In 2012, I was a sedentary Type 2 diabetic, fast-food junkie, weighed 220 pounds (at 5’2″ tall), and I was taking orals medications for diabetes three times a day. On May 26, 2012, our oldest son (then in college) asked us to watch “Forks Over Knives“—the eye-opening documentary about the correlation between food and dietary illness.

After we all watched the film, my husband (who weighed 138 lbs at the time, is an athlete, but has hereditary high cholesterol), announced that we were going to change our lives. He promptly threw out every animal product and processed food from our home and declared us 100% whole foods plant-based eaters…COLD TOFU. You would think I would have been devastated; but honestly, I was actually RELIEVED.

Being an avid cook already, this was actually a lot of fun for me. I bought cookbooks and scoured the Internet for plant-based recipes. I learned how to improve the nutrient value and quality of recipes, and as a result, my “Mrs. Plant” food blog was born. I wanted to create low-fat, whole foods plant-based recipes that families could enjoy together (even if some of the members were omnivores!). I truly had a blast diving into this new lifestyle. And, the weight started to come off–for the first time in two decades! In addition, I got off all my medications in ONLY 3 months! I was on the path to good health, and it felt fabulous.

But, I’m not going to lie to you. Though I HAVE eaten 100% plant-based (vegan) the entire time, I have had time periods where I ate more processed “vegan” foods. Immediately, my body fought back. My blood sugar spiked and my cholesterol elevated. I have learned that eating a WHOLE FOODS, plant-based, oil-free diet 90-95% of the time is the ONLY way to put diabetes (and other dietary diseases) in remission, plus lose weight and keep it off forever.

The doctor I was seeing when I got off my diabetes medications told me that he would be “out of business” if everyone became vegan. THAT WAS MY LAST APPOINTMENT WITH HIM. After searching, I found an amazing doctor in my city who was well-versed in plant-based nutrition and a true advocate. If you are looking for a plant-based doctor, check out this website. Having earned my certificate in plant-based nutrition from the T. Collin Campbell program through eCornell, my doctor began referring his patients to me for food coaching. Now, I work with individuals who have been diagnosed with dietary illnesses to change their lifestyle—both with food and exercise. I teach them to shop, cook, and move!

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