From Sickness to Health: Sam’s Transformative Journey

Sam Mussallam woke up on January 12^th, 2016, and decided he was fed up with feeling the way he did. He was constantly suffering with poor health including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity that, in turn, led to a slew of medications and constant discomfort. He was riddled with anxiety; he found sleeping difficult and he never felt good.

On that day, a comment by someone really hit home for him (never forget how significant a small comment might impact someone else). In this case, a Good Samaritan advised Sam to change his lifestyle, and he did. Surprisingly, he found the new lifestyle to be easy to implement and was feeling better and better as the days and weeks passed.

As the months and years passed, his health continued to improve, resulting in a reduction and elimination of disease and medication. A lifetime of pain and anxiety were replaced with natural health, comfort, and contentment.

Sam tells Living Vegan how he changed his diet:

“When I first started, I simply committed to just 1 week. I did not know what could happen in a week. For real, since a change in food would take a long time for things to happen and for me to understand what is happening” Sam stated.

“Something did happen. After 7 days of Vegan Food, the plan was to have one of my favorite meals, a roast beef sandwich. I went to the grocery store and got a sourdough roll and a half pound of roast beef. I made my sandwich. As I began to eat, I just didn’t feel right. My body, that has had peace and comfort for a week, was now being harmed again. From the first bite, my body was now rejecting what I had been eating all my life. I had trouble breathing and anxiety set in. I barely had a third of the sandwich. I felt nauseous. A few more bites and I wanted to stop, but I continued and finished it.

I then did the usual- watch TV. As I sat there, I was feeling pain, discomfort, bloating, and high amounts of stress. I asked myself, if this food was meant for me, why am I feeling all this pain? I DO NOT LIKE PAIN! I did not know at that time, that after the 7 days I was ending my diet change. I was back to animal foods with this bad experience.

I had a new plan. I planned revisit animal foods in 30 days and go back to Vegan. Vegan is what I knew, before knowing what plant-based meant.

30 days later. It was pizza time. I made homemade pizza and I ate a large portion. After 30 days of peace and comfort, the pain was back! My body was speaking, and I was listening. Over time, I lessen the portions to no avail. Soon thereafter, no more cheat meals. I could not stand the pain, even if just once a month”.

How long did it take to see results?

“To see the results, it took 4 to 6 months. To FEEL the results? Just 7 days!”

What did you replace foods with?

“The foods I use to eat were mostly animal- based foods, like steak, burgers, cheese, eggs, processed meats, cold cuts, and ice cream. I also ate the plant-based foods occasionally.  So, I simply isolated the food groups for the week. That is how I stared and discovered that plants were better for me and that would eventually replace animal-based foods that created my sickness. That experience made the change easy for me.

I now eat and love the Whole Food Plant-Based Vegan food that I was always familiar with.  Oatmeal with fruit toppings, Good Whole Grain Cereal, Fava Bean and Hummus Dip for Breakfast. Split Pea soup, Red Lentil soup, pasta with tomato sauce, Lentils and Rice with Pico de Gallo salad topping, Vegan Chili were for lunch and dinner options. I also eat tofu, fruits and vegetables now”.

What physical results have you noticed?

“I have lost about 75lbs, still working on 25 more. I sleep so much better because with the right food, all health conditions have disappeared.

Before I made the change I experienced:

• Heartburn
• Acid reflux
• GERD,
• Gout
• IBS
• bloating
• insomnia
• Constant fatigue
• Pain
• Hunger
• Depression
• Discomfort
• Anxiety all day
• Uncertainty
• Isolated
• More than 10 medications

Now I am experiencing:

• Physical comfort
• Weight loss
• No hunger/cravings
• Living in peace
• Improved health
• Normal blood pressure
• No more diabetes
• Anxiety free
• Deep sleep
• More energy
• Stable mood
• No pain
• Down to only 1 medication (and working on getting off this too)”.
  

You can find out more about Sam and his transformative journey at https://goodsamm.wixsite.com/care

 Some of Sam’s favourite recipes 

 Chickpea Salad Sandwich

This vegan chickpea salad sandwich is lemony, bright and surprisingly delicious. It’s got all the flavors of a classic tuna salad sandwich—dill, lemon and a bit of garlic—but with chickpeas instead to add a vegan source of protein and a healthy boost of fiber. Celery brings a nice crunch.

Ingredients

• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
• 8 slices whole-grain bread, toasted
• 1 Shallot finely chopped

Toppings

• 4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
• 4 green lettuce leaves
• 4 thin slices red onion
• 4 tomato slices

Directions

• Combine chickpeas, oil, lemon juice, mustard and garlic powder in a large bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, crush the chickpeas until most are mashed but some are still whole. Stir in celery, dill, salt and pepper.
• Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise on 1 side of each of 4 slices of bread. Top evenly with lettuce, onion, tomato and chickpea mixture. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 sandwich
• Per Serving: 623 calories; fat 35g; sodium 469mg; carbohydrates 58g; dietary fiber 12g; protein 18g; sugars 7g; niacin equivalents 3mg; saturated fat 5g; vitamin a iu 764IU; potassium 607mg.

JUST EGG

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow mung bean
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 300 ml. water (1 + 1/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black salt(adjustable)
• 1/4 cup green onions (finely chopped)

Directions

1. Rinse the yellow mung until the water runs clear. Transfer to a bowl and soak in hot water for 30 minutes.
2. *After 30 minutes* Drain and transfer the mung to a blender. Add salt + pepper + garlic + nutritional yeast + turmeric powder + water to the blender. Blend to a smooth ‘batter’.
3. Set a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add oil. Once it’s hot, pour in the blended mixture. Stir and scrape the bottom using a silicon spatula.
4. Keep scraping and mixing until it puffs up and forms a dough.
5. Next, cover the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes.
6. *After 5 minutes* Uncover the pan and give everything a quick mix. Using a spatula, divide/cut the dough into smaller pieces (please see video for reference). As you cook, the pieces will start to separate and won’t stick together.
7. Now add black salt + green onion and give it a good mix.
8. Serve alongside sriracha/hot sauce, and sauteed veggies (beans, Brussel sprouts, okras, cherry tomatoes).

Nutrition

Serving: 22 g | Calories: 307 kcal | Carbohydrates: 45 g | Protein: 20 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 996 mg | Potassium: 123 mg | Fiber: 8 g | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin A: 216 IU | Vitamin C: 2 mg | Calcium: 36 mg | Iron: 3 mg