Hello and welcome! My name is Zeeshan and I am the founder and creator here at Eat.Drink.Pure. My mission is to make healthy living easy and accessible! I share recipes, lifestyle tips, product reviews, health topics, and even my health journey. You will find a little bit of everything here.
My Story
Although I considered myself a conscientious eater, it was always a choice rather than a need. It was more for vanityโs sake than any other. That is until I learned that I had Hashimotoโs. An autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland. The discovery was purely accidental and I may never have known had I not developed a most atrocious skin rash. It would come and go and I had no clue as to why. Of course the culprit, I realized after the fact, was my sunscreen. The skin rash had nothing to do with my condition. I never thought I would say this but boy am I grateful for it. The mystery of its appearance every so often prompted the battery of tests I was put through. Multiple blood and allergy tests revealed that I also had the H.Pylori bacteria present in my gut and I was severely deficient in vitamin D. The endocrinologist I was sent to told me that Hashimoto’s was incurable, hereditary and that all I could do was to monitor my thyroid regularly. The likelihood of developing Hyperthyroidism was very high. That was it. It felt like a death sentence.
I had no symptoms at all, except, in retrospect, some joint pain. And as it turns out the acne on my jawline and the eczema patches on my scalp were all symptoms of Hashimoto’s.
Sheer helplessness set in, not to mention depression. I just couldnโt believe that any disease could be incurable. Was there nothing I could do? I asked myself. What about through diet and exercise? I decided to take matters into my own hands. I sat down and Googled my condition and came across a whole Pandoraโs box of information! There was so much to read. And so many different experiences to learn from! Turns out, many had reversed the disease simply by eating right and exercising. I got to work right away.
What I did to change my story
I started eating healthier, ditched the processed for the natural, and tried incorporating as many whole foods as possible. I remember growing up hearing about the Black Seed (Nigella Sativa) and how it was said to be the cure to all diseases but death. Today science backs it up! Read about it here and here. I started taking a pinch of the black seed every morning mixed with honey. I swapped my morning tea for a cup of warm water infused with ginger and turmeric. I drank green juice and smoothies and eliminated gluten from my diet altogether. For the H.pylori I was prescribed antibiotics which I took for two weeks. I also exercised and in my free time researched and soaked up all the information out there to better educate myself on my condition and how to go about treating it naturally. And I prayed, oh how I prayed like my life depended on it. Because it did ( my mother had passed away from heart disease at just 60 years old and if left unchecked, thyroid disease can lead to heart issues.)
Those prayers were answered three months later when I met the most amazing doctor. It was quite by accident, actually, but that is a story for another day. ย
The doctor was kind and empathetic and willing to listen. He ran some tests and to my absolute joy revealed that my antibody count had gone down and the H. Pylori bacteria had vanished! I guess my disbelief was evident when he told me because he turned his computer screen to me and repeated my name, making sure he had the right person! โYup, that is meโ I said. โWell then, just keep doing what youโre doing, because itโs working!โ He shot back. You read success stories on the internet and in magazines. You watch documentaries telling you how people healed themselves. But to experience it first hand, that truly made me a believer.
Slowly but surely, my acne went away, as did the eczema patches on my scalp. I am more energetic, lighter, and stronger.ย
Helping my family
Due to my experience, I brought about positive changes in my own home. We are a healthier family because of it. It has taught us how natural, wholesome foods can heal and provide the nutrition we need to live healthier. How damaging eating highly processed, artificial foods can be to our physical and spiritual well-being. ย We now read labels before buying our food. We try to eat organic whenever possible and have become more active than we used to be. My husband Ali’s chronic cough is gone and my boys’ eczema patches are a thing of the past!?
You can check out my son’s review of my food philosophy here
Helping others
My awakening and the metamorphosis of our eating habits as a family inspired me so much that I decided to get training to help others achieve what we had.
And so I ย joinedย The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Here I learned a more holistic approach to treating disease. The core principles ofย bio-individuality,ย crowding outย one’s cravings, and the concepts ofย Primary Foodsย (those that nurture one off the plate e.g. spirituality, relationships, career, physical activity, home environment, etc.) andย Secondary Foodsย ( those that nurture one on the plate e.g., proteins, carbs, fats ) are at the center of this approach.
Today, I split my time between creating content for the website and virtual 1:1 coaching sessions. Email me at [email protected] to set up a free 15 chat to see if we are a good fit.
Here’s more insight into my WHY
An Ode to My Mother | Heart Disease & Listening to Your Body
Some Popular Posts
In the press
Over the years I have been blessed to share my story and contribute my tips on various forms of media likeย Muslim Matters, Canvas Rebel,ย Naptime is Sacred, andย NTV Houston.
