You see, I was that kid with the allergies. Not the kind with the medic alert bracelet who couldn't eat peanuts on field trips, but the kind you could always hear breathing. It was so bad that at five years old I had my adenoids removed and had to get weekly immunotherapy shots to treat my dust allergy.

Like most kids, I loved breakfast cereal; but, when I stopped drinking milk because of my lactose intolerance, something surprising happened. My breathing got easier, and my allergy symptoms virtually disappeared!

Over the years, I gradually removed most eggs and dairy from my diet, and that was no easy feat! I still believe that everything tastes better with sharp cheddar cheese. So no, I’m not a hero. I didn't decide to become a vegan for a noble cause like trying to save the planet or defending animal-rights. I simply wanted to feel better.

my confession...

I never planned on becoming vegetarian. It all started with a bet. Really. I was 12 years old when my track-and-field coach challenged me to, "see who can be vegetarian the longest." A handshake sealed the deal, and I'm still winning! 

I had no idea that becoming vegetarian would define my life's mission and turn me into an “accidental” health advocate.

To my surprise, my best customers weren’t from affluent neighborhoods. They were people of color whose neighborhoods were smattered with liquor stores and littered with alcohol and cigarette billboards! Though many showed interest in buying our cookbooks, I knew that they would be hard-pressed to find good quality produce in their local grocery stores. 

I was incensed! Sadly, many of these people couldn’t afford health insurance, and I quickly realized that the information I had about preventive health could literally save their lives.

And so, I became a voracious student of preventive health, learning everything I could about how to help people live optimally. Yet I never imagined that I would go to school graduate school in America's only Blue Zone—one of five regions in the world with the longest living people and the lowest rates of chronic disease! As a student of health psychology at Loma Linda University, I had opportunity to work with the landmark Adventist Health Study where we uncovered some of the secrets to good health and longevity. This website exists because I can no longer, in good conscience, keep them to myself!  

To be honest, I didn't become passionate about health until I got to college. As a broke college student, I sold health books door-to-door to raise money for my tuition.

While there are many lifestyle factors that are important for overall wellness, my years of study and experience in running holistic health programs have led me the conclusion that changing one's diet may be the single most important thing a person can do to revolutionize their health and improve their quality of life, and that's how I became the Plant Powered Docta!