I spent this past weekend at Natural Products Expo East in one of my favorite cities—Boston! I was not only surrounded by tons of new beauty and food samples (more to come in later posts), but I met a lot of noteworthy people, too!
Alicia Silverstone was the keynote speaker, and I had the opportunity to chat with her afterward. An environment and animal activist, she is also the author of The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet. The first thing that struck me about Alicia was her non-preachy style of speaking. She understands that veganism has a certain stigma attached to it, but she’s on a mission to prove that if you’re up for trying a recipe or two, you’ll soon learn–just as she did–that it can be a delicious lifestyle. She actually decided to become a vegan for ethical, not health reasons, claiming that she knew nothing about nutrition at the time.
It has been a real-life journey for her, and that’s what makes Alicia relatable to her fans. She loves towing the line between hippie and full-blown businesswoman, and does a fabulous job doing so. Not to mention, she looks and feels better than she did at 19! But she experienced many stages–from going raw to adopting a macrobiotic diet–to find the right balance of vegan lifestyle. Instantly, she experienced more energy, felt “lighter,” and got rid of her allergies. Although a raw food diet did not end up working for her, that was when she really tapped into the “sexiness” of food—wanting, seeking, even craving the freshest local and organic foods possible. And only Alicia can sell sexy with kindness.
Alicia truly believes that she sees a softer side of people when they change their eating habits. I’ve seen this in my own practice as well–as people become more comfortable in their own skin, and proud of what they are putting in their bodies on a daily basis, they let go of the irritability factor. Clients are suddenly satisfied, not hungry all the time. They no longer feel restricted by what they can’t eat but rather empowered, because they’re learning all about what they can eat! Alicia strives to “meet people where they are” and simply “spread the kind” in her innate, soft-natured way. As it turns out, meeting people where they are and taking their nutrition up a notch is one of my philosophies too. Progress starts with trying something new, or making one small change toward a Nutritious Life. Go Alicia!
For more on Alicia, visit her blog at Thekindlife.com.
