I recently had the pleasure of attending an event at Organic Avenue with the beautiful founder of Bella Life, Nitika Chopra (Myself, Nitika Chopra, Lisa Paris of Organic Avenue, and Diana Stobo the guest of honor are pictured here). The event focused on fun, simple tips and techniques that taught how to transition into a healthier lifestyle.  The presentation was given by Diana Stobo, a culinary artist and award winning author of the book “Get Naked Fast”.  Her approach to providing important health information really resonated with me.  She was not trying to preach one way of eating, or being 100% raw, or vegan or any specific label for that matter.  Diana focused on eating real, whole food that tastes good- and is good for you!  Everyone in the audience felt fully present and posed great questions.  Diana was able to keep the energy in the room light and positive throughout the presentation, which is not an easy thing to accomplish when discussing people’s health and food!

The presentation started off with a short video of Diana’s background and story of her health journey.  It was an honest and real depiction of her challenges and struggles, which I felt gave people in the audience a sense of hope.  To see the person in the video compared to the amazing woman standing before us proved that our bodies are capable of miraculous change when we learn how to treat it right. 

During the presentation Diana covered key things she learned throughout her transformation and I would like to share some of them with you.  An essential point Diana made is that the quality of the food that you put into your body directly impacts your health.  Beginning to listen to your body and being conscious of the origin of the food you are eating is the first step.  Diana emphasized that our body does not count calories it counts nutrients, so it is not about putting restrictions on ourselves, it is about nourishing our bodies with foods that are high in vitamins and minerals.  For instance, a sandwich from Subway may be low in calories and fat, but when you consider the nutritional content of the ingredients, such as iceberg lettuce, processed bread, and high sodium cold cuts, you begin to see that you are actually depriving your body of the nutrients it needs.  Learning what is right for your body takes time, be patient with yourself and take it one meal at a time.

She also discussed the main foods that result in toxicity in your body, which include dairy, meat, wheat, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and salt.  Looking at the list I know you are probably thinking, “what am I supposed to eat?”- Do not worry, you are not expected to eliminate each of these foods from your diet completely.  This list is referring to the heavily processed versions that are prevalent in today’s standard American diet.  There are many healthy alternatives you have to choose from when you focus on eating foods in their whole, original form. Options like brown rice instead of white, whole grains like quinoa, millet, amaranth, as well as sea salt and raw honey are all high in a variety of vitamins and minerals.  There are even tasty dairy free ice creams available made of coconut, almond, or rice milks. Diana used a metaphor of a glass of water to help the audience not feel overwhelmed, explaining that cleansing and keeping your body healthy is about lowering the body’s toxicity level, not about becoming 100% toxin free.  That is actually quite impossible for any of us to do, unless we are living on a tropical island with no stress.   Determining how to maintain a balance of having the glass remain about half full should be your overall goal. 

The second half of the presentation was a food demonstration where Diana showed the audience how to make two quick and simple recipes using a food processor.  The first was a Zucchini Hummus with tahini and a variety of spices that was light and flavorful.  We were able to sample it with raw veggies, and it would also be a great sandwich spread or addition to a salad.  The second recipe was Walnut-Pecan Brownies that were sweetened with dates.  As a chocolate lover I have to say that they were a little piece of heaven, and a great thing to end the night with!

Overall it was an inspiring presentation and I hope one thing that you can take away from this article is that your body is a miraculous healing machine. No matter what state you are currently in, it is never too late to transform your life and health.  Your first step is having the willingness to change!