When I was 12 years old, I began studying for my Bat Mitzvah, with a wonderful tutor named Stephanie. I adored her.  I learned that Stephanie was a vegetarian during one of our sessions.  As soon and she said the words, I made the instant decision to also go veggie. I didn’t have to think about it twice; I must have always had this instinct in me, and needed someone to get it out!  I had no issues adjusting to meatless life, and it was always a bigger deal for other people.  Even as a child, I felt satisfied in knowing I wasn’t hurting or eating animals.  I certainly didn’t know the great impact I would have on the earth and my health. 

Four years later, my sophomore year of high school, I became very sick.  I had a consistent fever for about 6 weeks and various other symptoms.  No one could figure what was wrong with me. Numerous doctors and tests ruled some possibilities out, but did not give us a conclusion.  It seemed to be an ongoing mystery.   My Mother, Uncle and Grandfather all have Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  My Mom thought it should least be ruled out. 

They say a mother is always right, and she was.  I had what was determined to be some sort of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  It was unclear if it was Ulcertive Colitis or Chrohn’s Disease, but there was finally an answer. Doctors immediately started me on a bunch of different medications, including steroids.  The combination of the various medications had all different side effects.  Although some of them were very helpful and I did feel better, I rejected the idea of needing to swallow over 10 pills a day.  However, I didn’t see any other options, so I continued my daily ritual of swallowing a combination of medications.  My favorite was a little pink oval pill called Levbid.  It was a miracle worker. 

I stopped eating meat 18 years ago, mainly for ethical reasons. I stopped eating dairy and peanuts 8 years ago, for health reasons. The results were miraculous to me. In exchange, I feel better than ever!

I was diagnosed with allergies and asthma around age 9. I took medication for asthma three times a day and had an inhaler to use when I wheezed and needed help breathing. I used it often, sometimes multiple times a day. At times I used it beyond the maximum recommended daily dose.

The only food allergy I was diagnosed with was a mild allergy to peanuts. As a kid, I ate peanut butter almost every day. My whole family did! We ate peanut butter on bananas, celery, bread, pancakes, waffles, and French toast. You name it, we covered it with peanut butter. Even though it was hard, I stopped eating peanuts. My asthma was still bad, though. Since it didn't actually seem to make a difference, I started eating them again.

As an adolescent, I couldn't even run around the block without wheezing. To prevent severe asthma attacks I simply avoided all strenuous physical activity. I was excused from anything in Physical Education class that involved running. When my brother and sister got a group of kids together to play soccer I wanted to join in, so they let me be the goalie. That way I could still play with them but not have to run. At times, though, even playing goalie was too hard, so I had to sit out. I felt left out, weak, lonely, and crippled.