My Big Life Change by Kimberly Rose Johnson

 My husband and I recently made a big life change. Really it was me who needed to make a change with the food I was eating due to my high pain level, but he's so sweet, he's eating just like me. It makes it so much easier to make this kind of life-altering change to have this kind of support! I never in my life thought I'd go vegan, but I was desperate for pain relief and guess what? It worked!

My pain level was so bad at Christmas I literally couldn't hold onto a card, as in a card from a card game. The pain wasn't limited to my hands either. I had to do something, and living on Ibuprofen was not how I wanted to live my life. I talked to my doctor and he said there was nothing he could do. I have osteoarthritis in my hands, feet, one knee, shoulders, and back. Since he couldn't help I started searching researching online.

I discovered that inflammation was the key to my pain and that my diet was more than likely triggering my pain. I already can't have gluten because I am gluten intolerant but that wasn't helping my arthritis. Going vegan solved my pain issue. We took it a step further and cut out added sugar, oil, and salt. Iforgot to mention that my blood pressure was often high. It's not high anymore! For the first time in years, it was not only normal but good when I went to my last doctor's appointment.

It's more work to eat vegan than I expected since we are so strict and don't eat processed foods for the most part. Yes, this means we make most things from scratch, but the difference it's made in both of our lives is worth the sacrifice of time. My husband has lost 35-40 pounds, and I've lost 31 pounds. Id' like to note that this was a side effect of eating better and not the purpose of changing our diet, but we are very pleased.

Below is an almost vegan pancake recipe I created. It's almost vegan because I added about a teaspoon of honey. Anything from an animal isn't considered vegan so if you want it to be vegan just leave out the honey. I make an exception for honey and eat it sparingly. 

                                    Almost Vegan Pancakes

1 Cup Almond Flour

1/2 Cup Buckwheat Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon Flax meal combined with 3 Tablespoons of water (set aside)

1 Cup of Oat Milk or your favorite no sugar added plant milk

1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar)

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Drizzle of honey (about a teaspoon)

Mix the flax meal and water in a small bowl and set aside. This is the egg replacement.

Mix all the remaining ingredients then add the flax meal mixture

Cook your pancakes as you would normally. Note: if the batter is too thick add more milk.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's a favorite of ours and so simple! 

If you're curious about my research I pretty much follow the principles laid out in the book How Not To Die by Michael Greger, MD.

Do you enjoy reading romantic suspense? Check out my newest series Protection Inc. on Amazon.

Award winning author Kimberly Rose Johnson married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance, romantic mystery, and suspense with a heart.

Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

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