This could be the title of a book, however, I will try to keep it sweet and to the point today, with the very real potential of future posts on this topic.

At the age of 18, when I struggled with painful cramps and heavy, long periods, I didn’t even give a second thought to the possibility that my diet could be to blame. No, I like so many others, reached for hormonal birth control to ease my discomfort.

And in my mind, I thought the pill was working, ridding me of all the nuisances of being “female”. But it wasn’t. Oh, buddy it wasn’t.

I still had cramps, yes my periods lasted 5-7 days [not 9 days] but I flew through super tampons like they were going out of style.

But by taking the pill I also added depression, anxiety, and a range of negative emotions that I hadn’t experienced before. I suffered from reoccurring UTI’s that I couldn’t prevent to save my life. Yet, I wrote it all off as “normal”. I convinced myself for the longest time that it was all just part of the “curse" of being female.

But, eventually something clicked. I had an a-ha moment of “This. Is. Not. Me.”

This was around the same time that I had gone vegetarian and was planning on making the switch to gluten-free and vegan.

I went from pizza, Ben & Jerry’s, cupcakes for meals (yeah, you read that right), energy drinks, and plenty of processed crap, to a diet jammed packed with fruits and vegetables.

My body detoxed from the pill and the all the awful food I was putting into it. And I came out the other end invigorated for life, full of energy and full of positivity.

I think that we forget that we can heal so much from the inside out. We hold the power, the ability to do it ourselves. But no one wants to look at their diet as the root of the problem, they’d rather take some pill to fix it, put the blame on something other than themselves. But I can assure you that a better diet has such a broader impact on your life than just your health.

Going vegan, and really starting to learn about nutrition and what I was putting into my body carried on to fuel my passion for life and to push myself to find exactly what it was I loved doing, and to pursue that with all the vigor I had.

This isn’t about extreme dieting, starving yourself, or only eating iceberg lettuce. No, no, no darling, this is about opening up a new chapter in your life. My diet has expanded beyond imagine by taking interest in it. And the positive effects ring throughout every aspect of my life.

If I really start thinking about it, I don't know if I'd be here right now, with FemmeHead if I hadn't taken an interest in my health. Yes, I can say that I and all of this wouldn't be here today. And that, my friends, is a terrifying thought to me.