Like every other American, my daily diet consisted of nearly all processed foods. Food that came from boxes and seasoning packets to boot. Anything quick, convenient, and of course, tasty. Little did I know or realize how bad my "western diet" was damaging my health, and not just my body, but my brain as well.
To make matters worse, I had an eating disorder; I was a binge eater. So not only am I eating all this highly processed food, but binge eating highly processed food. Until, it ended up costing me my gallbladder at 35 years old. A procedure that is more prevalent in people over the age of 60.
It was a defining moment for me because I immediately knew having my gallbladder removed was directly linked to my diet of highly processed foods. There was no trauma to have been endured that would have caused that kind of blockage and then emergency removal.
Only diet could be the culprit.
I had hit an ultimate frustration with my diet, therefore, I chose to do a little experiment motivated by my frustration just to see how "bad" American made processed food really was.
I was going to toss any and all processed foods literally in the trash and switch to eating pretty much the Mediterranean diet--little to no dairy, little lean meat (under 8 oz in a week), zero refined sugar, and the majority of my diet consisting of either raw or steamed veggies and raw fruits.
It took me less than a week to realize how dangerous highly processed food commonly found in a "western diet" really was to the human body and brain.
I was equally shocked and horrified at how my body and brain both improved dramatically within just that short period of time.