1. Welcome to FHGC! Thank you for joining us. Tell me about yourself and what keeps you blooming in your purpose?
So happy to connect with you and the community! My name is Alison, I’m from New York City and have a healthy food blog called: FoodbyMars.com where I share weekly recipes (paleo-ish, AIP, all gluten-free) to help inspire and support others to take control of their health starting in the kitchen! A bit about me and why I’ve gotten into this: I grew up in a household watching my parents and family struggle with chronic illness for their whole lives. It really impressed upon me the need to break the cycle and I’ve always been the type to want to help others. I always felt strongly that food and healthy eating was a big part of it, but I like most everyone would just follow whatever fad diets or the latest health craze were to try and be healthy. I wasn’t really ever sure of what I was doing though, looking back. I went off to school for business marketing and had been doing that until recently I fell into the very cycle I saw my parents get into – over worked, tired and struggling with health. That was a real wakeup call, finding I had real issues and symptoms that doctors couldn’t help me with – so, I put my foot down and decided I had to become educated and take control of my health by myself. I decided to go to school to become a Holistic Health Coach which then propelled me into the path to become a Holistic Nutritionist. Once I took control, I got real help through Naturopaths and Functional Medicine Doctors and was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease (an Autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid), amongst PCOS and Endometriosis. I’ve been able to make drastic improvements in my own health and have basically used myself as a guinea pig in order to help my clients with issues such as hormonal imbalances, menstrual issues, autoimmunity, changing their diet, etc. All the while, as my creative outlet and true love – COOKING and sharing my recipes! Holistic Nutrition has become a passion and mission of mine to make healthy eating and living more attainable and delicious so others can be inspired and supported along their health journey.
2. What does wellness mean to you, in one word? How are you balancing wellness in your everyday life?
Wellness means “Self-care” to me. Truly caring for yourself, mind, body and soul. I balance this in my everyday life in a number of ways. I create routines and keep tools that I know work for me such as a “Gratitude” app that I love which prompts me once in the morning and once in the evening to know what I’m thankful for. This grounds me and gives me more of an optimistic perspective daily. I also make a point of eating breakfast calmly, at home before I head out for the day. Simple prioritization of those two things set me up and frame the day for success.
3. What’s an exciting accomplishment you have made so far on your wellness journey?
Being able to get more balance with my blood sugar has been a great accomplishment. Even 6 months ago, I thought I was not addicted to sugar… how could I be, if I always read labels and significantly reduced and got rid of it? Well, in this country it’s not always that easy and is a constant journey to stay away! So by timing the way I eat and giving my digestive system proper breaks on top of being extremely mindful of sugar intake, I no longer ride the highs and lows of blood sugar imbalance.
4. The FH lifestyle is about planting your health on higher ground. What is your biggest advice to someone who is on the path to flourishing heights?
Explore loving the self above all else. Food, routines, macros, etc. all have a place once you are starting the work to love yourself. None of my own progress is ever possible without this in place. There are some great books and resources, like from Louise Hay for example or Gabrielle Bernstein to help with this. Once your head is in the game, you can make improvements like never before.