It started in my own kitchen, for my family.

My name is Hend Mohamed Thabet. I have a degree in art education, and I was 35 when I wrote this, in 2018.

I'm a wife and a mother of four. I dreamed of a successful, trouble-free life, raising my children well. But my children were often unwell, and I had to take one of them, sometimes all of them, to the doctor every week. Then I started falling ill too, on and off, with strange illnesses that didn't fit my age:

nerve inflammation, joint pain, a severe calcium deficiency, sudden drops in blood pressure, and terrible migraines almost every day.

The last of them was a severe inflammation of the thyroid, and my blood sugar would drop to 30 and I'd faint, even while driving, which was a disaster. Senior doctors agreed I would live on medication for the rest of my life, because there was no cure for the thyroid: sometimes it was very overactive, sometimes very underactive, and I took a lot of tablets for it every day that I couldn't stop. Tumours also appeared, benign, thank God, and my doctor told me to watch what I eat because of a family history of cancer, as these tumours could turn malignant.

For months I was in bed, unable to move without someone holding me up, living on injections and medicines: two bags full.

I felt my life was full of doctors and medicines, and I was always exhausted. I couldn't do anything; I couldn't hold a tray without dropping it, and I couldn't look after my children, my home or my husband, who was carrying me through it all. It was truly the hardest time of my life. Then I got a little better, my thyroid levels settled a little, and I started moving again.

I joined a gym, and by chance I saw a video by Dr. Raymond Francis about how he reached his age without illness, just by cutting out sugar and harmful food.

I felt there was still hope.

I started following the same steps: I stopped eating what could harm me, took nutrition courses to learn more, and tried and failed until I succeeded. My love of cooking, and the cooking courses I had taken, made using healthier swaps much easier.

I cut out all the harmful food overnight. I followed this way of eating for months, my husband and children joined me, and, thank God, life got better after that.

Today, thank God, I'm not ill. I don't take medicine for anything, not even an aspirin, and my children don't need the doctor all the time. It is a blessing and a gift from God.

My husband lost weight and reached the shape he always wanted. I have lots of energy, I wake up full of life, and I can look after my home and my children. The tumours are gone, I don't know how, the thyroid problem is gone, and I've had my tests done regularly every 6 months for more than two years, thank God.

I've stopped sugar; white, brown and wholemeal flour; wheat and corn products; white rice; and anything genetically modified. I replaced all of it with organic vegetables and fruit, healthier flours like coconut and oat, and sugar alternatives like honey and dates, and there are many more swaps.

My hope and dream is that everyone knows food is the main reason we fall ill, or live in good health.

I want people to know that food made at home is healthier and tastier, that it can be made in little time and at low cost, and that they can live happy lives without illness.

Life is beautiful. We are the ones who choose how to see it.