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Rebounding at Home (and my Green Juice Cleanse)

Today I’m sharing with you my new exercise routine introduced to me recently by my sister Elizabeth, called Rebounding. And I also want to share with you the health journey Terreeia and I are on now that she has come back from a three week health retreat, which also includes my green juice cleanse!

Okay so first, I recently restyled my kitchen and added some black and rattan wishbone chairs, which filled the banquette area a little better than before.

New Kitchen Styling

Wall Sconce | Tulip Table | Wishbone Chairs | Chair comes in more colours here

Mini Lamp | Topiary

Jura Coffee Machine

Shop my kitchen: Riviera Counter Stools | Jura Coffee Machine | Island Pendants

What I like about the new vignette (shown below) on my kitchen table (that we don’t really use right now because we’re eating in my outdoor patio sanctuary) is that it hides all the paperwork that accumulates because it’s my office in the house (when I’m not in my backyard studio).

Shop my kitchen nook: Wall SconceTulip Table | Dining Chairs

The benefits of rebounding exercise

Okay and next, here I am (below) actually using the rebounder that has sat unused in our living room for two years. I have heard about the benefits of  rebounding but wasn’t doing anything because it’s kinda boring to just get on there and jump without any kind of program.

Then, my sister Elizabeth started following Lauren Roxburgh.

Lauren says that NASA has done studies that rebounding for 10 minutes is actually the equivalent of a 30-40 minute run. And rebounding is so much easier on your joints, in addition to being a way easier cardio than running.

She even has an app with all her workouts! You can register free for 7 days, or if you buy her book, you can get 30 days for free so you can test it out. Just look for LoRox.

You can also find her 10 minute rebounding sequence on YouTube here.

It’s really fun to follow along with Lauren’s workouts. She does them in beautiful settings and the whole time she teaches what each move is doing so it’s very inspiring.

And I love the affirmation she teaches. She said every time you have a negative thought about your body, say this out loud immediately, “I live in the body of my dreams.” So good.

This exercise is also so easy for an older person to do, as rebounding massages ALL the cells in your body and releases the toxins as you jump. Even just barely bouncing is so good for your body. But you can also build up to this: Goldie Hawn, on her rebounder (she’s 74). If you’re interested, start searching the benefits of rebounding online and you’ll find all kinds of great information!

Anyway, here I am jumping on mine! And yes my workout top does match my artwork 🙂

Photos by Macy Yap Photography

Since so many of us (myself included) put on weight during COVID. I did a 7 day, Jason Vale juice cleanse (he has an app as well), I usually do them twice a year as a reset. I generally lose 7 pounds in 7 days, and if you want to learn how I hack it, go to the lemon on my highlights page on Instagram here. It’s a series of videos I did and it’s always on my page, so you can go there anytime.

I love to do the juice cleanse because it’s like an instant reset. First, I lose the weight I’ve put on immediately and then it puts me right back into ‘eating healthy’ mode.

I don’t know about you, but if I’ve put on weight and then I want to eat something I shouldn’t, my brain starts justifying it quickly: “Oh well, why stop now?” or ‘”I’ll start a plan soon so I can eat this now” and on and on it goes until you find yourself heavier than you ever want to be!

Omega Juicer | Island Pendants

Here I’m making a juice with my Mom (below) who is kinda like the Naturopath in our family. If anyone comes down with the slightest ache or pain, she always knows what to do.

My sisters and I were raised vegetarian and my Mom who is 74 years old has no inflammation, sickness or aches and pains . She is a huge inspiration to us all.

I really like the large drink cups from Starbucks, they are the size a juice should be. You also want a slow juicer so that allows the nutrients to stay in the drink longer – especially if you make them ahead for your busy day and take them with you! Here are a few links for the rebounder too:

Rebounding and Juicing

Omega Juicer | Best juicing cups: Metal  Plastic | $ Trampoline | $$ Trampoline | $$$ Trampoline

Workout Tank | Leopard Leggings

But this post is not over yet.

After I did the cleanse, Terreeia left town for three weeks to Campbell River, BC, where she attended a health retreat.

Terreeia’s adrenals crashed 20 years ago (when we first met, actually) and she has gone from one doctor to the next for years and years, looking for the pill that would help her lose the weight she gained because she has low thyroid. Terreeia also has a lot of inflammation, arthritis in her fingers and toes, autoimmune disease and Hashimoto’s. She also needs a new knee (she’s on the list but who knows when that operation will happen) so in the meantime in order to reduce the pain, she needs to take off some weight. Did you know each pound on your body adds 10 pounds of pressure to your knees!! Ouch.

What Doctors say about thyroid

Anyway, when she was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, the doctors told her flat out, “You have an autoimmune disease, which means your body perceives your thyroid as an enemy so it’s attacking and trying to kill it. This means your thyroid is not producing the hormone so you need to take the synthetic medication in a pill form for the rest of your life.”

She put on 50 pounds in 3 months, Terreeia’s resting heart rate is 49 (for most people it’s 60). She was working out with a personal trainer for 6 days a week and they told her that she could never get to fat-burning mode, so she might be fit but she would always be fat.

Terreeia has tried every thyroid medication there is, from compound T3, desiccated pig thyroid, Armor, and she’s been to naturopaths, specialists, and functional medicine practitioners where she had her blood work done every 3 months.

She tried every diet, every work-out and nothing worked. Once in a while, if a doctor was honest, he would say, “We really don’t know much about thyroid, but let’s try this, let’s try that” and on it went.

The weight kept piling on (and my wife does not snack, and does not even LIKE sugar, barely any dairy) so she had kinda given up and was just angry at her body. She felt like her body had betrayed her.

Every Doctor would say, “Oh you just need this pill and you’ll be fine.” So essentially for 20 years, she has been looking for the magic pill.

During COVID, while everyone else was overeating and drinking, when Terreeia heard that there could be a second wave in the Fall and that the people who were most susceptible were overweight, over 60 and brown skinned, that’s when she decided she had 6 months to get healthy – so by the time the second wave came, she would not have high blood pressure and would not be overweight.

And that’s when she found Ania Kastashchuk B.Ed., B.Sc., N.H.C., the founder and creator of the Fresh Start | Health Restoration & Lifestyle Transformation Retreat. And happily, it was only a few hours away from where we live.

Ania and Terreeia

Terreeia just got back a week ago (July 12 was the last day) after 21 days of intense immersion in a whole person, mind, body and spirit retreat.

After 3 weeks of 90% raw organic food, custom supplements, isotonic, massage, detox, acupuncture, meditation, daily lectures, documentary films, nature walks, yoga, Zumba, exercise, art classes, therapy, biofeedback, Terreeia came back and she had lost 12 pounds, her blood pressure was down, and her heart rate is up to 56.

In 4 weeks she has lost 21 pounds and the most magical thing about this is that I have my happy wife back!

The view from her room

Here’s what she fundamentally learned about health:

She attended daily lectures and documentary films and took notes like she was going to teach it. As soon as the day was done, whatever documentary she watched that day she would go to her room at night and research every person who spoke, go to their websites, watch their Ted talks, etc.

Terreeia said she already KNEW, like anybody, the issues of feedlot meat, the environment, unhealthy food, GMO’s, etc.

But what she didn’t know, and what she learned came right back to Anatomy 101.

It’s the lesson that our body is extremely resilient and it’s job is to ensure our survival. It works very hard to protect us from the toxins that we live in and ingest.

Nature walks

Ania taught her that what precedes any autoimmune disease is some type of stress.

In Terreeia’s case, she was a serious workaholic, who suffered an adrenal crash that led to the autoimmune condition.

Terreeia learned that the reason she couldn’t lose weight was because the body creates fat to surround a toxin, and if it releases the fat it would releases the toxin and that would be bad, so the fat held on because her body is protecting her.

When she heard that, EVERYTHING opened up for her. IN THAT MOMENT, Terreeia made the decision that for the next year, she will not put anything in her body that wouldn’t be considered medicine.

Your body’s job is to help you in any way it can.

Your body needs glucose, that’s why you have a sweet tooth, and for example, if you’re deficient in Calcium, your body will leach the Calcium from your bones to get it, which can lead to brittle bones when we get older.

For example, if your liver is overwhelmed because we’ve ingested too many toxins or transfers, it will just store this excess as fat and go work on something else more urgent. And that’s one of the ways you end up with a fatty liver.

Ania says you must put enough good nutrients, vitamins and minerals in your body that your body will take over and start to heal because now it has a lot of good stuff in there.

Bottom line is if you stop putting toxins in your body and you start eating HEALTHY, your body will heal itself, if your body is busy trying to process toxins or digest the half a cow you just ate, a magic pill will not help you (and trust me, Terreeia loves a good steak like anyone else).

Ania says we should put nothing on our body that we would not eat. (Avocado facial)

All this time, Terreeia was looking for a pill because she was mad at her body that was attacking her thyroid (according to her doctors) and now that she’s learned that her body is trying so hard to help her no matter how much she has abused it… Well, that’s where the transformation happened.

She also really needed the 3 weeks of immersion because we travelled so much it was hard to get traction. Plus, knowing doesn’t help in a lot of cases does it? Immersion was what caused the transformation.

Terreeia was two weeks in and secretly still thinking, “There is NO WAY I’m going to become vegan.” Then she watched this documentary and that’s when the transformation happened. That was the moment she realized, it wasn’t about being a Vegan (because beer and french fries are vegan) she needed foods that would heal her.

Is this medicine or is this poison?

Now Terreeia is 100% focused on her well-being and will ask herself every time she’s about to take in some food, “Is this medicine or is this poison?”

When I was talking about this on my Insta-stories, someone asked if she now acted like ‘she knows better’ because my family is already vegetarian and already understands all this (not to be confused that we are purists, let’s be clear). Back when my Mom first met my Dad (she was 19 years old and he was 38) and shortly after they were married, he became seriously ill. He had been a bachelor until then and didn’t eat well at all.

From doing a series of juice cleanses, water cleanses, etc. my Mom, in fact, cured him of all his ailments and he lived to the ripe old age of 86.

Anyway, for the record, Terreeia is NOT walking around being a know-it-all. She’s more like, “Yes, ya’ll were right all along,” AND she is busy learning how to make healthy, whole food, plant based food.

I lost 2 1/2 pounds this week just eating on our new program 🙂 The bonus benefit of having a gourmet chef in the house that is now basically cooking vegan food.

And did I mention my happy wife is back!! Someone, who instead of feeling continually resigned (which gets all over everything else you do) is now full of possibility and excitement at the results she’s experiencing and the results she knows are coming!

We had gone out to a meeting together this week and stopped in at an organic supermarket with a deli for lunch and I heard these words come out of her mouth (that I’ve never heard in my life).

“Maria, would you like to SHARE something?”

I’m sorry but I have NEVER and I mean NEVER heard her say that to me in 20 years. I would order my normal vegetarian food and would occasionally (very rarely) ask if she’d like to share and she’d look over at me and say, “I am NOT eating that.”

All of this happened because of a change in her mindset.

And I am so grateful to Ania for causing this amazing transformation in my wife who I have watched suffer with this disease for 20 years. I am crying as I write this because it fills me with so much joy to watch her planning her next juice cleanse, reading recipes, soaking nuts (that’s our new world) and overall bringing new inspiration to our entire family.

Terreeia just told her best friend this weekend that she didn’t want to wait until she was diagnosed with an even worse, life-threatening disease, she decided to do something now rather than continue to wait for a magic pill that she never found in 20 years of searching.

Check out Ania’s website here.

Follow me on my InstaStories for ongoing updates and recipes.

And tell me your story below! I have heard many inspiring stories from my amazing followers on my Instagram since I started sharing about Terreeia’s journey.

I love you all and my hope is that this inspires you to start your own health journey!

Related posts:

What Everyone Should Know About Joy

The Best Zucchini Lasagna Recipe Ever!

7 Days 7 Pounds (scroll to the bottom of the post to read my comments about it)

37 Comments

  • Cheryl says:

    Congrats to the whole family. Having a life partner who is on board is a game changer, for both of you.
    I’ve discovered the new book “Fiber Fueled”, by Dr. Bulsiewicz, a gastroenterologist who says we need to eat lots of varieties of fiber from plant sources to achieve overall fantastic health. If you’re vegan, you’re well over half-way there!

  • Bette says:

    This is so exciting, and I love how your entire family is embracing the healthful changes. Thank you so much for sharing!

  • Lynne says:

    Oh my gosh you had ME tearing up just reading how emotional you were! I don’t have Hashimoto’s but my thyroid decided to stop working properly at the same time I hit menopause. I went from never having had a weight issue in my life to packing on three stone in less than six months. That was ten years ago and I am still trying to lose that weight. Reading about Tereeia’s experience is making me re-think my love of a good steak too!

  • Amanda says:

    Hi Maria – so happy to hear that Terreeia is feeling better. I so enjoyed meeting her (and you of course!) at your Nashville course in 2018. You should check out the Medical Mediums thoughts and treatment for autoimmune issues. Not divergent from your current approach, but additive. Wish you both wellness 😊 Amanda

  • Cynthia says:

    Hi, Maria,

    This is awesome. I have been putting off purchasing the Rebounder. My husband had one when we first met over thirty years ago. This one looks much nicer. I have definitely gained weight during the pandemic. I am not sure if you will consider my question appropriate, but which one do you recommend purchasing at the beginning? The least expensive, the next one up, or the most expensive? I don’t want to overdo it at the beginning with the financial commitment. Happy for you both getting back to better health. Stay well!!

    • Kay says:

      I had an inexpensive rebounder, which was very noisy to use. After awhile, the springs started snapping. I’ve been wanting another and just ordered the most expensive one Maria showed, for its quality and its portability. The reviews are excellent. You might want to shop around, but after my experience, I wouldn’t recommend a cheap one.

    • Maria Killam says:

      Hi Cynthia,
      I would start with the inexpensive one perhaps to make sure this is something you enjoy doing. You can buy one for as cheap as $50 from a big box store as well, but I have read that a really cheap one can hurt your back so I wouldn’t recommend that! Hope that helps, Maria

  • Sandy says:

    Hi Maria and Terreeia,

    I am so touched and inspired with your sharing on healing our bodies by ensuring that we cleanse and have a healthy plant based diet instead of relying on medication.

    I look forward to learn more from you both in this area as well as color !

    Thanks,
    Sandy

  • alyr says:

    Good job!

    Now stop worrying about joints and do your bone density JUMPING on regular surfaces – that’s the only thing that builds/sustains bone strength and you ARE at that age. 🙂 The name of the eating style you are searching for is the famous NYT best selling author of 23 books: Dr. Fuhrman’s Nutritarian. (Eat to Live).For a minute I expected the retreat to be at his place in San Diego. He also has a regular medical practice in New Jersey.

    And juicing isn’t just for an occasional cleanse! The juices particularly the greens…bathe your damaged cells in healing properties.

    Simple real food ass follows:

    Daily Goals:

    2 lbs greens and vegs – minimum half raw / half cooked (include onion and mushroom daily)
    1 – 2 c beans
    1 oz nuts and seeds (2 oz if not in weight loss mode). Focus on flax-seed meal for the omega 3
    Fruit (focus on berries)

    NO OIL WHATSOEVER regardless of your weight, no added sodium, no added sugar fake or real. Add B12 since there are NO animal products. Detoxing from sodium and processed food is the most difficult like drugs – because it’s what causes the fake “hunger” food cravings…. so never think you can do “just a handful of potato chips” and stop. Just like drugs. The food industry knows this and calls it “cravable”.

    Helpful acronym:

    GBOMBS: Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds

    Simple, right? A normal FOOD way of eating. As they say “Don’t eat the monkey, eat LIKE the monkey.”

    It’s easy once you get into the prep habit. I make a veg stock in advance in the freezer and a soup every week. So that’s often my “cooked” with a few whole vegs and some bean thrown in. I can’t go a day without soup and salad now. Soups – single ingredient in the Vitamix blender to a puree (and usually onion added): Mushroom, Tomato, Red Pepper, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Leek….you name it.

    Enjoy your health journey!

  • Kay says:

    Fifty years ago, when I was 23, I read Adele Davis’ books and began learning about nutrition and a healthy diet. Ever since I have been reading books and various nutritional newsletters I subscribe to. When I was pregnant and nursing I gave up sugar and learned from experience that refined sugar is addictive. When my 14-year-old daughter decided she wanted to be a vegetarian, I cooked entirely vegetarian until she left home. I had read Diet for a Small Planet many years before and knew the importance of combining foods (such as corn and beans) to get complete protein: eight of the essential amino acids cannot be produced by our bodies and every one is necessary for our bodies to make use of the protein we consume. Cooking entirely vegetarian enabled me to ensure that my daughter continued to get the nutrients she needed.

    More recently, I have located sources for real food in its natural state, grown by organic methods. We buy raw milk, pastured meat and eggs, and vegetables from a local farm. We seldom eat out because the food I cook at home is better for us. I notice the difference in my body.

    I also have two nieces who are vegans. They must supplement with vitamin B12, which is not produced in the body and is available in usable dietary form only from animal products. That fact is what tells me that veganism is a dietary practice that cannot be sustained apart from the modern production of dietary supplements. One of my nieces was close to irreversible nerve damage from her vegan diet before a doctor prescribed regular vitamin B12 shots.

    People who follow a vegan diet must be aware of both the need for complete protein and the need for vitamin B12 supplementation if they are to remain healthy on that diet. Furthermore, even then not everyone can stay healthy while eating vegan. My sister made the attempt for two years and was never so sick in her life. Now she eats meat a couple of times a week and is in normal health.

    I understand that people get very excited about new diets that correct long-standing health problems. I have a wealth of experience in using food and supplements to cure myself. At 73 I have no health issues and take no medications, either prescription or OTC. But my diet is wide ranging and primarily organic. I eat all healthy foods and do not demonize animal products. I consume raw milk every day, eat grass fed meat several times a week, and enjoy pastured eggs and butter. What people have eaten for thousands of years is good for our bodies. What is not good is “food” that is highly processed and/or laced with chemicals. Unfortunately, many so-called vegan foods fall into the highly processed category and should be avoided.

    I wish you and Terreeia well on your new venture but hope that you will take the precautions I’ve mentioned.

    • Maria Killam says:

      Thanks for your comments. Terreeia is not trying to be a vegan (it just ends up looking a lot like a vegan diet) she’s doing whole foods and plant based and yes my family has been pretty healthy vegetarians for years (since we were brought up this way) so we understand what you’re talking about. And I appreciate that you took the time to leave this comment! x Maria

    • Becky says:

      I want to hit the “LIKE” button on this comment!

  • Susan says:

    I cured my hypothyroid state with adding what my body was lacking most – iodine. I also added a few other nutrients that the thyroid needs and stopped drinking flouridated tap water. I agree it is a mindset. You have to have a mental image of yourself as healthy and slim, keep that image every day, and then you will be guided to make the right choices for your body.

    • Evaline says:

      Hi Susan, Would you mind sharing in what forms you added iodine to your diet, please? Food, supplements…? Thank you.

  • CLAIRE S says:

    Next You should look into interrmitant fasting. It also helps with inflammation. The sciencey book is “the obesity code”. The newest book with lots of drtails on fasting options is “fast, feast, repeat”. Its fascinating. I have lost 50 lbs since November by only eating during a 5 hour window every day.

    • Sheree L says:

      Claire S, intermittent fasting (along with eating healthy foods and cutting way back on carbs) has been a game-changer for me, especially as a post-menopausal woman. I’m maintaining a good weight, and I feel so much better. My eating window is about 7 hours.

  • Sheree L says:

    Maria, thanks so much for sharing all this information. Congratulations to you and Terreeia! I will be taking a look at all the links you provided.

  • Thanks for all your inspiration and enthusiasm (as usual). Love the idea of avocados on the metal stand, better than laying on the counter, thanks for the idea!
    We have been working with a Naturopath since January, but have always thought of food as medicine. Glad your family is all on the same page.

  • Tammara says:

    What a lovely story. I understand Terreeia struggle with her thyroid. While I don’t have Hashimoto’s I understand the struggle with weight loss associated with thyroid problems. Never having a weight problem until thyroid stopped and menopause hit, in my early 40’s, its a struggle for me to loose weight. I take it day by day, luckily meat isn’t a big deal for me, love vegetables! Will check into the rebound equipment and exercise. Thanks for sharing.

  • Oh I am so very, very happy for you both. I’m on keto now and lost 100 lbs – (gained as per very similar story to Terreeia ) now it’s just healthy, pure vegetarian food and I’ve never felt better. Thinking of being a Keto coach!
    Thank you for sharing a personal story from the heart, that takes guts Terreeia!

  • Bette says:

    Maria

    Great share! Love this blog post we all need to regroup and shift in phases during this “Safe in Place“ space. Also means our bodies, mind, belly, and soul. I‘ve been using the Jump Sport rebounder with the handle as an enhancement to 30 minutes jumping Everyday since May 1st (7 days a week) to do pull ups (every other day), standing leg lifts etc. I just started (2 days ago) using the resistance bands with handles (Amazon) after jumping for arm workouts. Then this week I added a new desk chair Gaiam classic balance ball chair (I got the grey chair and ball) – exercise stability yoga ball Premium ergonomic chair (Amazon) working from home to build your core. You need to adjust to using it slowly but it is exciting (30-1 hr) getting body use to using it in baby steps. Final step is shoes Sketchers Arya Flex love love love them. Thank You for caring, sharing and opening up your life to share with us.

    All the Best to you, Terreeia and you whole family

  • Carol says:

    I have been researching rebounders for a while now weighing the pros & cons of each brand etc. and becoming quite overwhelmed. I was wondering which brand you chose and if you’d recommend it? The more expensive ones are probably what I’m interested in as they fold up and probably less likely to cause injuries.

    I enjoyed this post very much and wish Terreeia and yourself the best of health & happiness.

    • Maria Killam says:

      I have the cellercise rebounder but it’s squeaky, that’s why I didn’t post it. This is the one my sister just bought,(she is obsessed with rebounding) she loves it: https://amzn.to/30t74ug

      Hope that helps, thanks for your comment! Maria

  • Barbara says:

    Thank you so much for this story Maria. And for Terreeia’s willingness to share her struggles. I am so happy that she is feeling better and now has hope for her life ahead. I too have struggled for decades, being ignored, misdiagnosed, etc for many years by many doctors. I did gain some relief going to naturopaths, functional medicine doctors, and so on. I learned that I was very reactive to dairy, gluten and other grains, soy, some nuts and beans. I had never been a big meat eater but I had to turn to the Paleo diet. I felt somewhat better but still struggled. Finally, after winding up in the ER, I was diagnosed with hyper parathyroid disease (not to be confused with thyroid) and had surgery to removed the diseased glands. Still not feeling well I went to yet another Dr who was kind enough to give me various referrals. I was then diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren’s syndrome. All of these things went on for so many years that they have left a lot of damage to my bones, joints, teeth, etc. And of course the Dr wants you to take things like Methotrexate, basically a low dose chemo, or an immune suppressant, which I discovered I cannot take. So for now I am staying on a relatively low dose of prednisone, which for me seems like the lesser of two evils.

    I have begun investigating Dr Steven Gundry’s “The Plant Paradox”. He says the lectin in nightshade vegetables, beans, and some nuts, causes inflammation in those with autoimmune conditions. I love my chili spices and tomatoes but if I’m going to feel better I may have to give them up. Does Terreeia have any thoughts or experience on this theory? I am so grateful for any input.
    The one thing that keeps me inspired and energized is design. Right now I’m going thru withdrawal from that, lol. I need to really take a serious look at e-design. I know you cover e-design in your live classes. I am hoping, as we all do, that we can start traveling and meeting again soon. Do you have any online instruction available as of now?
    Thank you so much. I hope I haven’t bored you and taken up too much of your time.

    • Maria Killam says:

      Terreeia has also done everything, including Sarah Ballanytines Paleo Mom diet, Dr. Gundry’s work, etc. bottom line, what she realized made the difference was TIME. And the 3 weeks of cleansing and next she is going to do the Jason Vale 28 day cleanse and then start adding back. Terreeia loves peppers and tomatoes as well but would rather give up tomatoes before a pepper.

      If that doesn’t get rid of her elimination she is even considering a water cleanse, there is a place called True North where you can go and do a supervised one. Your body needs time to heal and the only way to do that is with these cleanses (as she has discovered). It’s sad there is so many bad chemicals in food today that no wonder most people can’t eat gluten. When My Mom goes to Europe, she can happily eat pastries (her weakness) but immediately gets sick here (if they are not organic).

      Anyway, Sending much love to you, it’s to hard to suffer as much as you have! Thanks for taking the time to write this comment! Maria & Terreeia

      • Lorri says:

        North America uses hard wheat while Europe uses soft wheat. Hard wheat contains a LOT more gluten.

      • Barbara says:

        Thank you both so much for taking the time to get back to me, and your suggestions as well. I have been contemplating doing a cleanse and it looks like this is the way to go, plus eliminating a few more foods. Wishing you both continued health and success.

  • Diagnosed with ovarian and uterine cancer back in 2014 – No Chemo. Made drastic changes due to “Chris Beat Cancer”. Included: juicing, jumping, walking, supplements and NO SUGAR – ever! I also have Hashimoto’s so it takes all of this to maintain a healthy weight too. Best of luck Terreeia! Once you get on that track, don’t look back 😉

  • Marina says:

    Hi Maria,

    Thank you for a very interesting post!! This topic of dieting and sport is bothering me all the time. I used to jump on a rebounder when I was in gymnastics, it’s really great!! If I had a chance I would jump in the sports hall and make somersaults .. I think that veggies are backbone of our health and I will do the slow smoothies every day once I buy the blender .. 😋🥒🥬🥝🌽🥦🥑 I am so very happy for Terreeia, it’s a huge victory 🤗 Wow .. I will start saving for such a coffee machine HaHa .. ☕️🤩

  • Shaban says:

    Something about this blog just brings a smile to my face every time lol. You radiate a lot of positive energy!

  • Fran W. says:

    I’m so happy for Terreeia! Eating correctly and avoiding toxic food is essential to good health and longevity. On a design-related note, I love the new chairs in your breakfast nook. They tie in so well with the black pendant lighting in the kitchen.

  • Sheila T says:

    Our society has been ‘convinced’ that it needs meat and dairy to obtain a well-balanced diet. In fact, nutritional yeast, is plant-based and is a good source of vitamin B12. When we have open minds and open hearts we can challenge the status quo.
    I had a major health issue 10 years ago. Moving to a whole foods plant-based diet (Dr Greger — all based on science) has been a game-changer.
    Thank you, Maria, for sharing Tereeia’s experience.
    I love the GBOMBS acronym!!

  • Terrence says:

    This made me want to do a juice cleanse. 🙂

  • Regina Santore says:

    So happy for Terreeia (and you!) Your mom has no inflammation because she eats lots of natural folate, I’m sure of it.

    I had terrible body pain and tightness for years after the birth of my son, plus numerous other “female” issues and quirky problems (such as my skin getting dry and rashy,) and also lethargy and brain fog (not good when you’re a busy Realtor who stages homes, too.) Also, I had terrible ANXIETY upon waking. It became so overwhelming, I had to do something. In researching by reading medical journal articles, I realized that folate (or lack thereof, and lack of B12) were at the root of all of these issues. But I ate foods with “folic acid” added to them… shouldn’t that have led to having plenty of folate? Wrong! Folic acid is metabolized in the liver, and only if you have enough of the enzyme that does that job – and many folks don’t.

    I had blood tests that showed I had high homocysteine, which you can only have if you have low folate and/or low B12, and yet my “Blood Folic Acid” test was a high reading – meaning that I was not someone who was processing folic acid, and it had built up to high levels in my blood. My thyroid reading was “marginal” and some would say I had all the symptoms of thyroid problems. However, I was determined NOT to have to take medications for the rest of my life – I would “fix it with food!” (Folate and B12 are the basic rebuilding materials, I learned from reading – cellular repair and correct DNA replication aren’t possible without them.)

    I stopped eating anything that was “enriched” or “fortified” in order to avoid eating folic acid, and pretty much went on a “whole food” routine, dropping meat along the way, too, because I’d noticed it made my fingers swell when I ate it. I made sure to eat LOTS of green, leafy vegetables, lentils, chickpeas, etc. and make a green smoothie out of kale and spinach every day. I ate a little bit of cow’s liver for the B12 every few days. The result? In just two weeks, the horrible body pain and tightness melted away, and the anxiety and brain fog, too. After a few months, the “female problems” went away, and so did all the other weird problems. After a year I had the same blood tests done, and my homocysteine was normal (meaning I had normal folate and B12 levels in my cells) and my blood folic acid was normal, too, and I felt great – I mean GREAT! Brain fog, lethargy, anxiety – gone. I wish for this for Terreeia, I know she can do it. Go, Terreeia!!

  • Andrea says:

    My mother gave me her old rebounder which she never used. So it’s not really old I guess. I used it quite often on my balcony during lockdown. I much preferred this over skipping which I just found too hard, both on my ankles but also with coordination! I did a have few near mishaps with the bounder too though!

  • Leone says:

    I love this post, thank you for sharing this! I’ve had many undiagnosed physical issues for most of my life (I’m 56). Tests are run and I get a mostly clean bill of health and all is declared good until the cycle of symptoms become unbearable. My undiagnosed thyroid issues finally got so bad I demanded specific thyroid bloodwork and an ultrasound. I’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. I KNOW this can be reversed and reading of Terreeias healing serves as confirmation! I’m so excited to read about her journey to health and wholeness! It’s very encouraging. Sorry for the lengthy comment, I guess I needed to get it out. Thank you!

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