my story

"I was overweight as a child, addicted to sugar, and suffering with digestion issues, allergies, mood swings, and chronic aches & pains.  Even after losing the excess weight, I still suffered from a long list of chronic health complaints well into my 30s - that made me puffy, moody, fatigued, allergic, and in chronic pain all the time.  After years of popping Advil like candy and visiting doctor after doctor hoping they could solve my perplexing health issues... I finally found the answers right at the end of my own fork! 

 

a magic seed was planted...

It all kind of started with chia seeds. Within a few days of adding 2 spoonfuls of those magic seeds to my daily smoothie - my digestion, mood and my energy improved immensely. I could not believe that this one little seed could have such a big impact on my health. 

 

bye bye pain

Next was the gluten. For years, it just didn't seem right that a healthy young woman would have chronic aches and pains all the time.  I didn't know what else to do but take Advil to manage the pain - I would pop them like candy.  Years ago, I had come across gluten as a possible culprit for pain - I was tested for celiac disease - but the doctor told me that the test was negative, so I could eat wheat and gluten to my hearts desire. So I did, for years.  I later learned that you can react to gluten, even if you don't have celiac disease. So I thought to myself - what do I have to lose giving up gluten for a short while?  Turns out a lot - I lost my brain fog, mood swings and finally my chronic aches and pains started melting away!  The girl who had cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, pretzels for snacks, and pasta for dinner - gladly gave those all up.  I hadn't felt this great in years.  Surprisingly, when I gave up gluten - not only did I get rid of my pain, I was also no longer reacting to pollen, trees, and grasses anymore!  My "seasonal" allergies went away too, because I was not inflamed from the inside out anymore.

​

the break up

Not long after, I decided to tackle the sugar.  I remember it well.  It was just before Halloween in fact.  I had bought the giant bag of candy to hand out to trick or treaters already.  And usually, I would be sneaking one or two here and there leading up to Oct. 31st.  But not one bit of candy crossed my lips that Halloween.  No more ice cream or cookies either. My energy went through the roof, my mood stabilized even more, and eventually even my cravings went away & my tastebuds changed.  The super sweet things I used to love tasted sickly sweet to me now.  But perhaps the most dramatic and surprising was that I remember looking in the mirror after about a week - thinking that I looked like I was reverse aging!!

 

I found my calling

I decided that just by adding one tiny little seed to my diet could make such an impact on my health - I knew I had to learn more about the power of foods as medicine.  So in 2010, I signed up to attend The Natural Healing Institute, to obtain my Clinical Nutritionist certification.  I vividly remember sitting in class night after night getting my mind blown - because I was learning that most of what I had been taught about nutrition in the past was wrong!  Wait, cutting fats from a recipe doesn't make it healthier?  Sugar isn't just harmless empty calories? I thought to myself - no wonder so many of us struggle with out weight and our health? We can't get good results from all this bad info.  I could not wait to start to share the knowledge I was getting with others!

 

the key to health - the metabolism

Shortly after getting my nutrition certification, I had a lot of women asking if I would lead a

cleanse. As I was putting together the materials, I realized that people don't just want to clean up

their diet for a few weeks, they want to create lasting change!  I knew that the way to do that was

to reset the underlying metabolism. So I set out to create a cleanse focused on rebooting the

metabolism.  From that cleanse, my book - The Perfect Metabolism Plan - was born. It busts

through all the myths and bad nutrition advice that has led us to this state of stubborn weight gain,

poor sleep, mood swings, and increased disease risk. The real secret to reaching vibrant health

and our optimal weight - is to reset the metabolism. The Perfect Metabolism Plan breaks it down 

into 10 keys. 

 

nutritious and delicious

I think a lot of people believe that healthy food does not taste good - it has that reputation for being like cardboard. That is one of my favorite nutrition myths to bust!  I am a foodie - I love food!!  I don't do "bland, and I don't expect anyone else to either.  I love to tinker in the kitchen - creating recipes that are both delicious and nutritious. I firmly believe that we do not have to sacrifice taste to make healthy choices.  All of my programs and books include recipes that are both delicious and nutritious. 

​

I am extremely passionate about teaching about natural approaches to health and how to use foods and supplements to balance the metabolism and overall health.  

 

Sara Vance

Nutritionist & Author of

The Perfect Metabolism Plan