I know how hard it is because I was once in the same position.

It’s not easy to give up the foods that taste so good. Most food manufacturers today have built a business model around that very fact—capitalizing on our cravings, even at the cost of our health.

But life is short, and we owe it to ourselves to make the most of it—not to cut it even shorter.

The reason I started this foundation wasn’t just to help people—it was to create a movement. If more of us come together and get on the same page, we can drive the kind of change the world so desperately needs.

Ten years ago, I was a completely different person. You wouldn’t have recognized me. I had a sweet tooth like you wouldn’t believe and didn’t see it as a problem. Every morning started with a bowl of cereal, lunch was usually a sandwich, and dinner sometimes included a protein—but sometimes it didn’t. The one thing I never skipped was dessert. Whether I was eating at home or dining out, dessert was non-negotiable.

Then everything changed.

My wake-up call started with my chronic cystic acne, irregular bowel movements, and appendicitis. Not to mention my family history. My grandmother’s diabetes was so severe she suffered from neuropathy in her legs and had to take 13 pills a day just to manage her condition. At just 40 years old, my father was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and at age 60 with colon cancer. Thankfully he is still with us today, but now I am on a mission to change things.

My own scare came when I was pregnant with my first child at 27 years old. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Sure, I knew it was different from Type 2 diabetes, but it felt like I was staring at my future—and it terrified me.

No matter what I tried, I couldn’t get my glucose levels under control. And I wasn’t ready to rely on pills. I hated the idea of putting anything unnatural into my body, even something as common as Tylenol. The thought of taking medication during my pregnancy, when my baby’s life was entirely dependent on my decisions, was too much.

So, I made a decision: I was going to manage my blood sugar through diet, without medication.

It was the first time in my life I truly paid attention to what I was eating and started checking my blood sugar. By 36 weeks, I had completely transformed the way I looked at food.

I realized then and there that I didn’t want this cycle to define my life. I have learned so much about nutrition along the way and want to share my findings. I am now a mom of three and have seen the astounding effects of food. I want to help others because our lives should not revolve around chronic inflammation, mental disorders or other ailments caused by the foods we eat. That is not who we are, it does not define us and these ailments can be reversed.

This life is all we get—let’s make it count.