When Jenni, who worked in a factory in her late teens, was convinced that she was having a heart attack, doctors informed her that she had developed asthma. Fortunately, her heart was not in trouble, but her ability to breathe easy was.
Turns out, the dusty conditions and poor air quality at her workplace contributed to her diagnosis.
Determined to embark on a healthier lifestyle, she quit her job and started running for exercise. However, her asthma symptoms not only persisted but worsened.
When doctors performed a bevy of tests on her, they said she had exercise-induced asthma.
Raw foods, gluten and dairy-free diet turned life around
Frustrated with the tests, hospitals, inhalers and constant chest tightness, Jenni sought the advice of a chiropractor who focused on healing through proper nutrition. He advised her to go raw and also to adhere to a gluten and dairy-free lifestyle.
According to Jenni, who is also known as Raw Jenni on her YouTube channel and Facebook page, she followed his advice and the results were “breath returning, instead of breath-taking.” She says that in a very short time after starting the healthier diet which consisted of raw foods, her asthma and allergy symptoms were gone.
Ever since, Jenni stayed on track with this lifestyle. Now approaching age 40, she says, “I rarely get a cold. . . I don’t have tight chest issues, I don’t have difficulty breathing.” In 2012, she even adopted the 80-10-10 diet (80% carbs, 10% protein, 10% fat daily) and the 30 Bananas a Day diet and continues to feel great.
Additional health benefits of going raw
In addition to getting rid of her asthma and allergies, Jenni also says her raw food lifestyle has helped eliminate other health problems in her life, including arthritis and constipation (she used to be constipated up to four days after eating meat, but she says this no longer happens).
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAI), about one in 12 people, or 25 million people in the U.S., have asthma, costing an average of $3,300 annually in hospital visits, missed school/work days and early deaths.