“It was 2011 when I first started researching healthier eating options, because I was always tired and had various aches and pains. I started cooking with organic produce and meats. In 2012, I read the book Skinny Bitch and was horrified with what I read. I realized that cancer and disease could be prevented with your diet. And then the chapter on factory farming broke my heart. I decided that day that it was time for a change.

I have always been a great cook and my parents own a farm, so it gives me the opportunity to experiment with different recipes. In 2014, I became a certified juice guru coach through The Juice Guru Practitioner Program and started helping people regain their healthy through teaching and coaching. My website Bloomin Juice offers many healthy recipes. (Easily accessed through both Facebook and Instagram) I also have a certificate in vegetarian nutrition through the Vegetarian Health Institute. With the knowledge I have accumulated over the last few years, I now coach people on the healthy benefits of a plant-based diet. Recently, I started the group The Back Mountain Roots, based in Luzeren County, Pa. I made this group to bring together people, no matter where they are in their journey, to connect and see that a plant based diet can be both fun and delicious. We meet monthly for potluck dinners and to share recipes and encouragement to live a plant-based diet life style. This group recently became a part of the world-wide group called The Grassroots Movement led by T. Colin Campbell and his son Nelson. With this affiliation, we can now engage our community and teach people the healthy benefits of what we do. (For more information please check out The Back Mountain Roots Facebook page)

My message to share is that it is never too late to change our diets. We can heal both our bodies and our planet with just a few simple changes.