Lisa Kilgour - Undieting

First published in 2020 by Fremont Press

Copyright 2020 Lisa Kilgour

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-628604-10-8

The information included in this book is for educational purposes only. It is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for his or her own situation or if he or she has any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the information in this book does not constitute a physician-patient relationship. The statements in this book have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products or supplements in this book are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The author and publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use or application of the information contained in this book.

Author photos by Kodiak BC

Cover design by Charisse Reyes

Interior design by Elita San Juan, Allan Santos & Crizalie Olimpo

Printed in Canada

TC 0120

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Table of contents

My journey toward holistic nutrition wasnt exactly straightforward. I didnt grow up on an organic farm, and I didnt love Brussels sprouts when I was a kid. In all honesty, I thought broccoli tasted like dirt until I was in my mid-twenties.

I first learned about nutrition so I could help myself feel better. I was desperately in need of assistance, and I didnt know where to turn, so I dove in and learned for myself. I slowly transitioned my highly processed diet of sweetened peanut butter, sugary cereal, and little else to a healthy whole-food diet. Because of my experience, I deeply understand that a big dietary change is possible, but its best done slowly. For me, it happened at a snails pace.

My journey to health started in the summer of 2002 when a company that makes a whole-food supplement hired me. I dont know why they hired me: Two nutritionists were my competition for the job, and I knew absolutely nothing about nutrition. Zero, zilch, nada. And Im sure I didnt win the hiring team over with my gray complexion and the dark circles under my eyes, but they took a chance with me. Im still so grateful for that job; it changed my life.

I didnt find the courage to try the companys signature product until Id been working there for a few weeks. The supplement was very greenit even tasted very green. It was full of grasses and algae, which 2002 Lisa found very unappetizing. One day, I decided to give it a chance and gulped it down. It wasnt terrible, but I was far from sold on it. Each morning, I plugged my nose and drained my green and grassy cup, hoping for the best. About two weeks later, I woke up one morning feelingdifferent.

To help you understand how different I felt that morning, I need to tell you a bit about how awful Id felt just one day earlier. The descent into my terrible state had started when I first left home to go to university.

My first year in university was pretty darn wonderful. It was 1997, and I had gotten into a competitive performance music program to study the flute. I was thrilled to be there. The program was filled with people who were just like methose who felt music deeply and understood the language of music in the same way as I did. Music was the vehicle through which I could feel and express emotions, and I had found my tribe of like-minded musical people. I even got to play and record with my all-time favorite rock band, The Rheostatics. Life was pretty magical.

The Dark Clouds Gather

It was in my second year of university that the trouble began. The apartment I had lined up before I went home for summer vacation fell through just two weeks before classes started. Finding a different affordable place to live in a city with less than 1 percent vacancy was almost impossible. As the school year started, some very kind friends let me sleep on their couch, but I was still under a ton of stress. I spent almost two months continually searching before I found a decent place to livewell, decent if I ignored the giant jumping, biting cockroaches. Unfortunately, the daily apartment search had cut into my studies, and I was falling behind fast.

Just after I got settled into my new place, I was asked to play in the pit orchestra for the musical My Fair Lady. It was a community theater production, and it was a bit of a slogseven shows in six days, with each show clocking in at more than four hours. All of the stress on top of my terrible student diet had triggered a severe injury. By the end of the run, I had shooting pain down my arms, and I had severe tendinitis in my thumbs. My first real gig created my first significant injuryone that almost ended my musical education.

Through lots and lots of physical therapy, my arms and thumbs healed, but the inflammation continued. I developed asthma the next year, and by my final year of school, I was deeply exhausted. I could barely get through each day. As time went on, I felt worse and worse. My thinking was so foggy that I frequently forgot what day of the week it was and where I was going. I got lost in the subway system many times because I had gotten on the wrong subway car or gotten off at the wrong stop, thinking it was Thursday instead of Wednesday. I had forgotten what it felt like to feel good. I had no memory of what it felt like to wake up and be excited for the day or to read something and feel like I was retaining it. I didnt miss my old life because, frankly, I couldnt remember it. I knew something was wrong with me, but countless doctors and specialists told me that I was just fine.

Today, I can look back and better understand what was going on. My eating habits were the primary culprit. A steady diet of sugary cereal, white bread, sweetened peanut butter, and packaged meals was highly inflammatory and taking a negative toll. My body and mind were starving for nutrients. What I find interesting now is that not one of the many doctors I visited during that time asked me about my diet or the stress in my life. By the spring of 2002 I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, and thats when I decided it was time to do my own investigation.

The Sun Started Shining Again

Then that day in the summer of 2002, after I had replenished my body with enough nutrients, I suddenly woke up feeling different. I feltclear. The fog had lifted, and my mind felt sharp again. I suddenly remembered that I liked to learn, and I liked to read. I will never forget that moment; it was when I got my life back.

After realizing the difference that adding just one whole food made to my mental and physical health, it became my obsession to learn more about health and nutrition. I spent hours every day reading and learning. I couldnt get enough! I worked in customer service at the whole-food supplement company, and my job allowed me to speak with tons of people every day and learn constantly. This is where I developed my love of helping people. The summer of 2002 was a pivotal moment in my life.