blog. about my journey.
About my health journey
I’m Brandi Madar, but you can just call me Brandi.
I’m a recovering overweight, depressed, and anxious individual who is managing ADHD, leaky gut, and hormonal imbalance 100% medication-free. I believe that food and nutrition are the best medicine and form of preventative care.
I also believe being fit and mentally / physically healthy should not be a part-time, or full-time job, even though it has been for me for many years.
I’ve tried many things, and many things have failed me. I certainly do not have all the answers, but I’ve started this blog because I have an undeniable urge to share my journey in hopes of helping others who also feel stuck or trapped like I did.
My concern & want to help others
I don't know many people who are not battling some sort of mental, physical, or chronic health condition, whether it's cancer, diabetes, obesity, depression, autoimmune issues, anxiety, infertility––the list goes on.
It truly saddens me. This is not "just how it is" and this is not just what happens as you age either.
I have been determined to understand why we are riddled with health problems.
I’ve always just wanted to be healthy and happy—who doesn’t?
I’ve been
My Timeline
I was an overweight teenager, who struggled with insecurities and depression
I tried Weight Watchers (This worked for me for a little while)
Vegetarianism (I didn’t last long)
Working out
My Full Story
I’ve spent the majority of my life chasing “healthy & happy” without ever really achieving it. I did everything my doctors and mainstream media said I needed to do in order to achieve peak health & happiness. I exercised 5-6 times a week, I ate little to no processed food, and I drank enough water. I was on a low-fat, whole-food diet. My plates were filled with a variety of colors and low-fat proteins.
For awhile that kinda worked.
I’m the closest I’ve ever been over the last year which is why I am finally starting the blog I’ve been talking about starting for 4 years.
Back in 2018 I moved away from my family and friends
I’ve always believed that nutrition and diet were key, but despite being on a whole-food, paleo diet, with little to no processed food, high in plants, and low in fat.
As my gut problems, skin & hair problems, nutrient deficiencies, and mental health issues only continued to increase, I was so lost and confused. I eat so “healthy”, how could I be so “unhealthy”?
I started wondering, could I have IBS?
. Many things I’ve tried, and many things have failed me. Although I do not have all the answers, I have experience and knowledge that I am excited to share.
For years my daughter and I were on a whole-food, paleo diet, with little to no processed food, high in plants, and low in fat.
As my gut problems, skin & hair problems, nutrient deficiencies, and mental health issues only continued to increase, I was so lost and confused. I eat so “healthy”, how could I be so “unhealthy”?
I started wondering, could I have IBS?
Me in blurb form
Leaky Gut
At the peak of my gut problems, abdominal pains, bowel issues, ance issues, hair falling out, and mental health problems, I was desperate for help. I thought I might have IBS, Crohn's disease, or the early stages of colon cancer.
I started seeing a gut doctor who recommended food enzymes, but it didn’t make things much better. Then I searched for an integrative medical doctor, got my blood work, and based on my symptoms and nutrient deficiencies I was diagnosed with Leaky Gut in November 2022.
Fasting
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Nutrition for Healing.
For years, I was on a whole food, paleo diet, with little to no processed food, high in plants, and low in fat. As my health problems increased, I That has all changed now based on new information. Since the end of 2022, I have been focusing on bioavailable nutrient-dense foods, and have eliminated pretty much everything else. My daughter and I have
Reversing depression & anxiety without medications
I was admitted into the mental ward at the age of 16. I was even diagnosed with bipolar in my late teens. For years and years, I tried different medications on and off, with no long-lasting success.
Gluten-free & anti-inflammatory recipes
My daughter and I are gluten-free. She has a confirmed intolerance. I personally didn’t get the blood work, but through elimination dieting have found gluten makes me feel like garbage, and causes a noticeable inflammatory response.
I’m allergic to chicken
Ok, I’m not allergic, but I have a mild reactivity to chicken. Every time I eat it, I get severely depressed. I know, wild. Even if it’s organic, antibiotic, and hormone-free it still makes me feel absolutely miserable. So I stay far away from chicken. I’m pretty sure this reactivity has a lot to do with my gut health and the fact that I ate chicken every day for 5+ years, I’m convinced one day I could have chicken again without a reaction, but fixing my microbiome is going to be key to this.
Rebalancing my hormones
After years of birth control, and .
I’m medication-free.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out.
Nutrition.
Leaky gut.
Hormone imbalance.
Mental health.
Gluten Free.
Fasting.
Nutrition. Leaky gut. Hormone imbalance. Mental health. Gluten Free. Fasting.
My Journey
I’m honestly not really sure what diet camp I fall under––I don’t really wanna pick a side because this isn’t about being so far left o right, it’s about life, happiness, longevity, and sustainability. So whatever works for me works for me, whatever doesn’t I’m going to move on from.
I did start very whole foods paleo with lots of emphasis on vegetables and fruits as my main source of nutrition. I’m practicing keto around my menstrual cycle and my main source of nutrition.
With respect to my hormone/menstrual cycle, and respct to seasonal eating.
I have been on quite the health and fitness journey for over 10 years now. It started out with a desire to lose weight because I was very overweight and very depressed as an adolescent. Now that I’m 30, it’s a journey for optimum health, happiness, and longevity–– and not being depressed or overweight falls under that umbrella still.
I have tried many diets and suggestions over the years; vegetarian, low fat, whole food paleo, and now keto/carnivore. You can view my full detailed story in a different blog post, but for this post, I’m going to skip to where I am at in the present.
As of today, I’m currently just over a year off my antidepressants, anxiety meds, ADHD medication, and birth control. I am 6 months into working on healing my gut because I was diagnosed with Leaky Gut back in November 2022 with a B12 deficiency and low vitamin D level.
My ultimate goal is to solve all my mental issues and medical issues with diet, exercise, and mindfulness alone. I don’t want to rely on medications or supplements to live a healthy life. The goal of my blog is to share my journey so that other people can learn from my experiences, and find the courage to start their journey, or the
I have recently decided to go keto and leave a lot of vegetables behind. This is very different from my previous high-vegetable, paleo diet. These are the main reasons I have decided to move in this direction.
Weight loss
Brain / Mental Health
Leaky Gut and Nutrient Deficiencies
Antinutrients
I’m really working on healing my gut, healing my brain fog, depression, and
With all the talk about veganism and the new carnivore trends, I’m purposely not choosing a camp. I will say, I lean more on the carnivore side. Here’s why.
I believe we have been eating meat for all of human existence.
I believe that animal products are more nutrient-dense and bioavailable.
With that being said, I do belive that plants provide things for us as humans that animal products don’t do as well.
Flavonoids
Antioxidants
I don’t plan on this being a
When I was in high school, I did weight watchers, worked out several days a week, and counted my calories, which did help me lose some weight, but as much as I wanted. Then I tried going vegetarian for a short period but I craved bread so much that I gained more weight.
Then
Being in a calorie deficit and working out 6 days a week did work for a while, but it sucked. It was also hard to maintain being a single mom. As soon as I stopped working out, I gained all the weight back. So then I did a low-fat paleo diet and really got strict about whole foods. Whole food was a step in the right direction, but the low fat really took a toll on my brain function and brain health. I was still working out 5-6 days a week and I was struggling with depression, and anxiety and got diagnosed with ADHD in my early 20’s.
and cravings, and and I yo-yo’d a lot with my weight. I started eating whole foods, t, then paleo, and currently, I’m doing a heavy animal-based keto diet.
Seed Cycling
Toxins / hormone disrupters effect our body
BC and the medications could have been the leaading cause of my leaky gut
Cholesterol doesn’t really concern me because my inflammation markers are low.
Keto has been shown to reverse Braiin fog and depression along with bipolar and other diseases
When it comes to thee perfect diet, I’m not sure what it is, oor if it exists. I think diet can be a better form of medicine, and deoending on your goals, different foods can servee different purposes. Along the journey I have been on thouugh, I have larned quite a lot from ddifferent peeople, and my own expereiencs, which I believe caan help you decide what is best for you depending on your condition.
I woould like to get my nutrition science cert, and become a real nutrtionist.
That doesn’t meaan I don’t havee
Seasonaal Eating is something I’m planning on doing
I belive there is a different beetween healthy caarbss (fruits, vegs) vs unhealathy ones
My duaghter is gluten free and I’m not convinced that grains should be a part oof our diet.
I’ve struggled with weight, anxiety, and depression, and then I was diagnosed with leaky gut on top of that.
I used to think being gluten-free was going too be very depressing.
My daughter is gluten-free, and casein free.
I was a vegetarian for aa short periodSo currently I am My diet right now?
There are tons of diets out there. I’m not trying to sell you a specific diet.
I believe in diet > and medications
I’m a year off my meds