Recent graduate Shannon Lavin Vanjoske is starting her own health revolution. Co-author of a children's book on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, blogger and health coach, Shannon is doing it all. She was recently featured on a popular blog called the Ingredient Critic based out of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. Below is a portion of her interview. You can read the entire interview here.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Shannon Lavin Vanjoske and I am a certified holistic health and nutrition coach. I own a private health coaching practice called “mother + earth wellness” that focuses on healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices for individuals and their families. The cornerstone of my business is advocating for a plant-strong, vegan diet. In addition to my health coachig practice, I recently co-authored Regan the Vegan, a children’s book promoting the health benefits of living a plant-strong lifestyle with illustrations and words even a child can understand. Also, I manage a health and wellness blog featuring plant-strong recipes, healthy living tips, and information about natural birth and eco-parenting. You can find my blog at www.motherplusearth.blogspot.com.

I received my holistic health coaching certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). In addition, I hold a B.S. degree in Professional Strategic Communication from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

I live in Ramsey, Minnesota with my husband Aaron, one-year old son Regan, rescue cat Kermie, and rescue pups Daisy and Dudley. What gets me up and going each morning is my son’s beautiful smile and knowing I am making a difference in promoting better health, happiness, peace on earth!

What are some basic, every day, fundamentals of nutrition you would like to share with us?

I think the biggest thing I’d like to share is to be critical about the foods they feed their bodies. Research shows over and over again that food quality and lifestyle factors are directly related to overall health and wellness. Toxicity and deficiency will ultimately lead to sickness and disease whereas nutrient-dense foods will help the body function at its optimal level – bringing health, happiness, and energy with it. To say it another way—think twice about feeding your body calories with little or no nutritional value, especially salt, sugar, oils and saturated fats, and processed foods such as white flour. Hippocrates said it best,

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

On a slightly different note, it’s also important to consider other areas of life that give each of us nourishment. If a job or relationship has you stressed out every hour of every day, eating broccoli and kale for every meal won’t lead to optimal health. It’s about finding the perfect balance between healthy foods and healthy lifestyle choices.

To find our more about the Health Coach Training Program visit https://www.integrativenutrition.com/curriculum

You can find Shannon on Facebook here.