I worked in the fashion industry for thirty years, from the age of 19. I was a buyer for Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, sitting in the front rows of Paris fashion shows. It was fun, glamorous and sexy. I loved my job, and I was good at it.
In October 2015, three months before my 50th birthday, I left a CEO position with a men’s fashion brand and decided to take a few months off before getting back into the grind.
Except, a few days into my sabbatical, I couldn’t get out of bed. And when I did, my joints and heels were so stiff I could barely manage to hobble a few feet.
I had deep, dark, sunken circles around my eyes. Clumps of hair started falling out in the shower, and my face exploded in acne. To make matters worse, I started to see dark pigmentation on my face and neck, with every pimple leaving a visible scar.
Imagine hiding out in your home only to venture out early morning or late evening so no one will see you.
I was so embarrassed by the way I looked, I literally hid in my flat for over a year, seeking out doctor after doctor to help me. Eventually I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, streptococcus, epstein barr virus, low hydrochloric acid, and about 18 food intolerances. I may have left out a few things.
Since image is right up there on the pyramid of personal needs for a woman, I focussed on hypothyroidism. I wanted my hair back !
I scoured the internet looking for miracle cures, soaking up every article like a sponge. Seriously, I must’ve tried every outlandish concoction of oils, teas, shampoos, smoothies. Need some ground fennel? I’m sitting with 2 kilos in my pantry.
Then, through my research, I discovered the power of whole foods. I drastically changed my diet to 90% raw fruits and vegetables with a focus on high fruit content, and began my healing journey.
By following this eating plan I started to feel and look better. I’ll admit that I was vain enough to want my hair and flawless skin back before anything else. So, I started creating smoothie and juice recipes with foods that help hair grow and reverse ageing. I drank these a couple times a day – every day.
Like this juice here with vitamin A loaded sweet potato and carrots and red bell pepper lush with vitamin C.
Sweet Potato Red bell & Carrot juice
- 1 large sweet potato
- 4 medium carrots
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 inch ginger
Peel and dice sweet potato and carrots, core and chop bell pepper. Juice carrots and ginger first, followed by bell pepper, then sweet potato which will push the soft ingredients through the machine. Serves 1
Within 3 months, my eyebrows were thicker, my eyelashes were longer and all those gorgeous little baby hairs framing my face were growing. My skin started to clear and now I glow.
A lot !
It’s considered virtually impossible to reverse hypothyroidism, and have your hair grow back without the use of drugs. Even crazier is the amount of time I did it in.
But that wasn’t all…
The other side effect that creeped up on me – in a good way – was that my body started changing. My stomach is flatter, with bloating and puffiness gone. About eight months into this, I was staring at the body of my 18-year-old self. I am now the same size I was in my 20’s and my skin is taut and toned. This in itself is a miracle, because in my 40’s, I was prescribed Dianette – a birth control pill which clears acne, but caused me to gain about 5 inches of water in my thighs. When I changed my diet and started losing weight, the skin on my inner thighs was loose and flabby – well now, it’s tight, and getting tighter.
Every day I see women walking around with symptoms I had, not knowing they can heal themselves. I can spot inflammation in almost anyone I see, male or female. And sometimes they just need to change one thing so they can prevent all the diseases that come with “getting old” – and that one thing is “what you eat”.