Growing up in a very small, remote French Canadian town in Northern Ontario, Canada as an immigrant family from East Africa and India wasn’t the easiest when it came to our native vegetarian cuisine. Food staples had to be purchased well in advance from the big city (Toronto!) and stored for months in our pantry. Fresh produce was available, but lacked in diversity. We were the only vegetarian family in town, and I was very often teased for that.

At a young age, I began complaining to my parents about having a “sore tummy”. My stomach often felt weak and bloated, and I was experiencing frequent bouts of gut irritability and abdominal pain. Fast-forward to my early teens. With stomach pain still affecting me, I began complaining about lower back pain. Soon after, I experienced my very first of several chronic back spasms at 15 years old. I was sore, and by this time, I had limited mobility.

These spasms, followed by periods of extreme chronic pain, which spread throughout my body, came and went for the next 12 years, and they always over-extended their visit. Before I knew it, digestion had shut down, inflammation was at a high, but somehow, I was still smiling and determined to get better. I blame it on love, as it was something that was always present in my life. For that I am grateful.

Forward again to 2005. Me: An uber-achiever. I began my PhD in Molecular Toxicology and Nutritional Biochemistry at the University of Toronto. Although I was not yet called to examine my own life, I was very curious about the role of the Western Diet in chronic pain and disease. And so I began to investigate the toxic effects of our Western diet, focusing on refined sugars and heavy metals, and the protective role of micronutrients (B vitamins, antioxidants) against cellular toxicity and stress.

The more I researched and shared, the more I stepped into my role as a health leader and authority. I felt more empowered as a human being, and this would serve me well during my next pain episode.

Tied with commitments of 24/7 graduate work, home search, love life, and exploring a new city, my stress was at an all time high, and my diet was poor. I didn’t know it though, as I was quite disconnected from my body, and from nutrition. I ended up getting very sick from chronic constipation to the point of having to get surgery. The surgery was thankfully minor, but this episode woke me up.

For the first time in my life, I was motivated to clean up my lifestyle and forge my own path. My scientific curiosity and investigative personality had finally turned to my own life—to my diet and lifestyle, and I was determined to solve my problem.

The notion of actively and purposefully cleansing our bodies from the inside using nutrient-dense real food, just as we clean our homes, cars, and work spaces, finally made sense to me. I was determined to release my inflammation and to revitalize my health.

My entry point into this world of real food medicine started with the adoption of a smoothie lifestyle.

This lifestyle greatly impacted my health and the health of my community.

When I lost my wonderful father rapidly in 2010 to a stage 4 digestive cancer, my smoothie lifestyle held me up and kept me nourished while I grieved for months (and years). It’s been a bumpy journey for me filled with so many humbling life lessons.

Deep breath.

One thing I know for sure: My daily ‘green’ smoothie regimen helped me stay afloat and slowly rebuild a loving relationship with my body that continues to this day. That is the best medicine in the world— the kind that naturally cleanses, heals and re-energizes our whole body, and our minds too.

We are entering a globally turbulent time. To survive as a collective, we must help each other reconnect to our bodies so we can better hear our inner truths.

My mission is to turn my mess into a message that can inspire our collective to take a small step towards a cleaner lifestyle and a brighter future.

Thank you for being here.