Thinking about food is the center of my intellectual life. I love food. I do a lot of reading about food and the food industry, so I try to hold myself accountable for the impact that my personal choices in my lifestyle and diet has on my overall health, my community, and our planet.

Meal planning is key when it comes to avoiding processed food. It is important to plan your meals because when you become hungry without a plan, you begin to look for a quick option, which more than likely ends up in a drive thru!

Fresh food access and lack of nutrition education in low-income communities are huge issues, and although I can’t tackle them on my own, I’m hoping to at least show that you don’t have to compromise your health to save money.

The first few times that I completed a fast, it was for weight loss. I would try to prepare for a vacation, an outing, or a major event that was planned. Although it may have proved to be effective for a few weeks, the weight would eventually come back on and bring a couple of extra pounds for good measure.

I stopped eating beef and pork in 2005, assuming that red meat was the cause of my weight isssues. Ten years later that theory proved to be flawed. Around 2012, I started to learn about the food industry and the effects of genetically modified foods. I started to add more plant based foods into my diet. In 2016, I stopped eating chicken completely. This was a big deal for me because I used to love eating chicken wings. My friends would refer to me as a baby chicken because I ate so much of it. As of this year, 2017, I have not consumed any type of animal flesh as I removed seafood from my diet as well.

I created this meal planning and shopping guide because it is necessary to cleanse your body with macronutrients that promote wellness and aids in the detoxification process. Even if you never see yourself removing animal products and processed foods from your diet indefinitely, this meal plan will help you to introduce more whole foods that will help your body in the long run.