“Nourishing the Creative Spirit Within”

Take a deep breath.

Inhale.

Now Exhale.

This a testimony about my healing journey... transformation starting within.

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Some call it “Plant-Based” or “Vegan” or even strict Vegetarian. What is most important to me is the quality of the nourishment that goes into the Body Temple. I ask, Is it hydrating for the Body? Electrofying? Does it help the bowels move? I’m talking about high vibrational fresh fruit and vegetation that support the body’s optimum vitality and cellular cleansing.

I remember when I saw the film Charolette's Web for the first time. And my younger self felt deep sorrow for Wilber’s fate to be slaughtered. Shortly after that experience I asked the adults in my life where foods like “sausage” and “pork” came from. Once I learned the Truth, I deeply felt (and still feel) that we should not eat our animal friends. This was the beginning of a longer, more meaningful healing journey.

In my high school years, I danced like a professional, trained many hours during the week, and spent time performing in the community with our local dance group. I started to really connect with my body and study the relationship between what I was eating and how it made me feel. For some time, I decided to cut out red meat and pork, finding myself feeling lighter and with more energy.

High School Dance Photo

Freshman Year at Xavier (2014)

High School Dance Photo

Once I graduated and left for university in New Orleans, Louisiana, I had access to a whole gamut of food things.

You name it, I tried it.

Living on a college campus made it easy to turn to rice, pizza, and potatoes for comfort. At the time, I also satisfied cravings for bread, dairy, and sugary sweets, which led to a major addiction to processed sugars. Not to mention that I was living in a city where the "Food Culture" is one of the main attractions (and distractions). At one point, I thought it would be best to cut out the meat altogether and try a "pescatarian" diet, which includes fish and seafood, and ended up choosing a "flexitarian" diet, being somewhat confused in the middle.

Taking notes and continuing to observe my body, I noticed the fluctuations in my body weight and constantly struggled with hormonal acne and painful menstrual cycles. Alongside a demanding pre-med workload and other stressors, I wonder how much anxiety was also linked to what I was eating? Given the environment, it seemed kind of normal on campus to deal with these things. Until it dawned on me that disease is not natural; it's the body's cry for help from imbalance and dis-ease.

I've always felt that none of these symptoms were normal and was always averse to taking pills and medications. At the same time, I was studying Biology/Pre-Med to become a medical doctor, so I knew something had to change. In hindsight, the acne (the skin - our largest organ in our body) was communicating with me the whole time, telling me it was time to cleanse internally. Years of eating mucus-causing foods were the root cause of the inflammation that I felt during my menstrual cycle and the cause of the heaviness I felt in my body. In time, I knew I needed to change my relationship to food and decided to commit to a vegetarian lifestyle.

XULA Class of 2018

The next step on my path led me to study at Tulane University in Louisiana in 2018 where I decided to study "Ethnobotany" — the study of the relationship between people and plants. I have also been blessed to travel to study herbs and "Traditional Medicine" in places like Cuba, Haiti, Brazil, and Senegal. (I'm excited to share more on this in a later Blog Post!). I'm grateful to say that these experiences allowed me to deepen my understanding and innerstanding of our relationships with plants and Mother Nature.

At the beginning of 2020, I committed to my health and decided to listen to my body more closely. I started eating more fruits, drinking herbal teas, exercising, and taking herbal supplements. I immediately noticed how intelligent my body became and how clear my thoughts were. My dreams became more vivid. My thinking naturally gravitated towards positivity. My skin started to clear up, and I felt lighter—both physically and spiritually. I felt like I was beginning to bloom into my true self.

This was the missing link between me and my greatest potential.

Present day, I find myself in a consistent state of gratitude! I currently follow a set of protocols that invite cellular cleansing and liberation. I’m committed to practicing being in a state of wholeness. I feel like my best self when I’m mindful about how I nourish my Body Temple. I feel rejuvenated, hydrated, and light spirited!

I chose this lifestyle because it's deeply connected to the liberation of our bodies, minds, and spirits. It's liberation that's interconnected with the wellbeing and healing of this planet that we are able to call home. In this journey, I have come to some important realizations about healing and wholeness from within—starting with our collective health consciousness. Along the way, I have documented some of my favorite recipes and here I am to share them with you!

Stay tuned for recipes, travel reflections, and, of course, sparks of light and inspiration.

In the meantime, stay Light & Ariee...