About Us
Story of my healing
In 2011, I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. At 135 lbs for a 5'2" woman, I hardly thought I was at-risk of diabetes even though my father was diagnosed with Type II diabetes before he turned 40. Yet, here was my diagnosis. I was not totally surprised since I could jog a maximum of 4 minutes without stopping and was consuming sweets on almost a daily basis. Over the course of a year, I kept an online food diary of everything I ate, highlighting the "bad foods" in red; foods containing sugar in particular. I was focused on eating healthy meats and more plant-based meals while pushing my limits with my exercising. Within one year, I reversed my pre-diabetes diagnosis simply by limiting my sugar intake and exercising more. By the end of the year, I could run 20 minutes without stopping. A significant improvement for me.
In 2014, I asked a friend to pray for healing of severe cystic acne I had struggles with for almost 20 years. A few weeks later, I had made my first acupuncture appointment (a Groupon I purchased on a whim). The practitioner told me they address skin issues but before I booked a return appointment, she told me to cut out dairy for two weeks. Skeptic but appreciative of the recommendation, I decided to stop drinking dairy milk but only after I ordered a grande latte from Starbucks later that afternoon and the next day noticed painful new cystic acne. Curious, I decided to stop purchasing the organic dairy milk I had thought was good for my health. I felt betrayed by the healthy foods industry with buzz words such as "organic" and "free-range". Within one month, my cystic acne was gone. Today, I have blemish-free skin and coincidentally, normal menstrual cycles clocking with predictable precision (previously, I would have cycles anywhere from 20-60 days and had no clue when my period would come). I was henceforth convinced that what we put into our bodies is powerful. What we consume can help us or hurt us; immediately or over a period of time. We are choosing to make an investment in the health or illness of our bodies.
-With love & health, Bemnet
Pre-Diabetes
Sugar is in almost every meal we consume. Yes, eating too much of it can lead to insulin resistance then prediabetes and eventually diabetes type II. Shockingly, almost 29% of people living in the U.S. in 2019 had had prediabetes. All of this is preventable with exercise and a low-glycemic diet. With all the gourmet dishes and craft cocktails, our palates tend to veer towards anything with salt, acid, fat, sugar, heat. There are evolutionary reasons for this we may not be thinking about when making daily food choices.
For more information about insulin resistance and prediabetes, visit the Mayo Clinic Prediabetes website. For eye-opening statistics on Diabetes, visit the Diabetes.org website. For tips to retrain your palate to like healthy foods, check out this Healthline article. Contact a Primary Care Physician (PCP) for medical advice.
Cystic Acne
Cystic acne particularly around the chin indicates hormonal imbalances. Foods containing hormones, even if labels state "No Added Hormones" may still contain naturally-occurring hormones. On top of that, dairy is a known inflammatory food. Removing one type of dairy, such as dairy milk, may make a noticeable difference in skin conditions as it did in my case. And as always, do not touch your face!
For more information about cystic acne, visit the American Academy of Dermatology Association . Contact a licensed Dermatologist for medical advice.