Author says never too late to clean up what’s on your plate

Packaged foods don't grow on trees, so why eat them?

Summerlin-area resident Vanessa Chamberlin recently published "The Fire-Driven Life: How to Ignite the Fire of Self-Worth, Health, and Happiness with a Plant-Based Diet." Some readers may also know her as the owner of Vasari, a luxury clothing and shoe boutique in Tivoli Village, 410 S. Rampart Blvd.

Chamberlin holds nutrition and coaching certifications from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, Cornell University, SUNY Purchase College, and the Wellness Forum, where she is certified as a lifestyle medicine practitioner. She is also certified by the Yoga Alliance.

She said she hasn't always eaten in a healthy way.

"I came from the South —Lexington, Ky. — so we ate everything fried. We ate from the garden as well, but there was not a food that we didn't love. I raised my older daughter on McDonald's, so I was well ensconced in the (prevalent) American lifestyle.

"The big turning point for me was in 2007 — my husband took his life. After two weeks into the grieving process, I realized he'd given me a beautiful life, two young daughters, and I said, 'OK, do I remain a victim, and go, poor me, or do I look at all the good and find a better way that came from our relationship? And how can I build a better foundation for myself and for my kids?' It was a real wake-up call for me because my entire life, I had looked to outside sources for my foundation, for my self-worth."

A girlfriend introduced her to eating whole fruits and vegetables. She said that within a matter of days, her skin looked better, her nails were better, her hair was better, and she felt energized. The lingering depression was gone, and she discovered a purpose: letting others know about this way of eating.

Chamberlin and her friend started attending health and wellness events, and she learned more and more.

"I started collecting nutritional certifications like I collect shoes," she said. "Who thought something as simple as food could be so powerful? … It affected every area of my life. I started living a much more honest way of life. It was very profound for me."

According to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, more than 90 percent of Americans do not eat the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended by the latest dietary guidelines.

Sari Dennis of My Wellness Counts can relate. She grew up on bacon and egg breakfasts followed by bologna or Fluffernutter sandwiches for lunch, and Kraft or other boxed foods for dinner. She had milk at every meal.

As a result, she said, she suffered from various gastrointestinal issues. She said it wasn't until she turned to plant-based eating 40 years later that her symptoms were resolved. She no longer is on any medications.

"What amazes me today as I reflect back on all the doctors and all the laxatives, medications and diagnoses over the years, was that not one of them ever asked me what I ate or even thought to make the connection between my food and the 'dis-ease' my body was expressing," Dennis said. "It's really quite sad, actually, that pills and procedures were — and still are — widely recommended as more appropriate cures for illness than an examination of our foods and our lifestyle as cause of illness."

That's not to say eating healthily is easy after growing up on Happy Meals. When people tackle something full bore, Chamberlin said, they often drop out.

She said one size doesn't fit all, and people who decide to do this need to make the changes as they see fit. Some people can do the "all-or-nothing" approach. Some can't.

"I'm a fan of saying, 'Small changes makes small results, and big change, big results' ... This is a lifestyle, so it's not a quick sprint. It's more a marathon," Chamberlin said.

She said one thing people can do is "spring clean" their pantry so those bad foods aren't tempting them.

She said we grow new taste buds every six weeks but even before that, by switching to a plant-based diet, changes will be felt, and the desire for super-sweet foods will abate.

"We've been so hijacked by (food commercials), we don't even know what it feels like to feel good," she said. "But within a few days, most clients I work with, once they get a taste of how it feels to feel good, they're excited and want to maintain that. The book is a plan. It has habits that you build upon. It's a process. If you have no solid foundation, then you say, 'Oh, it's not working,' and you give up."

Chamberlin suggested that within three days of a water fast, the sensation for bad habits such as smoking or the desire for bad foods are flushed out of the system.

"You may still have the habit, but the desire and taste is gone," she said. "That is how powerful our bodies are if we just give it a rest. … If you wean yourself off processed food, in a few days, if you (eat an apple), that apple never tasted so good because our taste buds had been hijacked."

Visit vanessachamberlin.com.

— To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.