Going Green

My name is Hassan.

I am a city kid, raised in a traditional black family loving family get-togethers and holidays because my people can get down when it comes to whipping up some soul food.

Cheeseburgers were my favorite thing when I was a kid.

I fell madly in love with fried chicken after I left for the military in the late eighties. I mean, Uncle Sam put me on a plane to some of the best fried chicken spots in the world, sometimes I think on purpose! I exited the military in 1993 at 225 pounds with less than 12% bodyfat. Damn, I remember what that felt like! Haven't felt it in over 17 years.

I drank heavily going into the Army and by the time I got out, I was probably swigging down about a half gallon of hard liquor daily in order to cope with stuff. I had no idea I was out of control until I got a job with the phone company and couldn't function in the mornings without at least a few ounces of the good stuff. I was asked if I had a problem and denied it. Because I didn't accept the fact that I was an alcoholic the union couldn't save my job.

I ate even more in order to cope. I also got another job, this time it was a desk job and I got more money at that! Oh great, now I can sit on my ass and eat when I'm not sitting. I kind of kept up this behavior until December of 98.

I slipped and fell... HARD.

I ended up in a hospital, going in and out of diabetic shock weighing more than 460 pounds. I was taking a whole CC of insulin at the time. I was also told that I could continue to eat the same foods, but not as much, and that the insulin I was now injecting would handle the massive amounts of glucose my overeating caused. I stuck with that train of thought until I took some diabetes education classes over at the VA hospital.

And then I learned about the power and values of food. I also learned that processed foods have a reversed set of values and without proper nutrition and exercise, I was destined to kill more than my pancreas.

So I lost weight. I started to eat right. I started working out. I even dated a personal trainer some time later and tapped her for as much info that I could. I ended up losing more than 200 pounds.

But I still ate high fat, processed and unhealthy foods. I still drank and I picked up a nasty little cigar habit once I got small. Back in 2000, I got 'conscious', changed my name and started to do little things to help my health. I was no longer on insulin and I looked and felt normal... Or so I thought.

Let's fast forward to now, 2010. In the past decade I have had various surgeries to repair damaged knees and ankles, 2 hernia repairs and the damage from unhealthy eating and tobacco use had taken its toll. I found out this past December that I had high blood pressure and I thought it was stress... It was my kidneys. By ingesting too many animal fats and proteins I kind of clogged myself up. Pancreas no longer functioning properly and now my kidneys.

I started educating myself in holistic health in 2008 and realized from my test results that I on the brink and am not too far gone to be saved... I can restore my health! It will take time and more sacrifice than most of you will never know. The only way I can get to optimal health in my current state is to totally REVERSE everything I've done nutritionally. I have to do certain things I should be accustomed to but am not in order to live. I will acclimate.

I gotta go green.

So this journal will be my food diary of sorts. I'll try my best to document my journey to vegetarianism and eventually to veganism by writing about how I'm to do what I need to do. This is my life on the line here. I'm going to be as honest as I can in expressing how the fasting, juicing and meal planning goes. I'm also going to share test results and conversations had with my medical staff and my naturopath.

I'm also completing courses and taking classes in an attempt to become both a master herbalist and holistic health practitioner. I promised a dying friend last year that I would complete the classes and help those that need the vital knowledge that you can eat to live. Going green can enhance life and help us rid ourselves of dis-ease. I now have to live up to that promise by living myself. I also have to lead by example by going green myself, 'traditional medicine' be damned. This will be my testimony.