Making conscious choices to
be the healthiest version of
ourselves.
When I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in 2021, I had no choice but to take an internal survey of how I was living my life. I not only had to become conscious of my diet, fitness, and routines, but also re-evaluate my thoughts and emotions if I ever wanted to live my life to the fullest.
Navigating through the challenges of living with IBS can often be isolating, making you feel helpless and overwhelmed. I tried to find solidarity through social media, watching every trending remedy on #GutTok and picking up every book around gut health. I thought I could manage it on my own and started experimenting with different supplements and diet changes.
But by taking matters into my own hands, I was left even more confused than when I started.
After years of feeling like I was doing this alone, it was time to cut through the noise and begin my gut health journey from the ground up. My goal is to empower you to overcome your own digestive issues and embrace long-term well-being. Even if you do not have any gut issues, I think it’s important to understand how diet and lifestyle can impact one’s overall mental and physical health. I believe in full transparency, so you can be equipped with the right knowledge to understand your own healing journey!
So, this is dedicated to OUR healing journey. It is an open and honest account of how I am transforming my lifestyle to finally overcome this chronic illness. You’ll find anything from gut-friendly recipes to practical tips for cultivating a healthier lifestyle. And together, we’ll debunk myths, dispel misinformation, and build a solid foundation for a healthier lifestyle. It's never too late to begin your healing journey 🤍
Where it All Started
It’s almost ironic that I would develop severe digestive issues when you understand my backstory. I am obsessed with food; specifically cooking and experimenting with new recipes. I was always in the kitchen as a child, helping out my mother and grandmother. I was cooking before I knew how to even spell the word “cooking”. I grew a passion for it, even taking culinary classes from the local Central Market!
In middle school, I started my own bakery “Just A Cakery” from my parent's kitchen. I became known as the “Cake Decorator” in the neighborhood, making cakes for birthdays, graduations, weddings, and more.
Cooking and baking was something my life began to revolve around. Slowly as I began to turn it into a business, I just as quickly burnt out from it. Stressed as a 15-year-old was not a good look on me. Once I moved to New York for college, I began to take this passion into a different direction.
Turning the Focus to Gut Health
I didn’t start to become passionate about my gut health until I experienced digestive issues – shocker! While I was always conscious of my health - I mean, I went to the gym and didn't consume my body weight in fast food while in college - fitness and a healthy diet wasn't my biggest priority. However, just before my senior year of college, issues like bloating, constipation, and low energy started to creep into my life.
Just as quickly as these symptoms appeared in my life, they also began disrupting my daily routine. After a couple months of this, my mental health began to be affected. How does something like this appear overnight?
I was desperately seeking answers and quick relief, but after a variety of medical tests and appointments, I was just diagnosed with the infamous IBS.
My Healing Journey
Since I was diagnosed with IBS in 2021, I've been on a journey to find the root cause of my digestive issues and heal my body long-term.
As of May 2023, I officially re-started my gut healing journey. I mean, not technically, but that is the moment I decided I will not be going through this alone. I decided to work with a new, naturopathic doctor who will be able to help me heal holistically – through mind, body, and spirit. This new perspective will hopefully give me the tools to overcome my IBS once and for all. And the learnings, ideas, and habits I am taking on will be shared with this community!
I’ll be candid with you…my journey is far from flawless and I do not have all of the answers. But that’s the beauty of it, right? We can learn, grow, and support each other along the way.
Why the Motto: Healthier Days Ahead?
It really could not be more fitting. I have spent several years learning everything I could around digestive health. Through books and podcasts, doctors, and social media nutritionists, I have accumulated enough knowledge to be an adjacent GI doctor. Yet, there are some days where I wake up so confused, not knowing which direction I need to go in order to heal.
I believe this all comes back to misunderstanding what “IBS” means. It’s a term that is often thrown around, without much additional context. It’s used in relation to gut health, construing it under an umbrella of related digestive issues. IBS and gut health seem to be at the forefront of our social media feeds, recipe books, and more, baiting us to try every “quick tip” to heal. In reality, true healing goes beyond quick fixes and surface-level remedies. It’s about nurturing our mind, body, and spirit for the long run.
Even through the overwhelm, it's important to remind ourselves why we want to heal in the first place. For me, it's to live life to the fulliest; ridding of negative symptoms and promoting long-term healing. That certainly doesn't happen overnight, and it most certainly isn't too late to begin.
Anyone can begin their gut healing journey and find the root problem of their digestive issues.
And by looking towards the healthier version of ourselves, it makes our daily choices around nutrition, fitness, and mental health easier. Because, the habits we pick up today define the person we will be in the future.
What's Next, Jess?!
By sharing details around my diagnosis, visits with a naturopath, diet and lifestyle changes and my most loved, gut-health recipes, I hope to spark genuine curiosity for your own health journey. You can find a wealth of resources, including personal reflections and raw and honest stories of my diagnosis. I am here to document my progress and provide insights into the protocols I’ve tried, highlighting what worked and what didn’t. I also am learning to love cooking and baking through the process, bringing back my childhood passion of recipe development to fuel a healthier lifestyle.
Together, we’ll find sustainable approaches to healing, and cut through the bullsh*t of health hacks. You’ll discover how a healthier lifestyle can be integrated into your daily routine, with small steps that make a big impact.
