I remember constantly wondering how to become healthy again. God intended for me to be well so, something had gone majorly wrong. What happened next is going to blow your mind, trust me, it blew mine.

Continuing On My Health Journey

I graduated early and spent a month in Kauai before my graduation. When I arrived, I was greeted by the beautiful Litterer family, salty air, and the warm tropical heat. Right away, I was in love. When I got to the car the girls offered me a starfruit straight from the tree, something I will always remember.

We got home and I was off to bed, little did I know that following morning would mark the start of my transition to good health. I would soon quench my curiosity around how to become healthy again. My kitchen was free from GMOs, corn, soy, wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, refined oils and sugars. We ate 100% organic and were mostly vegan; with the exception of the occasional local chicken, fish or honey.

I had no idea that I was addicted to sugar. I feigned for it like an alcoholic for liquor. Allie sensed my withdrawals and got me lots of fruit and natural sugars. The stash of girl scout cookies also helped (hey, I wasn’t sold on this whole health thing yet).

This Lifestyle Actually Works

One week in and I was able to walk with no pain, my skin began to clear up and I started to think more clearly. I lost puffiness in my skin and redness went away. Did I mention that I could walk again!? This was amazing to me, but I couldn’t believe that food alone could have destroyed my body so badly. I gave credit to the sun, the ocean, and my environment. I gave a little bit of credit to the food, but not as much as I should have.

By the end of my trip I learned to become healthy again and was overwhelmed at the brilliance of my “mom” Allie; I love her to death! I learned that it’s not normal to lose large amounts of hair or miss your period for over a year. The birth control pill is horrible, stress is even worse, and most of all, I don’t have to live with these aches or pains.

The end of my trip was coming up. Of course – though – I wasn’t convinced that food was the main contributor to my pain.

Back to Old Habits

I arrived back to Alaska and reverted to my old eating habits; with the exception of foods I couldn’t get the knowledge out of my head like doritos, totino’s pizzas, milk and factory farmed animals. Within 1 week, the pain came back, this time, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was so done. I threw out every ounce of GMO food I had, anything with fake ingredients was gone.

From that date in February 2014 I made a complete 180 in my diet and I will never go back. I’ve had slip ups along the way; days I would eat something crappy on accident and feel it, or days I would “just try gluten to see what happens”. I constantly texted Allie with questions; you must have a support system.

Defining This New Lifestyle

Graduated and ready to take on the world, I conquered the life of deep sea fishing in Alaska (with constant harassment from my loving gramps) and working at a remote lodge in a tiny village in Alaska with my new lifestyle. Needless to say, if I could accommodate my diet at these places, I could do it anywhere.

Finally, I moved to my beloved Kauai and felt at home again. I love that little island with all that is in me. Now, I could eat more kale, avocados, starfruit, pineapples, mangos, papaya, mint, greens and many other fruits from my yard. I walked 5 minutes to get to the ocean and God’s creation constantly invited me in. I ran at least 3 miles a day pain free! It was a rewarding time. Want to know how to become healthy again? Live in a space you love.

When Stress Cancels Out All Other Healthy Practices

Then, I added another task to my plate & decided to enroll at Kauai Bible College. In July of 2014 I accepted Christ as my savior, a big step. At KBC we lived in safari tents and the food they offered was horrible. Worst of all, they didn’t provide me with space to store my food and they wouldn’t allow me to cook. So, I didn’t buy food and ended up “eating” smoothies from a local health food store. My health quickly declined.

If there’s one way not to answer the question: how to become healthy again it’s not eating enough or starving yourself (even on accident).

I was living off apples & almond butter, rice cakes and jelly with bananas. Soon, I couldn’t wake up in the morning without feeling extreme fatigue. My friends from the island said “you look like hell.” Boy were they right.

So… the question of: how to become healthy again can be a complex one. Onto part three! And if you didn’t read part one, here it is!