Hi there, thanks for stopping by today! I am Melissa Torio and I became a Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert in 2016. I am passionate about helping others live simpler and healthier lives. I hope this blog will help you along your own health journey as well!
My journey towards healthier eating and simpler living sort of started when I had my first child in 2009. I wanted non-toxic products and organic food for my family. I also wanted to plant a backyard garden so my son would learn where food came from. My son had eczema when he was little and he began to have less flare-ups when we took conventional dairy out of our diet. Over the years, we have cleaned up our products and diet even more.
I learned about kombucha from my sister who was brewing her own. I started brewing kombucha in 2015 and have not stopped ever since. Check out the Kombucha Brewing Guide I wrote for the Academy of Culinary Nutrition blog!
xo,
Melissa
My Food Philosophy: Don’t Scrimp on Real Food
There are some things my family will scrimp on to save money, and real food is not one of them.
Eat real food.
Avoid processed food. Make meals from scratch.
Eat organic.
No GMOs. Eat organic fruits and vegetables, as much as money allows, local when possible. Grow your own, that is as local as it gets.
No gluten or conventional dairy. Pasture-raised meat and eggs, and sustainable seafood, if any.
Avoid gluten. Drink non-dairy milk, but will eat grass-fed butter, raw milk cheese and kefir.
Get pasture-raised, non-GMO-fed meat and eggs from the local farm.
Consume fermented foods daily.
Have some kombucha, kefir or cultured vegetables every day.
Drink clean water.
Filter toxins especially fluoride out of drinking water.