My journey towards health and wellness began when I moved to Malibu for college; as it turns out I also moved away from what I now realize was a full time nutrition conscientious chef (and chauffeur) in the form of my mother. I grew up in a home where we never had dessert, and everything was organic. Poptarts, soda, sugary cereals and other typical American childhood joys weren’t a part of my picture, but I never really understood why. So when I went to college I figured, I’m an adult now, I can do, and eat, what I want. I stocked my dorm with endless snacks, everything processed and packaged, pop tarts included. I didn’t think about what these choices would do to my body or how they would make me feel, I just figured this is what everyone else does, plus it’s cheap and convenient.
A year and a half later I had gained over 20 pounds. On a 5’2 frame that is no joke. My skin was a mess, my energy was non-existent, my mood swings were out of control, I couldn’t focus in class, I felt drained from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep, and a heavy brain fog followed me everywhere I went despite my attempts to lift it with copious amounts of caffeine. Needless to say, my happiness and confidence were at an all time low. No matter what I wore I felt too gross and too anxious to go out and face the world. I knew I needed to change, I couldn’t keep living like this, I missed feeling good, feeling normal, and so I began to read.
My research led me to sugar addiction, a very real chemical dependency all of us have but so few understand the severity of. Long story short, sugar is 8x more addictive than cocaine and arguably just as toxic to our systems considering the frequency and volume at which our culture consumes it, as the average American consumes between 150-170lbs of sugar per year. I decided to cut sugar out of my diet, and after about 10 days of intense withdrawals, the results were staggering. My skin began to clear up, my brain fog lifted, my energy was coming back.
Driven by the almost instant gratification of eliminating just one thing, I realized I was on to something. I continued down the path reading medical journals and countless nutrition books, searching for ways to further relieve my symptoms. I learned dairy is responsible for a ton of skin issues, so I cut dairy, followed by gluten as I noticed my research aligned with my body’s response in the form of a ‘food coma’ following any pasta, pizza, burger or any other staples of the American diet.
A month later I had shed a significant portion of the weight gain, my skin was better than ever before, my eyes were brighter, my sleep was deeper, my mood swings had finally stabilized (much to the relief of my boyfriend), and my energy was higher than ever to the point where, for the first time in my life, I actually wanted to workout.
I didn’t grow up working out, at all. In fact, my life before college was quite sedentary as I grew up in the cold so we did a lot of sitting around indoors to pass the time till summer came around again. It took a while to go from dreading my workouts to craving them, but making movement a priority has been handsdown the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. While at first it was about getting the weight off, I began to realize the most overwhelming benefits were mental rather than physical. Despite the unavoidable chaos that comes with the territory of being a college student, consistent exercise has become absolutely invaluable to me. It has given me the clarity and strength of mind to finally rise above my anxious tendencies and tap into a person I didn’t know I could become, calm, centered, and capable. I always assumed being tired, sedentary and yes I’ll admit, a little bit lazy, was just my personality, but it turns out it was my diet and lack of exercise all along.
Everybody is different. There is no one size fits all when it comes to nutrition and dietary issues. Cutting gluten, dairy, and sugar is definitely hardcore and not for everybody but I’m here to share what’s worked for me and help anyone struggling to find balance and relief, and thanks to my journey I’ve become somewhat of an expert in the subject. I once read something that I truly believe: with every bite we take we are either fighting disease or fueling it. Just a little food for thought.
I find our society is all too quick to label beauty, wellness, and self care as vain or shallow, but I believe if something’s worth doing it’s worth doing right, and that all too often we take our bodies and everything they allow us to do for granted. We don’t often stop to think that while almost everything else in this life is repurchasable or replaceable, we will only ever have one body to carry us through it all.
I’m here to research, read, discover and rave to you about my tried and true favorites to help you invest in yourself, take care of yourself, and love yourself. Life’s too short to abuse our greatest gifts, our bodies and our minds. Let’s do this together. Email me whatever you want to learn about and I will get to the bottom of it and get back to you right here. Struggling to separate trends from truth in a world where there’s a new superfood and supplement everyday? I’ll do the dirty work and let you know what’s up. Dying to pull off the coveted no makeup makeup look for class and beyond? Let’s talk. Searching for the best cleanser based on skin type? I’ve got you. Tired of dealing with stubborn body weight or unhealthy habits? Let’s break them together. Any questions you may have just email me and we can work our way to beauty and wellness together.
x
Yas
Yasmin Kazeminy 