my food philosophy
Food exists to nourish our body.
It heals us and energizes us. It is medicine and eating well is the most basic form of self-respect. We all value different things when it comes to the food we choose and there is not a one size fits all. While I believe with all my heart that the food we eat should be built from roots, Living on Roots is not meant to prescribe an eating lifestyle to you.
It is my way to provide new, interesting, tasty ways to get more roots in your life and add more greens, reds, oranges, yellows, and purples on your plate.
a rootful journey
In 2016 my body was struggling, pretty much a walking ball of inflammation. I was having lower back issues, knee problems, hip pain (just about anywhere there is a joint), recurring headaches, digestive tract issues, and zero energy. I was 35 years old and should not be feeling this miserable. I knew if I didn’t change something about my life things were not going to get better the older I got that is for sure.
I came to the conclusion that I needed to help myself as much as I could. So I started reading and learning about food. I watched documentaries and learned how food can both heal and hurt our bodies. I was incredibly inspired by what I was finding and decided to change the way I was living to see if it would help. I said goodbye to processed foods, read ingredients, ate cleaner meat, used high quality dairy in my recipes, and added more vegetables to my daily menu. I felt good about the choices I was making, my body was feeling a little better, but I still did not feel good or fulfilled with this as my permanent lifestyle.
It wasn’t until I made the commitment to eat more plant based foods that I realized the power of food and impact it has on your life. For 30 days I got rid of all meat, dairy, cheese, bread, Betty Crocker brownies, and dedicated my life to eating plants and drinking water. It was a life changing feeling and by far the most valuable 30 days of my life.
Living on Roots is my way to share what I have learned and keep learning in this process, and how you can use simple, natural, food, built from roots, to create nourishing, healing and tasty food for you and your family.
10 food rules
The food we choose to eat is one of the most important decisions we make on a daily basis. So why not write them down to help ensure those decisions are good ones? Here are mine.
Eat plants, plants and more plants.
Eat Less meat and less dairy
Challenging in the beginning but easy now, especially once I discovered how tasty plant food really is. Other than taste, there really are no benefits from meat or dairy that cannot be found elsewhere. But….if you do eat meat and dairy then it is absolutely worth paying a bit more to go organic, non-gmo, grass feed, with no anti-biotics or added hormones.
Buy organic and local whenever I can.
Cook my own meals as much as possible.
Quality over quantity.
Variety instead of routine.
Drink water like my life depends on it, because it does.
Don’t neglect sweets.
They are just way too good. Eat them in moderation and make them myself whenever possible.
Plan ahead.
From meal prepping and grocery shopping for the week, to looking at menus ahead of time before going out to eat. Avoid being hungry with no healthy options around.