Healthy food wasn’t always my thing. I grew up eating “healthy” home-cooked meals, school lunches, pizza, and other typical adolescent fare. I discovered quite by accident that I’m a good cook, and that revelation helped me transition from knowing nothing about cooking to helping people learn how to heal their bodies using food.
My culinary journey started around 10 years ago, when I was a newlywed. I had no experience cooking anything, but I wanted to make my new husband a home-cooked dinner. I would ask him, “What do you want?” He would reply something like, “Hmm, chicken pot pie?” I was lucky to never have reached for a box of mix for anything, and experimented making all of my dishes from scratch. I was pleasantly surprised when he would invariably reply, “Hey, this is delicious!” I had uncovered a hidden talent!
After we were married, my husband was promptly enrolled in graduate school, earning his master’s degree in acupuncture and oriental medicine. I recognized that our future involved helping people increase and maintain their health, thus making rich, heavy meals was not compatible with this goal nor would it help me keep my figure.
I discovered the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas, where we lived. It is an all vegan, macrobiotic culinary school. On a whim, I attended a free cooking demo they were having. This was pivotal for me. During the demo, they discussed philosophy, food energetics, thermal properties, disease treatment and prevention, western scientific nutrition, and myriad other concepts I had never even knew existed. I fell in love with the concept that I could continue to cook delicious meals and help myself and people around me become healthy and whole again. I was ecstatic to have found this amazing resource to expand and hone my natural talent! I enrolled immediately.
I graduated from the three-year program in 2008. This allowed me to work for places like Whole Foods Market, Casa de Luz, a macrobiotic restaurant, and for myself as a personal chef. Before long, people started asking me to teach about cooking and health. This triggered the recollection of an event that took place when I was still in high school. Once, in French class, my teacher was struggling to express to the class how the game we were to play that day worked. She asked me if I could help her explain it. Afterward my teacher said, “Lindsey, you have the gift of being able to explain things simply and gently! You should be a teacher!”
Remembering her words of encouragement, I figured I’d give teaching a try. After all, sharing the knowledge of healthy cooking felt like it would be the most rewarding use of my talent. Although a single class takes me about 20 hours to write, prep, set up, teach, and clean up, it is always gratifying. I always feel so happy entertaining and teaching my students.
Another pivotal moment for me occurred about three years ago when I saw the documentary, “Forks over Knives.” The premise of the film is that by making wise choices about what is on the end of your fork, you avoid going under the surgeon’s knife. It is a great introductory film explaining the relationship between dietary habits and diseases. I was so excited I actually bought the T-shirt before the movie ever premiered and even called both theatres here in Mountain Home to ask if they would be showing it. If you haven’t seen this movie, run out and get it or just put it in your Netflix queue.
After this movie came out, I wanted to be more involved in the community that was producing and disseminating this kind of education for the health of our people and our planet. I discovered the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a non-profit organization committed to the study of plant-based nutrition on human health and disease. I started following them on Pinterest; they post current peer-reviewed articles and fabulous recipes. One day they posted, “Become a Food For Life Instructor.” I read over the requirements and called Erik over to the computer to look. Excitedly he said, “That’s you, they are looking for you!”
I immediately began the involved application process. I had to submit an application, resume, background check, referral letters, and a video of me teaching one of my classes. They called me for a phone interview, which went well, and one month later I received a call that I had been chosen! It was an extreme honor and privilege. They accept only 20 of the best of the best medical doctors, registered dieticians, and chefs from across the country.
Our whole family took the trip to Washington D.C. and had an amazing time exploring the city, especially Erik and our daughter, Cora. I had the wonderful opportunity to train alongside doctors, nurses, and registered dietitians. While studying there, I met the president of PCRM, Dr. Neal Barnard. He has authored and co-authored numerous research articles and books advocating plant-based nutrition. PCRM’s “Food for Life” program is a nutritional class series designed by physicians, nutrition experts, and registered dietitians. The classes are extremely effective in introducing attendees to new foods, recipes, and health education that make eating a plant-based diet easy and fun.
I am now offering the Food For Life class series right here in my hometown! I am certified to teach “Kickstart your Health,” “Prevent and Reverse Diabetes,” “Prevention and Recovery: Cancer,” and “Kid’s Health.” You can learn more by visiting fflclasses.org and cook-to-live.com. My class schedules, as well as other classes around the country, are listed there. I hope to see you there soon! M! December 2013/November 2014
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