Welcome Friends!

I am so happy you have joined me on this journey.  Why HerbiBear?  Well, I am anxious to share with you…

In December of 2011, I was diagnosed with an aggressive and fairly advanced form of breast cancer.  This diagnosis came after being sick the majority of my life with sinus, throat, stomach, gynecological, you name it and I have probably been diagnosed with it, illnesses.  After going through a year of cancer treatment (you can read the chronological blog here: www.caringbridge.org/visit/juliearaujo ), I started an incredibly slow journey toward living the healthiest life possible.

In the last three and a half years of living cancer-free (hooray) I realized that I had so much I wanted to accomplish.  I did not want to let fear and illness get in the way of living the best possible life – just a reminder, we only get to do this once.  So, I made some changes:  I have worked on understanding what is behind my fearfulness, I made changes to my diet, I am learning how to choose exercise instead of overeating (remember I said it was a journey…) and I have found that I love sharing my lessons learned and favorite things I have uncovered with my friends.

But I digress, HerbiBear comes from a simple thought process:  I want the readers of this blog to know what my friends know.  That I add “bear” to my name and my feelings to make things more fun and easier to talk about and I am passionate about food really being your medicine.  For me, this includes a plant-based lifestyle.  With that, HerbiBear was born and seemed like a better name than Plant Bear.

A few things I would like you to know as we walk this path together.  It is all about learning and growing and every day just being a little healthier.  I am not expecting anyone to adopt a plant-based diet, but I would love to help you learn to embrace fruit and vegetables and understand the power that food plays in your overall health.

The blog will be about much more than food as it is my hope to be transparent and share with you how I have worked through many of the things that have held me back and to also chat about current struggles as we all figure out how to maneuver through this life.

Lastly, a couple disclaimers:  While I eat vegan, I am not A Vegan.  I love animals and I may even occasionally post about my love for animals (especially my two dachshunds), but I still use goods that may contain animal products.  I also eat honey.

Since we are on the subject of what I am not, I am also not a doctor (even though some of my friends call me Dr. Julie which I secretly love).  Which means, you should consult a REAL doctor when making changes to your health which could include diet and exercise.

Who’s ready to be just a little healthier tomorrow?  I am.

 Julie