In this inspiring saga of perseverance and self-discovery, Amie Valpone describes how she created her personal Recipe for Happiness by completely revising her diet, her career, and her lifestyle over six tense years. Now a personal chef and culinary nutritionist based in Manhattan, Allrecipes met her in June at the Seattle BlogHer Food conference. She is editor-in-chief of The Healthy Apple, a professional recipe developer, and food writer specializing in simple gluten-free ‘clean’ recipes for the home cook. You can find her recipes and blog at TheHealthyApple.com. For starters, how do Flourless Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cupcakes sound?
(Spread more happiness, and help Allrecipes.com celebrate its 15th anniversary! Share a special moment in your life by posting a photo here of your special #RecipeForHappiness!)
It started one spring afternoon six years ago. I was working at Vogue magazine in New York and day after day I felt tight, painful swelling in my legs. It wasn’t just any swelling, either. I’m talking about 20-30 pounds of water weight that would fill my legs every day by around 4:00 p.m. Nightmare? Yes, a living nightmare. So while I was wearing pencil skirts and skinny jeans to work, my legs would be busting out of them by my afternoon snack time. I tried everything, researched everything, went to every doctor under the sun; I even trekked out to Mayo Clinic only to have them tell me that the tests showed nothing appeared to be wrong but that I needed to be on steroids, pain killers and water pills for the rest of my life. Well, if you know anything about me— I don’t settle. And I surely don’t give up.
So, I went back to school to study integrative medicine. I knew something was not right with my body and I was not going to spend the rest of my life taking drugs that acted as band-aids to cover up my problems. There was a reason my body was reacting by swelling; there was a reason my white blood cells were chronically low. Yet, after countless bone marrow biopsies, blood tests, MRI’s, CT scans, scope and camera tests, the doctors had no answers except, “Take this drug…this will help you”. Yes, some medicines did take the pain away, but did they help my problems? Were the doctors listening to me? Were they even taking more than five minutes to understand my pain? No, no and no. They did none of that. They just simply sent me on my way and acted totally complacent telling me that I was a ‘medical mystery.’ With every doctor’s visit, I became inspired to learn what was going on inside my body and how I could heal myself.
And so, after six long years of dealing with Western medicine, I decided to explore an M.D. working with integrative medicine. I simply had nowhere else to turn. And guess what? Within five minutes he knew what was wrong with me: heavy metal accumulation. But Mayo Clinic and every hospital in the country tested my heavy metals. I was a bit confused until I found out that these Western doctors only tested for heavy metals in my blood, whereas integrative medicine tests the heavy metals in body tissue, as well. Sure enough, my test results came back and I was in the danger zone for everything from mercury, lead, arsenic and beyond…the list went on and on. Yet, the heavy metals in my blood were perfect. During those six years I spent more money on Western medicine doctors than it costs to buy a Manhattan apartment, and just five minutes with an integrative medicine doctor, I was diagnosed. The doctor also discovered I was born without a gene to absorb a necessary detoxifier, folate. This meant that the pesticides on every piece of fruit I ate and the mercury in every can of tuna I ate stayed in my body for my entire life. The result of this led my stomach to expand so much that I looked like I was nine months pregnant- and you can only imagine the pain from the swelling. I had the mercury fillings in my teeth removed, which had to be done by a special doctor so that the mercury wasn’t drawn to my brain and organs. Then I had to go through and still am currently going through IV chelation, a procedure that draws the heavy metals out of the body.
Needless to say, it’s been quite a year. Or shall I say six years? But the story ends well. Today, I am feeling great and have learned how tough and resilient I am. I never gave up. That’s right—not even after Mayo Clinic told me I was crazy and that nothing was wrong with me. I was and still am a fighter; I found the answers to my problems without relying on drugs. Instead, I listened to my body and am healing myself through good food—it led me to quit my corporate jobs and work with helping people heal and enjoy life through real, whole foods. I had to cut out most seafood, dairy, gluten, soy, sugar and anything out of an aluminum can, which left me with lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains. You may think this is tough to do but it has become such a regular part of my life that I don’t even think twice about it. I travel on airplanes with avocados and hard boiled eggs; I enjoy veggie filled omelets in the morning; I snack on nuts and seeds throughout my day and I create colorful lunches and dinners packed with veggies, avocado, nuts, seeds and lean proteins such as fish, organic chicken and turkey. Naturally gluten-free, naturally dairy-free, naturally soy-free, yet so delicious.
As a personal chef and culinary nutritionist in Manhattan I work with many clients in NYC and LA who like to label themselves ‘gluten-free’ or ‘vegan’, but it’s not about eating gluten-free cupcakes and vegan cookies all day; it’s about moderation and giving your body what it wants. It’s about feeling your best every day and if that means eating a bison burger with kale and sweet potato fries or a Greek yogurt parfait with granola and fresh berries, then go for it! Life isn’t about labels. It’s not about eating out of a box. Life is about eating real, whole foods straight from Mother Nature. And that means sweet to savory. For ideas, check out my recipe for
Flourless, Dark Chocolate-Pistachio Cupcakes, a
Chia Teff Salad with Lemon Scallion Dressing, or
Grilled Cherry Guacamole. You’ll find plenty of inspiration on
Allrecipes.com, too. How about preparing this easy
Chicken and Rice Soup, or making your own, better than store-bought
Avocado Green Goddess Dressing?
 |
| Gluten-free, Flourless, Dark Chocolate-Pistachio Cupcakes (Photo by Amie Valpone) |
 |
| Chia Teff Salad with Lemon-Scallion Dressing (Photo by Amie Valpone) |
And for those of you who are wondering…I quit my corporate job last year and I have never been happier. After being told I had 24 hours to live last April, my entire life turned around and I am feeling great. The best part is that I spend my days working with my private clients in Manhattan and L.A., cooking for them, visiting the farmers markets for fresh produce and helping them learn how easy it is to eat real food at every meal and snack. I show them how fun it can be to prepare delicious, wholesome foods for themselves and their families. I also travel the country speaking about clean eating and motivating people to toss the medications and figure out what their body is trying to tell them. In many cases, ailments can be healed through food. And that’s just the beginning.
I’m leaving you with my favorite recipe that’s healthy and easy to create. It’s the recipe that got me through my pain and kept me smiling day in and day out. It’s perfect for breakfast with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a piece of whole grain toast or for lunch atop a bed of greens- you can even serve it as a snack with some hummus and fresh salsa. Now we’re talkin’. Dig in and have a bite. I assure you--you’ll be a quinoa fan in no time.
Bon Appetite from
TheHealthyApple.com!
Crispy Quinoa Bites
The Incas knew a good thing! Discover quinoa, a protein-packed, versatile grain that's an ancient staple in South American diets. Try it in these crisp gluten-free, vegetarian snacks everyone will enjoy.
Quantity: 12
Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup uncooked black rice
2 large eggs
1 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
1 cup dairy-free, shredded mozzarella cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1/3 cup grape tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 chives, finely chopped, for garnish
2 cups of homemade tomato sauce, for serving
Instructions
1. Cook quinoa and rice according to package directions. Prepare muffin pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa and rice with remaining ingredients, except chives and tomato sauce; mix well to combine.
4. Transfer quinoa and rice mixture to prepared muffin pan. Using a tablespoon, fill each muffin cup to the top, then using a spatula, press down on the mixture to create a flat surface.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Using a teaspoon, gently remove rice and quinoa snacks from the muffin cups.
6. Transfer to a serving platter; serve with a sprinkle of fresh chives and a side of tomato sauce for dipping.
