The [diet] book that changed my life

In college I suffered from terrible migraines. My sophomore year in particular, I was in and out of the hospital what seemed like more days than not. I was told I probably had anything from viral meningitis to an aneurysm. Fortunately I found a fantastic neurologist and was prescribed 2 preventative medicines and 1 pain killer. The migraines subsided considerably but I still had at least 1-2 per week which greatly interfered with my life. This pattern continued until my 2nd year of graduate school when I realized something else (beyond prescription medicine) had to be done. For those of you that suffer from migraines, you know they are not headaches. Headaches are not debilitating and (for the most part) don't completely hinder your daily routine (work, studying, hanging out with friends) and force you to lay down in a dark room until the pain goes away (can be a couple of hours or the rest of the day).

A friend of mine from college (who also has a blog, btw and is a super fast ultra marathoner now), introduced me to the Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno and raved about her increased energy, glowing skin, silky hair, and overall fitness improvement. Amazed by her results, I decided to give it a try. I was also looking to rid my poor college eating habits and learn how to eat like a grown up.

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I quickly read the book and gave my pantry a complete makeover. I threw out (or donated) all canned goods, condiments, sweeteners, juices, sodas, etc. that contained artificial ingredients (dyes, preservatives, additives). I replaced these items with their clean counterparts (which I found to be all similar priced) and made two new recipes from the book per week.

Pretty soon (actually, very soon) my migraines vanished (almost completely!), I was able to finally call myself a "morning runner" due to the energy surge, my skin cleared up, my nails stopped breaking, and I lost about 10 lbs. Today I am 100% off prescription migraine medicine (it will be 6 months next week!) and rarely ever get a migraine (maybe 1 every 2-3 months).

What's also changed? My taste buds! Now that I eat only real food, I can't even stomach the fake stuff. If it has artificial anything in it - I swear I can tell (I've actually tried this blindfolded, haha). To me, it tastes like there's added chemicals - not flavor.

Friends often ask me how I stick to such a diet. I always answer back "what diet?" Before we invented preservatives and food dyes, was everyone on a diet? There is no food (or meal) I can't make or find - I just buy the all natural version. Don't believe me?

Let's say I'm craving a McDonald's burger? I'll make these
French fries? Here
Oreos? I'll grab a box of the all-natural version at Whole Foods
Chinese Food? I'll either make my own or order from an all-natural restaurant
Margaritas? Check out these babies
Cupcakes? I have these for breakfast
Taco salad? Bet you like this version better
Pancakes? I have more recipes than I know what to do with

How about commonly found items in most family cabinets? You can find ALL of these in an average grocery store at comparable prices to their chemical cousins

- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Salad dressing
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Frozen pizza
- Canned soup
- Boxed Mac N' Cheese
- Beans
- Peanut Butter
- Jelly
- Bread
- Sweeteners
- Cereal
- Granola bars

There really is no excuse! You'll reap the health benefits, energy will surge, pants will fit better and you're taste buds will dance!

If you're new (or intrigued by) the Eating Clean diet and want to ask me any questions, feel free to contact me at Biochemista@gmail.com. I'm more than happy to help you get started!