My Protective Journey – Christina Smith

(2023) I love eating protective! I love all the different flavors and varieties of awesome recipes. I love the way Julie shows us how to cook the recipes and gives us new tips and tricks.
(1984) That said, let’s go back to 1984 when I started eating vegan. There weren’t very many recipes and it took 15 years to build a good selection of recipes that I liked. It was a back and forth 15 years, sometimes vegan, sometimes not. So, anyone starting on a vegan whole food, oil free diet can celebrate the plethora of awesome choices.
(2010) I went to Costa Rica with the McDougal’s. Theirs is the vegan whole food diet I followed. I remember asking Dr. McDougal what I could do about the rash on my face. I had it for seven years started from a tick that gave me limes disease. He didn’t have an answer for me. That said, he gave me a solid base for my vegan whole food diet.
(Dec 2014) My daughter, Melanie, introduced me to Julie and her protective diet. Within six months of eating protective my face was clear! That is my best testimony for eating a protective diet!!
(2020) Covid sent us all into different struggles. I started going through menopause at the same time. I thought all had gone well when I didn’t have a period for three months and no real bad symptoms. I had Covid in November and then I had a period for three months. I struggled like this for the next year. I ate vegan, mostly protective with some nuts and chocolate.
(2021) The next holiday season, when I was at home, I ate protective, but when I was at parties, I ate cookies and pie. That sent me into five times a night hot flashes along with three-month long periods.
(February 2022), I went strict again with a couple modifications for allergies. Within six months my period was totally gone. I was still having a few hot flashes each night.
(March 2023) Julie challenged us with a 12-week-year way of setting our health goals. I love goals and I love strict ways of keeping track, so this worked great for me. I was also already working out regularly and eating a pretty clean protective diet, so I could add more to my goal than others starting out.
• I checked my protective diet eating and cleaned up any little things, like dark chocolate that had squirmed in.
• I added the step of only eating twice a day in a six-hour window with no snacks. This was inspired by Julie’s intermittent fasting sessions I watched. This was a struggle for me, I like to snack all through the day. My goal was to stick to 127 lbs. consistent. In the past I would fluctuate up to 130 lbs.
• I wanted to strengthen my shoulders to be stronger in my workouts and life, so I added a goal of being able to hang for two minutes straight.
• I stayed just under my calorie count according to my Fitbit settings and getting over 10,000 steps a day.
I was strict with this for the three months.
Results:
1. In the end, I was consistently at or under 127 lbs.
2. I can hang for two minutes at a time.
3. I love eating the two meals a day, getting full with each meal. But I usually have to keep track of my calories because I can over eat. When I was hungry in the morning, I would thank my body for telling me it was hungry but that I was in control and I would eat at 12:00.
4. My hot flashes are down to one a night and some nights none. I have some food sensitivities that seem to come out in hot flashes when I include them in my Protective diet.
5. I enjoy eating this way, with my exercise, and plan on continuing doing the same.
(Three weeks later) I just hit 122 lbs. That is perfect for me. I will make sure I get enough calories now to keep that weight consistent.
My next 12-week health goals are:
• To be able to do five pull-ups with my orange (thin) band. Right now, I use the thicker band.
• Each day, eat a microbial strengthening addition to my diet as Julie has suggested: sprouts, fermented wheat drink, fermented cabbage, just to name a few that Julie has brought out the last couple of years.
Some of my favorite protective recipes:
• Instant alfredo
• Fat free Rice Risotto
• Potato and Kale Soup
• Funeral Potatoes
• Red Lentil Chili
• Creamy Mashed potatoes
• Baked Potato with Broccoli and Cheeze
• Hoppin John
• Stroganoff
• Creamy Cauliflower soup
I could keep going😊
How fun to be healthy, Love my food, Feel young and energetic, and Enjoy a clear mind that comes with eating health-supporting foods!
Thanks to Julie and Jerry for your support in my health journey!!