Move like a lady. Eat like a queen.

Based on scientific research as well as my own personal journey to health, I am a firm believer that a happy tummy = a healthy mind and body = a happy life. I fully respect that every body is different and that not everyone responds to the same diet plan for improved health and wellness. There are very few hard and fast rules that work for everyone. However, one rule I stand by for myself (and that I feel should be law for all individuals) is to eat food as close to its natural state as possible. Processed food laden with chemicals, syrups, colorants, and preservatives should be banned from grocery shelves and most certainly from YOUR kitchen cupboard. Would you serve trans fats, disodium EDTA, Red 3, or Yellow 6 to royalty? If not, then why are those items on your plate? Or in your children’s food?

After a life-long journey toward finding the “cure” for the various forms of digestive distress I suffered, I have found an eating plan that works for me. It is as unprocessed as it gets — it’s called the Paleo diet. Not only do I eat like a queen, but I also treat my body like a temple. I respect my body’s quirks and I work with them rather than against them to achieve optimal health. My personal quirks include a terrible relationship with gluten and dairy, difficulty digesting grains and legumes, and problems that arise when I overdo sugar and alcohol.

My advice: Find a healthy eating plan that makes YOUR body feel great, and then stick to it. Make it a lifestyle. It is not about deprivation, it is about your own personal responsibility to treat your body like royalty. Your body does a lot for you; do your part to treat it (and feed it) well.

I am not a nutritionist, I am not a professional chef, and I am certainly not a food photographer… But I love food and I love cooking, and I enjoy sharing my journey. Check out my “Shop” page for information about my cookbook, Food Philosophy. All of my recipes are 100% gluten free and casein free, and most are grain free as well. The e-book is just $4.00 and can be viewed online or can be downloaded to your computer as a PDF file. Print it out, take it to the kitchen, and get cookin’!

Click on the “Recipes/Food” tag in the Popular Topics tag cloud (at right), or click on the photos below to see archived recipes that I have posted on my blog. Some are my own creation, some are the creations of other bloggers, and ALL are food fit for royalty. Eat like a queen — you deserve it!