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My hope is for you to find healing. As someone with a mild autoimmune disease, reducing inflammation through food has been my saving grace. I created Eats All or Nothing to inspire change and bridge the gap between food and health while eating delicious homemade recipes that actually make you feel good.

So, why do we flinch at the expense of quality and sustainable ingredients? I get it. I’ve paid $30 for a subpar salad and a kombucha for lunch before and hated it. I convinced myself that it was worth it, but I didn’t feel good about it and my stomach hurt after. Was it worth it?

Here’s what I learned: what’s healthy for you may not be healthy for me, and vice versa.

I was following all the fad diets and none of them worked (longterm). I still had brain fog, aching joints, mood swings, pain, discomfort, hair loss, and weight loss resistance. None of it made sense until I discovered that I had developed inflammation that led to a mild autoimmune disease. The culprit was food.

Before I get deep into it…

HERE IS MY STORY

You see, I LOVE food.

I was born in the Philippines and sharing food is in our culture. We may have struggled to express our feelings at times, but eating brought us so much joy and it was apparent. I never got jealous about anything but if my cousins had hamburgers and spaghetti, I may or may not have begged my parents for 6 hamburgers, 3 spaghettis, and 5 french fries. And honestly, they bought it for me. I was so happy and excited! It’s the same feeling I get when I think of food today. I’m salivating just reminiscing about it!

When I moved to the United States, I was 12 years old. That was when I first became aware that I was a chubby kid. My aunts and uncles always joked about my weight. I stopped drinking sodas and swapped it with Raspberry Ice Teas! I limited my meals to a bowl and did my best not to go for seconds or thirds. I mean could you blame me! We went to an Asian buffet at least twice a month. Am I supposed to really just have one plate? Regardless, I did ab workouts at home and danced a lot. Eventually, I lost some weight.

I blossomed in my high school years. I was very active and I loved to dance. However, senior year was the start of my inflammation. One day, I developed Bell’s Palsy where the left half of my face was paralyzed. The cause was unknown, but fortunately my face went back to normal. My doctor advised that I not stress too much as it typically returns after 7-10 years. CHRONIC STRESS #1. Another event on my senior year, I injured my left knee at a dance performance. Months after I recovered, I continued to dance. It was undiagnosed for a year until I got checked in college. It was a fully torn ACL. I often injured it. I could be spinning in my chair while studying and it would go out of place. I would be dancing at a club or party and I would have to crack it back in place. Eventually, my knees got stronger but the damage was still there. CHRONIC PAIN #2.

College parties were some of the best times I’ve had. I had a lot of tequila shots, ate a lot of top ramen and Vienna sausages, and impressively stretched a $10/week allowance! Today, that’s one glass of cocktail. It might have also helped that I worked at my university’s dining hall for four years. If you saw how much food I crammed during my 15 minute breaks, you would not believe that I was in good shape. My metabolism was awesome! I credit it to having to walk to class everywhere! Then one day, I almost fainted. I was jogging around campus on a nice weekend when I felt the most excruciating cramps in my pelvic area. It was familiar to me because I watched my mom suffer from endometriosis. It happened again on 3 other occasions and each time involved a strenuous activity. Fast forward to December 2017, my ultrasound results showed a left-side ovarian cyst. CHRONIC PAIN #3.

Post-grad life was amazing for awhile until it got lonely. The 9-5 gig became mundane. I often drank after work, bar-hopped on the weekends, and ate out at restaurants with friends just to fill the void. In March 2017, I moved to San Diego. I’ve always had acne, but this time the flare up was worse. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION #4. I started Curology and thank God it cleared my skin. Six months later, I met the man I’ve been praying for. I was confident, excited, ambitious, and in love! This man shared the same love for food and sushi as I did! Match made in heaven, huh? We swept through restaurants in San Diego and lived like we were on vacation. Food was definitely our love language.

Meet Jason! He’s the man behind my food adventures and the best sushi date ever. He loves to explore new cuisines like I do. He’s obsessed with Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. He watches Chopped every chance he could get. His knowledge about food preparation, flavor profiles, and bartending excites me. He inspired me to pursue my passion for food and we ate nonstop!

Three months in to our relationship, I was hospitalized. They found an ovarian cyst. During this time, I also developed chronic hives with unknown cause. It persisted to last for 6 months. CHRONIC ALLERGY #5. Then came my aching joints. I had back and neck pain. I couldn’t sleep most nights because I was uncomfortable. I had noticeable hair loss and had more mood swings. What changed? I had started on birth control pills. This was when I realized that if hormones can prevent birth that it could also change your entire cellular structure. At this point, I had gained 50 lbs. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION 6, 7, 8, and 9. I was then diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, obesity, and pre-diabetes. I blamed it on the pills, then I started wearing my C-PAP machine (inconsistently), tried Keto, calorie counting, kickboxing, Noom, and Youtube workout programs. I did my research and thought I may have had Cushing’s syndrome, Hashimoto’s disease, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). I requested for all types of tests from my primary care doctors (cortisol level, TSH, etc.) and because my levels seemed normal, the did not feel the need to refer me to an endocrinologist. They advise that I continue to eat healthier and exercise daily for at least 30 minutes. I then had persistent headaches every other week. My MRI came back and the finding was that my “brain was unremarkable!” I was undiagnosable, but the pain and discomfort I felt was real. CHRONIC MIGRAINES #10. To top this off, I was frequently sick with respiratory issues. My immune system was weak. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION #11.

One night in August of 2021, I had dinner with my best friends at the Flamingo Deck in Pacific Beach.

At this point, I had lost 5 lbs. I had also been cooking more at home because I’ve grown tired of going to restaurants and wanted to save money for our Cabo trip in October 2021. At the end of the night, my best friend made a comment that I could possibly have Celiac Disease. I was bloated after dinner and my stomach was hard like an overblown balloon ready to pop! I felt like I was about to explode; it was uncomfortable. To top it off, I had acid reflux! On my way home, I listened to a podcast that had featured a functional medicine physician named Dr. Will Cole. I was so intrigued by his compelling perspective on bio-individuality as it relates to finding one’s personal food prescription to resolve inflammation. That same night I bought his book, The Inflammation Spectrum, and healing began.

I felt validated and I found answers. I was brewing inflammation this whole time! Though undiagnosed, I was on the far end of that inflammation spectrum. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to live my life like that everyday. Within the same week, I had embarked on an 8-week anti-inflammatory elimination diet. I knew it was going to be tough, but my mindset was different this time around. I was sick and tired of carrying a low self-worth, shame, and pain. I wanted to look good, feel good, and eat good. I was so inspired. My hope was restored as I became more attuned with my body.

From August to November of 2021, I had lost 20 lbs. My migraines went away. My energy is through the roof as the aches and pains have subsided. I’m nicer and happier. No more brain fogs and my skin has been better. My passion for food has evolved and I enjoy cooking now more than ever. My creativity in the kitchen has reduced my stress levels and has allowed me to become more of myself.

This journey to optimal health has just began and I cannot wait for you to try these Paleo, Whole30 compliant, and AIP recipes that kept me glowing.

P.S. I recently went to an Allergy doctor to confirm my food intolerances/allergies with lab results after the reintroduction phase. He advise that I not pursue it as it does not accurately depict any enzyme deficiencies or foods causing inflammation. It is all trial by elimination. However, he preceded to confirm that the cascade of changes in my body were signs that indicate I have a mild autoimmune disease.

If you are on the same boat and seeking for answers, you are not alone. Your gut instincts are right. Listen to your body and don’t give up on yourself. One day, your chronic health issues will resolve. For now, let’s cook together and live our best lives!