accomplish anything that I set out to do and that with time, I could move past that hateful and painful period into a happy and successful and loving life. I knew that I deserved a loving husband and would one day find him. I knew that I wanted to be self-employed from a young age and that I had what it took to be successful and push through.

Then came the days when I had to stay in Toronto, away from my family, to benefit my career. There were the days when I was working part time in the mall, while working full time for my business trying to get it up and running. Days spent working 16 hours, on weekends, through holidays and family events to ensure the success of our businesses. The days when I felt like I couldn’t see the growth or the success before my eyes.

BUT…As a result of always moving forward I got to experience the day I walked across the stage of my college graduation, the day that I was offered my first design job and then a lead design position in Toronto, the day when I made the decision to give up a career in a metropolitan city to move back to my hometown and fulfill my entrepreneurship dream. The day I met the love of my life and the night that we spent laying on the beach talking and him singing and playing guitar until the sun came up.  The day I moved in with the love of my life. The day that we built our first home at the age of 23. The day we purchased all new furniture for our new home as a result of very hard work.

The day I married my best friend on September 26, 2009.  The day we launched our second business. The day I purchased my first vehicle.  The day we moved into our second custom built home and slept on the floor like we were faux camping because our bed had not arrived.

The day we adopted our second beloved fur baby. The day that I won young entrepreneur in 2011 and in 2013 won business leadership.  The day that together with my husband/best friend/business partner, we hired our first, employee. And today, on my 29th birthday, the moment when we hired our fifth employee to add to our ever-growing business.

So today, on my 29th birthday, I can’t help but smile because I knew when I was sixteen, and I know now that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind to.

I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store and I am so very excited to keep working towards my new goals.

I can have the exact life that I dream about.

I can make anything happen and so can you!

All you need is the courage to dream and to just keep livin.

*header image is of a raw vegan lasagna I made.

For me, being a vegan isn’t just about what I eat. It is about spirituality and when I say I am vegan what it really means is that I live a life of non violence. Not only do I not eat animal products, but I don’t put them on my skin, wear them, or use them for entertainment. Gone are the days of leather coats, trips to Sea World and cherry cheesecake.

In RETURN my life is filled with love, an abundance of delicious food with unlimited recipe possibilities, clothing that does not harm others and still looks great, and fun with family and friends that does not contribute to the suffering of other beings.

I have never once felt like I have sacrificed anything but feel I have gained so much. Veganism doesn’t have to be about restriction. It can be achieved easily in today’s world and it brings such enjoyment.

I have met so many great new people on my vegan journey, who have all been welcoming, open and supportive.

I feel a greater sense of peace knowing that I am not intentionally putting suffering, pain and anxiety into my own body by consuming animals that felt pain leading up to and during their death. I feel more peaceful knowing that each day I make a difference. Each day I save an animal and help our planet by not contributing to the 51% of green house gasses caused by animal agriculture. I have an increased sense of awareness for others, all creatures and nature.

I truly believe life is not ours to take. There is no way that I can be at peace if I’m contributing to pain and suffering of other beings, human and non human.  We are all given space on the earth and I wish to respect the space of all beings and the natural order of our planet.

I have become a big advocate of animals.  I believe that all animals are equal. To me, there is no difference between a dog and a pig. They both feel pain, love and the warmth of the sunshine on their backs. It is unfair for me, to love one and kill the other.

I am not interested in casting stones to non vegans. I have learned that we are all on our own paths in life. We can and should all get along and work together to make our world a better place. I like to encourage awareness, education and an open mind.

One of the top questions I get when someone finds out that I am a vegan is where do I get my protein.

This is a really simple topic because vegetables, fruits and grains are a much healthier source of protein for humans.

Animal and dairy protein are not only a poorer source of protein, they are accompanied by large quantities of fat and other harmful ingredients such as hormones and toxins.

I believe most people have a misconstrued idea on how much protein we need and should have in a given day.

• Infants require about 10 grams a day.
• Adult men need about 56 grams a day.
• Adult women need about 46 grams a day.

A chicken breast alone has approximately 30 grams of protein.

Vegetables, beans and lentils contain all of the essential amino acids that we need.

The issue? Our bodies are not meant to digest and deal with mass amounts of protein.

Here is some information from the Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine

The Trouble with Too Much Protein

The average American diet contains meat and dairy products. As a result, it is often too high in protein. This can lead to a number of serious health problems:

• Kidney Disease: When people eat too much protein, they take in more nitrogen than they need. This places a strain on the kidneys, which must expel the extra nitrogen through urine. People with kidney disease are encouraged to eat low-protein diets. Such a diet reduces the excess levels of nitrogen and can also help prevent kidney disease.
• Cancer: Although fat is the dietary substance most often singled out for increasing cancer risk, protein also plays a role. Populations who eat meat regularly are at increased risk for colon cancer, and researchers believe that the fat, protein, natural carcinogens, and absence of fiber in meat all play roles. The 1997 report of the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research, Food, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Cancer, noted that meaty, high-protein diets were linked with some types of cancer.
• Osteoporosis and Kidney Stones: Diets that are rich in animal protein cause people to excrete more calcium than normal through their kidneys and increase the risk of osteoporosis. Countries with lower-protein diets have lower rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures.

Increased calcium excretion increases risk for kidney stones. Researchers in England found that when people added about 5 ounces of fish (about 34 grams of protein) to a normal diet, the risk of forming urinary tract stones increased by as much as 250 percent.

For a long time it was thought that athletes needed much more protein than other people. The truth is that athletes, even those who strength-train, need only slightly more protein, which is easily obtained in the larger servings athletes require for their higher caloric intake. Vegetarian diets are great for athletes.

www.pcrm.org

Other risks of too much protein include

– Intestinal irritation

– Dehydration

– Seizures

– Heart disease

If we eat a healthy vegan diet rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains it is not possible to be protein deficient without being calorie deficient. As long as you’re eating enough for your body you will get enough protein.

When I experimented with the 80/10/10 raw vegan diet by Dr. Graham, I ate nothing but raw fruits all day and a salad for dinner. No oils or fats. Every day I tracked my protein, carbohydrates, fats and calories and each day I reached my daily requirements. In addition I also achieved my daily requirements of vitamins and minerals.

The 80/10/10 diet as well as many other leading physicians agree that we should not be consuming over 10% of protein a day from calories.

Weight lifting builds muscle, eating 200 grams of protein a day does not.

There are countless studies proving the harmful effects of dairy, yet people continue to buy whey protein in bulk and feed their children cows milk. Cows milk is meant to grow baby calves with the mother’s hormones and nutrients.

Why anyone believes secretions from another animal would be good for us and our children is beyond me.

Whey protein is a dairy by-product produced during the cheese making process.  Milk is about 20 percent whey and 80 percent casein. Even a small amount of casein in the diet, as shown in the film Forks Over Knives and in The China Study literally turns cancer on!

Here are just a few other side effects that can be caused by whey.

• Allergies
• Kidney/Liver Damage
• Osteoporosis

For more information please visit the following links.

http://www.forksoverknives.com

http://www.thechinastudy.com

www.pcrm.org

www.drmcdougall.com

http://www.drfuhrman.com

*** This information is meant as my opinion only and is not to replace information from your health care professional.

My decision has been based on several layers of beliefs as well as some scientific evidence.

After years of struggling with food allergies and trying many other “diets” it finally made sense to become completely vegan.

The whole idea of becoming vegan seemed far-fetched to me. After struggling with years of stomach pains, hormonal issues and other minor health concerns I started thinking, maybe meat and dairy were not helping.

My busy lifestyle rarely left time for proper eating. Little did I know that you can’t get any faster than grabbing a piece of fruit or some veggies on the run!

These struggles led me to a naturopath, blood work and other testing. I then discovered I had hormone imbalances as well as the fact I was eating food regularly (mainly lots of dairy) that I was highly allergic or sensitive to.  No wonder I felt sick, tired, had headaches regularly as well as stomach pains.

The first diet I tried after this discovery was The Hormone Diet. I found it incredibly helpful except for one part. The amount of rice that is consumed. The belly pains continued until I tested with my naturopath again and determined I was sensitive to rice too!

Then one night, while at home I was surfing online on my usual favourite animal websites (I am an extreme animal lover) and I found the You Tube video “From Farm to Fridge.” It took me five tries to get through the video and I still didn’t watch it to the end. My tears blurred the images, however they were burned into my brain and I became vegan over night.

I could no longer say I was an animal lover, but continue to participate in the sheer madness that happens on factory farms. I have also been a long time environmental enthusiast so veganism became the right fit for me.

I have only taken Advil three times in six months (I used to take it almost daily), have not been sick or had as many of my old issues. Not to mention my hormones are now in better balance.

The first 3-4 days were filled with severe headaches, however my body was transitioning from eating toxins regularly to only extremely clean items.

I have run into many skeptics on my vegan journey.

The most typical things I hear are:

Where do you get your protein?  You know your hair will fall out if you are not getting enough protein? It hasn’t been proven that a vegan lifestyle is healthy! We need meat to survive! Fruit has too much sugar! Fruit causes diabetes!

Well I have answers for all of the above and if they were all true why have I never felt better, had clearer skin, felt happier, had less stress and the list goes on.

For more information I recommend the following to start:

Forks Over Knives Documentary

Crazy Sexy Diet

Video by Dr. Colin Campbell

Video – Farm to Fridge

Earthlings Documentary

Meat the Truth Documentary