Hi, I’m carissa.

A woman with long blonde hair smiling at the camera, sitting in a kitchen with wooden cabinets, surrounded by red and yellow apples.

I am a Physician Assistant (PA-C) having graduated in 2011. Our training did not include a lot of nutrition and it took many years for me to learn the benefit of nutrition in medicine. In 2022, my husband came home and declared that he wanted to try eating Whole Food, Plant Based for 1 month. His cholesterol was high and his doctor was recommending medication, which he did NOT want to take. We had both been talking about making better food choices but to say I was taken by surprise, is an understatement. My meat loving, dairy with every meal husband, (with 2 meat box subscriptions!) was going to give it all up? I told him he would have to do the cooking, which he took on without hesitation and soon I was convinced.

One month later, I saw his energy improve, he was down 10 lbs and most importantly, his cholesterol was normal! At that point, I was in too. Together, we read books, did research, ensured we were getting all the nutrients we needed and quickly learned that eating Whole Food, Plant Based was the best choice for our health. We were eating a greater variety of food, trying new flavors and discovering how delicious plants can be.

In 2024, I left my job as a Physician Assistant to take care of my family. In 2025, I became a licensed Food for Life Instructor for the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine and saw it as a way to share the nutritional benefits of plant-based eating AND help people actually incorporate it into their lives. While I was working, patients would ask what THEY could do to help whatever their problem happened to be, and for so long, vague lifestyle recommendations and medications were the answer. Patients were wanting an alternative to medications and wanting to be proactive to prevent disease. However, the most common response to my suggestion of a plant based diet was “OK, but HOW do I do this?” That is where I want to be of help. If you are interested in eating foods that nourish your body, improve your health, but also taste delicious and satisfying, check out my classes and let’s get started!