About

It is true what they say… that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! My mother was a chef and nutritionist.

I remember as a little girl riding in my mother’s grocery cart as she piled it full of healthy foods while explaining all the many benefits of eating healthy.

She’d say to me, “Lisa, eat well and you’ll be stronger, smarter, and prettier.”  Well, that’s all I needed to hear.

We also had this amazing organic garden and everything she made for us was from scratch. She even raised chickens so that we’d have organic eggs.

But, as healthy as I ate as a child, I still had a very sensitive stomach. If there was a stomach virus going around it was like…pick me! Pick me! I also had problems with constipation to the point where my mother would need to give me enemas 3 times a week……not fun!

Oh, and let’s not forget the nausea and vomiting.

By the time I turned 22, I had chronic fatigue, constant nausea, dark circles under my eyes, facial hives, bloating, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, menstrual problems, and hypoglycemia.  I struggled to get out of bed in the morning, and I felt sick every time I ate something. It took every bit of energy I had to make it through my work days. I just couldn’t understand why I was so sick! I ate healthy all my life and did everything right! What could be wrong???

So, I went to see a gastroenterologist, who wanted to put me on medications to treat my symptoms. But I was sick of being sick and wanted to find the cause of my sickness so I would not have to take medications for the rest of my life. I finally found an integrative medicine doctor who ended up diagnosing me with food sensitivities to wheat, dairy, corn, soy, and eggs.

I thought that these were healthy foods!

The first week was very traumatic because I didn’t know what I could eat! I went into a health food store… this was 40 years ago, and there weren’t any large healthy supermarkets like there are today…these were the size of my bedroom.

The vegetables were limp and looked like science projects. Now I had to read every label to find the foods that I could eat. This was not an easy task! I found just a few packaged food items…ugh…they were awful! The cardboard box tasted better than what was inside! I thought to myself… there is no way that I can live this way.

So, I took my mother’s tasty recipes and converted them into what I needed to be healthy.

Within a few weeks, I felt great! That’s when I realized that I needed to help others with similar challenges. So, I got certified as a nutritionist, natural gourmet chef, gluten-free practitioner, and healthy lifestyle coach. I now have 40 years of research and personal experience working in the health field and the kitchen learning how to eat to stay healthy. My mission is to show you how proper diet and lifestyle choices can create health and vitality for a lifetime.

This photo was taken in 1992. Mom was 66 and I was 31.

Read More About My Own Journey from Sickness to Health
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