Sick of Dieting? You’re in the right place.

14 May Sick of Dieting? You’re in the right place.

Sick of dieting?  I was too.  That’s why I created this website.  Like many of you, I grew up dieting. I can remember being thirteen years old and worrying about how much fat was in a slice of cheese. Crazy, I know. By the time I was in high school I was always dieting.  This was the late 90’s and thin was in.  I had no idea that all of the dieting was wreaking havoc on my metabolism and only working against me in the long run.

Fast forward a few years. I decided that my love of food wasn’t something to be ignored (despite the fact that I wasn’t eating all that much of it!) I attended Johnson and Wales University and got my first degree in Culinary Arts. While there, I had a bit of an epiphany and realized that as much as I loved food, I was still afraid of it. Most of all, I was tired of battling my body. So I got my Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Nutrition, became a Certified Nutrition Coach and finally food and I became friends.   

Since that time, I’ve been cooking up inspired, restaurant-style dishes that are centered on whole food to nourish the body and most importantly, have the right balance of complete protein, carbohydrates and fat.  As a Certified Nutrition Coach and Chef with twelve years of experience and thousands of nutrition clients under my belt, I’ve learned that counting calories and dieting never work in the long term.  They only slow our metabolism and cause future weight gain (stay tuned- that particular topic deserves it’s own blog and I’ll post one soon.)  The truth is, I’ve seen every diet and weight loss trend come and go (from Atkins to Paleo).  The one thing I know for sure is that stabilizing our blood sugar levels by eating balanced meals every few hours gives our body the fuel it needs to naturally release stored body fat, increase metabolism and boost energy levels.  You’ll find that my recipes reflect this science.

I’ve also learned that good intentions go right out the window when your food is boring.  My job is to make sure that every recipe I share is mouth-watering and delicious enough to serve in your favorite restaurant.    

Intrigued? Here are some of the cool things you’ll find on my website: 

-The recipes on this site are special because they are designed to go far beyond “healthy”.  While I appreciate and even teach the natural foods movement that is so trendy right now, I worry about the lack of balance in all of the gorgeous and colorful meals I see people promoting as “health food” on social media.   You see, the balance literally determines whether or not a meal is going to work in your favor and boost your metabolism or work against you and cause you to store fat and feel sluggish.  For example, a big bowl of banana “nice cream” or a massive stack of gluten-free pancakes looks beautiful and seems healthy on the surface.  But the reality is, too many carbs in one sitting (even natural, healthy ones like fruit) will send your blood sugar through the roof and cause weight gain.  It’s science and there is a HUGE difference between eating healthy and eating correctly.

My natural recipes have an ideal balance of complete protein, carbohydrates and fat to help you to naturally stabilize your blood sugar, release stored fat and increase your metabolism. And when a recipe isn’t balanced (like dessert or a side dish of veggies for example), I teach you what to add to it to make it balanced in the What’s the Nutrition Balance? section, found at the bottom of every recipe.  Also, while I don’t have the time to post the nutrition breakdown (nor do I want you to focus on calories etc.), I have well over a decade of professional experience creating balanced recipes.

– This website is not about me. It’s about YOU! So while I happen to be mostly dairy free and gluten free, not all of my recipes are.   And you don’t need to be an expert in the kitchen, though if you follow my easy recipes you may just become one!  My point is, there’s something here for everyone.

– My recipes are short and sweet. I believe that recipes should include a simple intro, an enticing picture, a clear and easy recipe and the nutrition balance.   That’s it. Who the hell has time to scroll through 8 paragraphs about someones day just to get to the recipe?  I don’t and I know that you don’t either.

–The only place I will get chatty is on my blogs because they are meant to be a source of information.  And I will of course cover nutrition, fitness and lean and clean cooking in depth.  But I think I’m also going to delve a bit into my personal life too.  My sometimes insane, newly single personal life.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you 😉

-The two adorable little dudes you see in a lot of my pictures and cooking videos are my nephews. Justin is 9 and Reese is 6.  They make life worth it.

– My free newsletters are coming soon and will include exclusive nutrition and cooking tips, recipes and more. To sign up (and immediately receive my Exclusive Forever Young & Fit Recipes FREE directly to your inbox), simply fill out the sign up box at the top, bottom or right-hand side of my website.

–My Shop Page is ever-growing and I only create items that you suggest. Seriously. I reach out to you on social media and ask you what you want and then I create it. I’m a bit of an over-achiever, so you’ll find that these items are incredibly in-depth and so helpful towards achieving your goals with a clean and fit lifestyle.

More than anything, I created this site to teach you how to  let go of dieting and learn how to prepare easy, mouth-watering meals that get you fit.  I want you to learn how to be friends with food, just as I did.  I hope this site becomes a daily source of reliable information, recipes, inspiration and laughter for you. I promise you, it’s the most liberating feeling in the world achieving your goals without dieting.

Because let’s be honest. Diet food sucks.

So, what’s your biggest challenge when it comes to getting in shape and eating healthy?  What answers do you need so that you can achieve your personal nutrition and health goals?  What do you want to learn about in regards to nutrition, cooking lean and fitness?  Let me know here and I promise to write back.  And please share this post so your friends and family can write in and makes requests too.

xx Valerie