I spent the first 2 years of my healing journey as a fully raw vegan. In that time I found a great love for raw vegan food and have very much enjoyed sharing my fully raw vegan recipes! I have 4 raw vegan recipe books available here that will help you create delicious raw food for yourself and your loved ones, whether you are fully raw vegan or just enjoy raw vegan food!! I share my story here on my website, and in more detail on my IG account @vegan_lea_marie and in my ebooks. At the end of July of this year i began adding some cooked plant foods to my diet and I share my continued heath journey here, and on my IG account.
An update on my journey so far and some changes I have made to my diet… So July 30th, 2024 marked 2 years raw vegan for me!! I was very excited to be approaching that anniversary!! I remain symptom-free of Gastropresis, ulcerative colitis and POTS. My thyroid remains healthy too, and I also remain medication free! When it comes to the EDS in regard to joint instability, pain levels, fatigue, EDS skin fragility, and other “typical” EDS symptoms I’ve suffered from in the past, for the majority of the last two years, I enjoyed a very low base line in general!
In the couple of months or so leading up to my 2 years mark though, I began having some unusual symptoms including fatigue, and also a general “EDS flare” in a number of my joints, pain levels, and also in my skin. This was quite scary for me and honestly for the first weeks of these issues I couldn’t even admit these things to myself, let alone anyone else! I wasn’t ever meaning to be dishonest with myself or anyone, but as some one who was chronically ill for a lot of my life, one of the ways you cope is denial, and you also get a VERY high pain threshhold too! In my life there have been times I somehow functioned through pain and symptoms that would see the majority of people unable to get up from their bed. After some weeks in total denial unable to even allow my mind to face the truth, I managed to do so and also to acknowledge the problems to my family and a couple of close friends. Straight away we all began praying (as I’ve shared in past posts here, as a Christ follower this is the way I deal with any issues in life).
As I engaged my heart with the Lord, I was very shocked to feel Him tell me to re introduce cooked plant foods into my diet! Honestly, I was so shocked that it took me a few days to actually make the decision to obey Him. I did have an emotional and mental “fight” within myself about it. I had not realised that “letting go” of being fully raw vegan would feel a difficult thing to do, but in those few days, it felt hard!
As I decided to obey the Lord though as always, knowing 1000% that He is good and gives only good gifts, the most incredible peace came into my heart, mind and body, and it remains. I already had blood tests scheduled at my 2 years raw mark and I knew it was right to stay raw until after I had those done. But as soon as they had been taken and before I received any of the results, I began re introducing cooked plants to my diet. A few days later I received my results and they showed some issues and deficiency’s, including that I was considerably anemic.
Where we live in the beautiful Philippines we have some of the best and most abundant tropical fruit in the world. It is wonderful, and I would not trade this place for anywhere in the world! While I was fully raw though, I was aware that a number of the more savoury foods that are commonly used by raw vegans for some vital nutrients, are just not available to me here. Food such as sprouts, sprouted pulses, sea moss, and also some of the most commonly used and nutrient dense greens and vegetables. I had never worried about this fact before, as I had been thriving. Until I just wasn’t any more. I had had blood tests after one year raw and they were all within normal range and good. So, I do not fully understand what happened in my second year raw as nothing of note changed about my raw diet.
A lot had changed in the quality of my health though that’s for sure. I do not consider blood results the “be all and end all” as the levels that are set as “normal” were taken from people eating a conventional western/American diet, which I do not consider good for humans. Considering the symptoms I have been experiencing alongside the blood results, I will not ignore the information those results have given me. I am acting on them, working hard to correct them, and with the Lords direction to make these changes to my vegan diet I fully believe I will be enjoying very good health again soon!
If you would like to know more about the cooked plants Iv added to my diet, would like to know how things are going for me since I have made these changes, please follow me on IG @vegan_lea_marie and please feel free to DM me if you would like to ask any questions! Love as always! Leanne. 
For most of my life, I was sick. Chronic illnesses piled on, leaving me weak and reliant on a mountain of medications. Even a life-saving surgery couldn’t completely pull me back from the brink. I felt utterly defeated, trapped in a body that wouldn’t cooperate.
Then, a spark of hope flickered. It came from a raw vegan YouTuber and a chance encounter with health coach Skye Conway. Seeing Skye’s story of healing from such severe illness, I knew I had to try. It felt like a long shot, but I was desperate.
So, I took a leap of faith and embraced a raw vegan lifestyle. The change was incredible. Within weeks, my digestive issues that had plagued me for years started to ease. Within months, I was free of symptoms and medication entirely!
But the healing went beyond the physical. As my health returned, a long-dormant creativity blossomed within me. I found immense joy in preparing delicious raw vegan meals, a creative outlet that finally felt “like me.”
This book is my story – a testament to the power of plant-based food and the unwavering spirit that wouldn’t give up. It’s a journey of hope, resilience, and the life-changing potential of raw food. I’m sharing my story and my recipes not just to inspire, but to show you that vibrant health can be on your plate too.
Witnessing my own transformation through veganism has ignited a fire in my soul. I no longer want to just share my story of healing, I want to help guide you on your own journey to vibrant health.
