If you had to choose one, what would be your favorite fruit and favorite vegetable and why?

I would choose blueberries, or what I call brain berries, for fruit because they are low in sugar, delicious, & they have profound health benefits such as a high in antioxidants that help protect the cells from free radicals, prevent inflammation, and are high in phenols that act as neuro-protective agents.

My favorite vegetable is leafy greens that are high in fiber, pack a lot of nutrition, and are highly versatile, like kale, collard greens, chard, spinach, etc…. Easy to saute, make into a salad, or throw in a smoothie. So many wonderful things like parsley, good for cleansing, or cilantro, good for removing heavy metals from the body, are easy to add in the diet in order to reap the flavors and medicinal benefits!

What type of physical activities do you participate in and why?

I participate in many different physical activities and believe it is an important component to health, although I firmly believe you cannot out exercise poor nutrition! I lift weights to keep my bones strong, build muscle which in turn burns fat, and well to look good in a tank top 🙂 Sometimes I like cross fit workouts that are fast paced and high intensity to keep from getting bored and challenging my body. In the warmer months, I like to pound the pavement and do some running just to get out in nature and a change of pace. Love to dance!

What advice would you give to someone who is considering making positive changes to their diet, exercise regimen, or lifestyle in general?

You are worth it! We pay for good health now or poor health later. Making small positive changes gradually is moving in the right direction. I often tell people instead of becoming overwhelmed with the “all or nothing” idea, make a few doable changes or swaps of unhealthy for healthy, become really good at it, and then implement another or a few more things. Get someone you can trust for accountability or help if needed. Don’t just go through life, live it to the fullest feeling your best!

What are your credentials?

I have a bachelor’s in nutrition and am a certified nutritional therapy practitioner

What first motivated you to pursue a healthier, cleaner diet?

I lost 100 pounds in an unhealthy way where I developed an eating disorder fueled by an exercise obsession. When I had stripped all the nutrition from my body, I became very sick. I had no cholesterol or triglycerides left and not enough fat surrounding my organs to function, so my body was shutting down. When I was told to go home and eat an avocado, I thought it was crazy, but it was amazing what happened when I started adding in dietary fats and feeding my body. From this point, I knew there was something to the whole nutrition thing and have not stopped learning and pursuing it since.

What is your passion?

My passion is to fulfill my purpose in the Lord and truly feel like he has taken me through my own health journey to be able to relate to people on a very real and personal level. I am so passionate about helping people live a better quality of life through health which in turn manifests itself in all other aspects of life. I am passionate about my daughter, family, volunteer work, and spirituality.

Who do you admire most and why?

I’d have to put my mom first on this one. She was a hard-working single mom that did her absolute best give us so many opportunities and good memories. She gave up her career in the medical field to stay home with us by starting an in-home daycare. She does foster care and now takes care of special need babies after adopting my four younger brothers and sister, making her daughter and my daughter the same age which is wild! She has taken care of over 200 hundred foster kids who she loves like her own and is ALWAYS there for me and the rest of her children and now grandchildren.