Alicia Silverstone on Sweet Freedom Bakery

www.thekindlife.com/post/sweet-freedom-bakery-in-philadelphia Alicia Silverstone on Sweet Freedom Bakery in Philadelphia. And the girls from Sweet Freedoms story of how they got where they are and why. 

"Here is the story of how a little vegan bakery came to be…

Chronic throat, ear and lung infections, congestion, insomnia, major dental issues, frequent unexplained bouts of fainting, and digestive difficulties resulting in countless days of missed school didn’t tip off any of my pediatricians when I was a child that I needed a change in my diet.  Even during adolescence and adulthood when my symptoms continued, and acne and anemia were added to the list, no one suggested to me that I might alter that way that I was eating.  Consuming the standard American diet of packaged and processed foods loaded with saturated animal fats, chemicals and additives only fueled these issues.  Though most people eating this way would gain lots of weight, I was continuing to lose weight and have terrible digestive issues (probably due to sheer mal-nutrition!) I felt weak and totally depleted.   

It wasn’t until I got to grad school that I realized that my utter lack of energy and declining health was keeping me from realizing my life goals. I had been to countless doctors, and had tested positive for endometriosis, as well as an “unspecified autoimmune disease,” (they thought I might have Lupus, Sjogren’s Syndrome or both).  I was prescribed a number of drugs, including a steroid that induced insomnia and made me feel like my heart was racing out of my chest.  

Around the age of 25 when my digestive issues were at their worst, (not to mention I would often break out in hives or experience terrible headaches after eating), I was diagnosed with allergies to wheat, dairy, yeast, and cane sugar, among other foods. At my wits’ end, weak and underweight (literally from mal-nutrition!), I decided to seek the advice of a holistic and integrative physician."

It all sounds familiar .. and what I am still trying to figure out. Read the rest of the story on Silverstone's blog.