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Introduction

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a burning desire to be creative. I never imagined what form that creativity would end up taking or how I would express that feeling until five years ago when, as a last-ditch effort to help heal my skin, I realized I needed to overhaul my eating habits.

You’re probably wondering what I mean by that. What could I have been eating that was so bad? Let me paint a picture for you. Like most college students, I was downing two to three energy drinks per day to stay awake longer, all the while eating disturbing amounts of fast food during study breaks. I was truly the picture of un-health. I had never given even a cursory glance at a nutrition label, nor thought twice about the obvious connection between how tired and unhappy I felt and the food I was eating. I’ve always had a fast metabolism, so I never thought I had to worry about my diet. The late-night pizza and excess drinking definitely led to some weight gain, but not enough for it to be a big concern of mine. My skin, on the other hand, was worse than it had ever been. I have suffered from cystic hormonal acne since I was fourteen years old. I’m not talking about your run-of-the-mill, puberty-induced breakouts. I’m talking unrelenting, deep carbuncles covering my entire face, neck, chest, and back, leaving long-lasting scars, pain, and embarrassment. You’d never catch me without pounds of makeup on my face. I tried absolutely everything to get rid of my acne, from topical solutions to prescription medications. Nothing worked.

When I was twenty-five, a few years out of college, I came across an online article discussing the connection between diet and acne, and suddenly that relationship clicked for me. I began reading books on the topic and researching incessantly—and I changed my relationship with food almost instantly. I began to read ingredient lists on packaged foods; for the first time I noticed if something was organic, non-GMO, and most importantly, nutritious. I started cutting out all of the processed stuff and focused on eating real foods that came from the earth. I greatly reduced my intake of refined sugars, dairy, and gluten to see what I might be sensitive to. The results were pretty miraculous. Not only did my skin clear up and actually begin to glow but also my whole body felt incredible. I was hooked on real, unprocessed food and this new healthy lifestyle. I felt an overall improvement in my state of well-being; the anxiety, irritability, moodiness, and brain fog all decreased. Though it wasn’t my main goal, I even ended up losing nearly 20 pounds simply by cutting out all the inflammatory foods. I had never felt so confident in my own skin, literally. It was as if my body were screaming, “THANK YOU!” for finally giving it the nutrients it needed to function properly.

Now here’s something I never thought I’d say: I am grateful for my acne because it’s what brought me to this place. I launched an Instagram account called Vibrant and Pure to document my journey to health and to share the meals I was creating. I quickly realized my passion wasn’t just creating inventive, healthy meals; it was also in making food look as beautiful as it was nutritious. That was because I began to focus intensely on food styling. I’d go to sleep thinking about ways to combine flavors, how best to present them, and what colors (all natural, of course) went best together. I’d wake up and jump out of bed, ready to execute those ideas. The most thrilling part was that people really started to take notice.

A few years later, after developing and honing a unique style, and even starting some major food trends, I still wake up every morning excited to create and share my recipes with the world. Vibrant & Pure is a food experience for your mouth and your eyes.