In addition, my own health took a turn for the worse as I began suffering from continual pain and inflammation – which I now know was the result of chronic stress impacting my gastrointestinal tract.

Acutely aware that something wasn’t right, I visited doctor after doctor until finally, at the age of 20, I was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease, a painful inflammatory autoimmune condition. A series of appointments, over the counter and prescription drugs were part of the “healing” path, yet it didn’t make me feel any better, especially the pain.

As a nutrition student, I knew about healthy eating, yet really hadn’t linked my own fat-free, low-protein diet to my body’s own vitality. Even though I looked good, I was starving myself of the very nutrients my body needed most to cope with my condition.

One day, it struck me like an arrow – if this is how I feel in my twenties, how bad would I feel in my forties? Thankfully this became a real “aha” moment.

Soon, by reading and studying, I learned that food indeed has the power to heal. And thus, my real nutrition life-long study and journey began. I embraced the growing movement toward health and healing through food. I committed myself to not just eating, but indeed feeding my body with the nutrients it needs to function at its best.

Fast forward to now, more than two decades; I feel AMAZING and empowered. My food journey continues, of course, nevertheless, it has evolved in an extraordinary way. Now, I’m not just feeding myself, and I also work to feed my family, always striving to instill healthy core values about food in my three children.