Vegan Cajun. Hmmm...... wonder what that means????? At the time that I threw it on my creative board (not to be confused with my vision board) in my loft in maybe 2014, being vegan was such a lofty dream of mine. It was a concept that I didn't quite understand. Fast forward to today, it's a way of life for me. And like I tell many people, it's not about what I can and can not eat. I truly try not to focus on that. I CAN'T focus on that. For me being vegan or having a plant-based diet (because I still love my leather and fur) is about being the healthiest me and really a means to survival for me.
Many people commend me for what I'm doing but the truth is it was a matter of life or death for me. I HAD NO CHOICE. Well, I guess I could choose to live with medications and in and out of hospitals but that was cramping my style. That's not the fabulous life nor is it fun! So when I say I had no choice, for me, I had to promise myself a better quality of life.
Though I never had a horrible diet (I stopped eating beef and pork at 15 years old), the foods that I thought were good for were literally attacking my body. These foods were causing mucus to build in my body in the form of tumors. They were causing fibroids to take up habitat in my uterus. And when I say fibroids, I mean monsters, terrorists that caused me to be severely anemic needing transfusions, pressing their way to try to attack other organs and even near death experiences with blood clots. Please note my use of transfusion(s) and clot(s). I use (s) to indicate the plural use, meaning occurring more than once, actually several times.
With these attacks on my body, one may ask, "why not surgery?" "why did you put yourself through this?" And the only way that I can explain it is discernment. I had met with several surgeons and even tried to go through a procedure, that would have left me bleeding to death on a hospital bed, so at the end of the day, I knew it wasn't for me. I knew what had caused this attack on my body but I had to finally get to a place of NO MORE! I had also done lots of research and I knew that with surgery, the fibroids could return. I knew that surgery would only put a band aid on the problem and not actually address the root cause.
So for 14 years, I lived with this. I struggled with symptoms off and on. In hindsight, I believe this had psychological effects on me and how I deal with relationships. Not allowing myself to become vulnerable in a relationship thus sabotaging them (will discuss that further a little later). It wasn't until last year that I mentally and emotionally knew I would make this lifestyle change. And what brought it altogether for me was an angel named Gessie Thompson, who I had placed on my vision board in January 2016 and God immediately placed her in my life. It was as if He knew the time was right! Ever since then, I have been rolling on this plant-based/vegan/estrogen-free diet (I'll share the estrogen-free in a later post, just know it's extreme vegan).
Has this journey been easy? HELL NO! Have I had cravings? HELL YES! But like I said, I HAVE NO CHOICE! With each week, forget that, with each day, it gets easier and easier. Gessie said something that really resonated with me. "Food is not my entertainment. Food is my medicine." And that is so true! So whereas I used to focus on going out to eat with friends for the "delicious" meal and I enjoyed sharing food with bae, that's no longer the focus for me. It seems to be for them but not for me. I am truly focused on the time spent with loved ones. And like any other change in life, I understand that it makes people uncomfortable but that is not my intention at all. I HAVE NO CHOICE!
So there you have it...so many people have asked me to share recipes and I just didnt because I didnt want to mislead people on how and why this is my lifestyle. Sure, my posts look delish and believe me they taste even better but I like fabulous things so I'm going to make it just that. But I had to share the much deeper reason behind it. Whether you are dealing with cancers, reproductive issues, high blood pressure, digestive issues, whatever your ailment, if you are male or female, I just pray that this post and my journey give you the encouragement that you need to be the best you! It's cliche but it's true, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!
So I'm knee deep in this vegan thing and guess what, I still don't know what Vegan Cajun is but whatever it is, I'm still rolling with it and rocking my radiant, glowing skin!
I love you and I look forward to sharing this journey,fun recipes and inspiration with you!
xoxo,
Kyna Lee
