Hello
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about me and my journey. So, here goes...
For most of my adult life, going back to the age of 18, my health journey has always been relatively simple. I joined the U.S. Navy at 17 years old, so being fit was a job requirement, with a workout regimen that consisted of a lot of running and calisthenics.
During the military, my eating habits began to shift as I trained to become a Hospital Corpsman. Working as a healthcare professional, I wanted to live a healthy life. I began to learn more about the anatomy of the body and decided to abandon my southern eating habits, which included an array of beef, pork, chicken and fried foods.
I don’t quite remember what prompted me specifically, but in my early 20’s I stopped eating pork. Fast forward to around 2010, I began to get really interested in nutrition. I heard about the “eat right for your blood type” diet. I’m AB positive and I learned that chicken (because of the leptin it contains) wasn’t good for my specific blood type. That alarmed me because that’s pretty much all I ate at that time. Years earlier, I stopped eating beef. So, I was primarily eating chicken, turkey and fish. When I read that chicken was like “poison” to my blood type, I dropped it immediately.
My Introduction to a Plant-based Diet
A few years later I experimented with the vegan diet, and really liked it. I began to get more curious about the health benefits of a plant-based diet, which led me to enroll in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Holistic Health Coach program in 2012. That program was a game changer for me. It introduced me to all the diet theories and exposed me to some of the best health experts in the world. Upon completion of the program, I created Planted Food ROCKS. It started out as a blog and grew from there.
My vegan lifestyle served me well through my 30’s and in the beginning of my 40’s. About five years ago when I entered menopause, everything changed. The unexplainable weight gain, inability to lose the excess weight around my mid-section, and extra body fat became emotionally debilitating to me.
Unfortunately, it’s only in hindsight that I realized what was happening to me. At the time, I was clueless. I could’ve addressed my challenges better had I known the source of my problems. Instead, all I knew was that the things I’d always done to shed the extra weight were no longer working for me.
Despite what I knew about the benefits of a plant-based diet, I kept reading that I needed more protein to help me build muscle, and that would be the catalyst for fat loss. Around 2018, I decided to add fish and eggs back into my diet. Unbeknownst to me, that created a downward spiral with my bloodwork.
Last year, my routine blood work revealed elevated A1C levels. The A1C test measures the average blood sugar (glucose) level – a primary indicator of diabetes. I didn’t have diabetes, but I was borderline pre-diabetic. That SCARED me! I couldn’t believe it. The woman who prided herself for being in good health and having exceptional blood test results was being told she was nearly diabetic.
My Inflection Point
What happened next was a major inflection point in my life! When my doctor got my blood results, he didn’t sit me down to discuss lifestyle changes. Instead, he sent me a bottle of Metformin in the mail! If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s a medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes. I was LIVID!
I confronted my doctor and rebuked him for having the audacity to send me a bottle of diabetes medication. I asked him why he did that instead of addressing my lifestyle habits. He defended his choice by saying it’s a medication to “prevent” diabetes. I pushed back on that. He then basically gave me a look of resignation because he believes most people don’t want to invest in lifestyle changes – most want a quick fix.
That’s how I ended up here – deciding to rededicate my life and platform to promoting the benefits of a plant-based diet. I believe in this, and I know it will help me get my blood work back on track WITHOUT medication.
I need to be honest with you and say that it’s not easy for me to be in this position. But I feel compelled to share my journey with you. My desire is to inspire radical lifestyle changes for all those who need to reclaim their health. Whether you have been diagnosed with perimenopause, menopause, prediabetes or diabetes, adopting a plant-based diet CAN help you prevent and/or reverse many chronic diseases.
I know my results won’t be fast, but I am making progress and over time I will get there. With a consistent workout regimen and plant-based diet, I will achieve my desired health outcomes and lower my blood levels. In the meantime, I’m here to share insights and resources. Most importantly, I’m here to help YOU!
Healthfully Yours,
Latrina
"There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosphies."
Freidrich Nietzche
Get in Touch
Send us a message by completing the contact form and we'll be in touch shortly.
