Plant-Based Changed My Life—And I Swore I’d Never Do It: Gigi Carter

Gigi Carter’s Journey to Vibrant Health

In this powerful episode, Gigi shares how a high cholesterol diagnosis became the catalyst for shifting from a corporate career in aerospace to becoming a whole food, plant-based advocate and educator. Alongside her partner, Sersie Blue, she now helps others embrace the Daniel Fast—a spiritual and dietary reset through their platform DanielsPlate.com.

We explore how plant-based eating not only improved Gigi’s physical health but also unleashed unexpected energy, mental clarity, and a renewed sense of purpose that led her to thrive in her 40s and 50s—running boot camps, bike racing, and helping others do the same.

From the power of community and faith in sustaining healthy habits to surprising superfoods like natto, Gigi offers wisdom for anyone looking to age vibrantly, live intentionally, and reset their health—without chasing perfection.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Gigi reversed high cholesterol and gained energy with plants
• What the Daniel Fast really is—and how it fits into a long-term lifestyle
• The dangers of perfectionism and how to bounce back after slip-ups
• The slimy, stringy, surprising superfood you might be missing
• How food can ignite purpose, clarity, and confidence in midlife
• Why aging well starts at the end of your fork—and continues with movement

https://danielsplate.com/

https://www.instagram.com/danielsplaterecipes

Follow us and reach out at:
Email: lauren@agelikeabadassmother.com
Facebook: @WellElephant
Instagram: @agelikeabadassmother

#GigiCarter, #PlantBasedTransformation, #HealthyOver40, #MidlifeReinvention, #ReverseCholesterolNaturally, #WholeFoodPlantBased, #FitnessAfter40, #WomenInWellness, #AgePositiveLiving, #AgeLikeABadassMother, GenX, #Podcast,

Transcript

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Hi, friend. When a high cholesterol diagnosis rocked her world, Gigi Carter didn't just change her diet, she changed her life. She left a career in aerospace, found purpose in plants, and hit her stride in her 40s and 50s, running boot camps and racing bikes. Stick around until the end for the slimy, stringy superfoods she swears by and why you might need it, too. But before we jump in, if you would like to explore whole food plant based eating, head over to my website. Well, elephant.com. I've got free recipes and a cookbook for you. And if you're really ready to take control of your health while you're there, check out my ace Plant-Based Eating Course. It's how I reversed my heart disease and lost 20 pounds over ten years ago. Now let's talk to Gigi Carter. Hi friend, I'm Lauren Bernick and I'm flipping the script about growing older. From rebels and rule breakers to wellness warriors and wise women. My guests have been influencers since before that was even a thing, and we're not even close to finished. Welcome to age like a badass mother. Gigi Carter is a certified nutritionist, Ms.. Diplomat and certified lifestyle medicine professional through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine along with her business partner, Searcy Blue. These ladies are passionate about sharing the power of plant based nutrition and faith. Together, they created Daniel's Plate com, a whole food plant based recipe website designed to nourish your body, honor your faith, and live with purpose. Please welcome Gigi Carter. Hi, Katie. Hi, Lauren. How are you? I'm doing fantastic. Yeah. Good, good. So, originally, Searcy was going to join us. Your partner, partner in crime. But, so we ran into some difficulties, but, But so can you just tell me maybe start with your story. And if you want to talk about Searcy as well. Yeah. That would be good. And just tell tell me how you guys got into this, but to first start with you first. Yeah, absolutely. So, my story goes back to 2007. I was, I just went in for a routine wellness exam with my doctor, and he diagnosed me with high cholesterol. And he also did this carotid artery scan on my neck, you know, just to see how much plaque was building up. And it showed that I had the arteries of a 46 year old, but I was only 35 years old at the time. And, he wanted to put me on a statin drug, you know? And so it just kind of shocked me because I had just always thought you had to be like, you know, like elderly or, you know, much older than 35 to be on a statin drug. And so it was a it was a wake up call for me. Honestly, I around that same time I learned about the work of doctor Dean Ornish, who is a very famous lifestyle medicine doctor who published some groundbreaking work back in the 1990s. So this was like a decade earlier. When he published his work. And it showed basically that you could reverse heart disease with a whole food plant based nutrition plan, and some other lifestyle techniques and, when I learned about what a whole food plant based diet was, I kind of was like, no, I'm not going to give up my cheese. I'm not going to give up my fish. I'm not going to, you know, I had that mindset. And so, not wanting to take the statin drug, I decided that I would do what the government said was a healthy diet, and I chuckled now. Because it's hard to love, but this just makes me cry. You know why they're so fucking? It's hysterical because it got so thick. Because we now know that, you know, it's not a healthy dietary pattern. That's terrible because so many people probably do that. I know I won't follow the guy. All right, so keep going. You're like, carry on, carry on. So. So what I did and and honestly, when I, you know, back then my, my head frame was all around. Did it taste good? That's all I cared about, you know, did it taste good? And, you know, I was working in a corporate job, doing a lot of business travel. So we would go out to restaurants, and you know, do the fine dining stuff. And it was all about, you know, it was all about what tasted good to me. It had nothing to do with what was healthy or good for me. And so for me, what I did, was I ate less red meat, ate less full fat dairy, and basically tried to, add more fruits and vegetables to my nutrition plan. And to be honest with you, my cholesterol went down slightly, not to the normal range. It was still borderline high, and it was there for about five years. And I ended up, kind of going into that perimenopause phase where I started gaining weight. I was feeling very sluggish and everything. And so I, I was still trying to do this government diet and I, a friend of mine was like, hey, you know, I, I've been looking at this master cleanse and I don't know, have you heard that now? I did, oh, I did. I did. Everything. Good there. Yes. That was the cayenne pepper and the maple sirup and the lemon juice. That's right, that's right. I can throw up thinking about. I know, I know, I can still taste it. In the back of my mind, like. How bad and how. Long did you do that? Did I do. That? I did it for five days. She. She did it for the full ten. I survived five days. And then I did. 3 to 5 days. Yeah. Like I'm going to puke. I know, I know. And so what happened for me was, you know, in the protocol, it says when you're coming off of it, you have to eat vegetable broth or, you know, vegetable broth, fresh vegetables, fruit for about three days. Before you go back to your quote unquote, normal healthy diet. And so I did that, and I actually tried the Master Cleanse because I was like, okay, I didn't do the five days. Maybe I need to try it again. Maybe I need to try to do the full ten. And, you know, I did it again. Still couldn't make it to ten days, but I did the transition. So I had done this or attempted to do the Master Cleanse a few times in this one year. And then I noticed I was like, wow, you know what? I feel great during the transition. I was like, wow. I feel like I didn't feel good doing the cleanse. I didn't feel good eating my normal diet. But I literally I noticed the difference in how I felt for those three days when I was just eating vegetables and fruits now, and so that was kind of, you know, kind of a flag for me to say. Maybe I need to go. This is where my head was at. Adopt a vegetarian diet because I still couldn't give up my cheese set. I yes, I get that. Yeah, I get that. So like, a lot of people get that. Oh yeah. Yeah I mean there's the people I mean people are literally addicted to cheese. So, I was so basically it was kind of like that around the fifth year after being diagnosed with high cholesterol. I'm going through this exploratory thing with the Master Cleanse and learning about vegetables and fruits. And, and so I decided it was coming off of New Year's 2012 when I decided I was going to just go ahead and go full on vegetarian. I was like, I was coming off of this vacation in. We went to France. I was using up a bunch of mileage points, you know, my husband and I to just have this, you know, extravagant vacation. And I came back just feeling awful. And so I said, you know what? I'm just going to go ahead and go vegetarian, you know, New Year's resolution, go vegetarian. So that's what I did. I kind of transitioned over the course of about six months. I was eating vegetarian, like, you know, twice a week than three times a week and just gradually increase that until I was full vegetarian. By June 2012. And, and I was just like, okay, you know, I'm vegetarian. And so a month went by and I was at home, I was in bed, like looking at my laptop, watching a movie. And there were actually two movies I watched that, that that weekend it was Forks Over Knives and Earthlings. And, I remember going into the kitchen and telling my husband, I'm going to go vegan. You know, I was like, I'm just going to do it. You know? It's just cheese and eggs, you know? I can give that up, especially knowing, you know, how cheese is produced and all this stuff that goes along with and what it does your body. So I kind of just it just it just snapped like that. I was like, I'm done. So, that was it. It was July 2012. My husband was like, okay, I'll do it with you. Because, you know, he was kind of yeah, he was kind of moving in that direction. He was he was kind of more pescatarian before, you know, before I started the vegetarian thing. So he was a little more leaning in that direction. You know, he was a big steak and potatoes guy when we first started dating. We've been married like 27 years. And, and so he was he was, leaning in that direction. And it was easier for him to just say, okay, I'll do it with you. And he did it, and we both did it, and that was it. We never looked back. Well, okay. So, you know, I've never seen Earthlings because I think it's disturbing. It is. I don't and is that more just about animals? That's what I think, my understanding. What is it? Can you tell me a little? Yeah, cause I've just. I don't need to watch it because I don't need animals. But I want. Right? Right. Curious. Yeah. What is it? It really just shows, how we treat animals, how we use animals, what they go through and, you know, just that they're that they're another species that we share this earth with. And, you know, a lot of us can relate. Those of us that have dogs or cats can really relate to this because, you know, you're like, for for me, our first dog, Malcolm, not the one that had the yellow surgery. Oh, yeah. We were talking about dog surgery. Before we got on. Not him. My dog just had to have surgery. Yeah, but he was our first dog, and he just had my heart. He was, pit bull, Australian shepherd mix. Oh, gosh. Yeah. We rescued. He had one blue eye. Just a handsome. That's what I. My dog has one blue eye. Oh, yeah. It's just so. Cool. Yeah. There's a special dogs. I was once in a lifetime dogs that everybody has. And. Yeah. And so he had my heart. And I can remember, you know, this was back in the day when Michael Vick was fighting dogs, and it was all over the news, and I was over there, you know, bashing Michael Vick. You know, shame on you for fighting these dogs while I'm sitting there eating a ham sandwich. You know. It's it's. So you don't know till you know, till the dots and figure it out. Right? Okay. So for me, it was, I think for me, I know it was having dogs and loving dogs so much. And when I was watching that movie Earthlings, they showed a scene. And it is pretty graphic. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from watching it. I think people should watch it if they really want to understand what happens and how food gets on the plate. It's a very important, I think, film to watch. But they showed this one, I think it was at a coach kosher butcher where they invert. They had this cow on a machine, they inverted the machine to then split the cows neck, and to bleed it. And they zoomed in to show the cows face and eyes. And I literally saw my dog in that cow. And that's where that's where the the switch happened. And I was just bawling. I was I just couldn't believe. And I felt this sense of guilt, you know, for all those years that I didn't and also a little bit of shame because I was like, why wasn't I smart enough to make this connection? You know, like it's so obvious, like it became so obvious in that moment. But it was like, you know, how could I go all these years and not even give that a thought? And so, it was between that and then, you know, forks over knives and how, you know, eating whole plant foods heals your body, lowers the inflammation, reverses heart disease, and now know that it reverses all kinds of different chronic diseases, that it just became a no brainer. I mean, it was like cheese I could do without it. I didn't care from that point forward. It didn't matter to me. So yeah, our our stories are actually very similar. I mean, I had, I was 46 and I had, a CT scan, the core. What is it, the calcium score. And it said when I was 46 years old, my arteries were worse than 75% of all the other women my age who have had this test. And I was like, well, that's not good. And, you know, the the doctor was like, yeah, you you're probably gonna have a heart attack in the next five years. So I that's kind of how I found my way. But also, I think once you find your way and you stop eating animals, then it's easier to look because we all know. We know it's that the animals aren't having fun. But I think once you are not eating an, it's easier to look at it. And, you know, I don't I don't want to shame anybody who's still eating animals. But I think that it is important to think about it. Like, if I couldn't watch that movie, or if I couldn't see what went on in a factory, farm or a slaughterhouse, do I really need to be eating these animals? Unless you could look at it and be like, that's okay, that doesn't bother me, then you know, you do need to do need to look at it. Yeah. So, yeah. Do you want to tell a little bit of Searcy story? Yeah. Yeah. So Searcy Searcy story actually, goes back about, you know, maybe 2011, 2010 2011. What happened was, well, it goes back to 2010 because she was pregnant. In her and in her third trimester was diagnosed with hypertension. And, what we didn't know or she didn't know at the time was that women with hypertension, and this is very common with black women in particular, that, there are complications often, you know, during delivery. And what happened was her baby was born without oxygen to the brain and ended up being a special needs baby. And they required 24 hour care. And shortly after his first birthday, he passed away. A man and, so, you know, she, as she describes it, was in probably the throes of her deepest depression, that she's probably ever been in, in her life. And she was surrounded by family and friends and community and church, and she had that support. But she was just really, you know, just going through a very difficult time. And, consequently was doing a lot of emotional eating and gained a bunch of weight. And, a friend of hers approached her about doing the spiritual fast called the Daniel Fast. And basically the Daniel Fast is a whole food plant based diet. It's actually the cleanest form of a whole food plant based diet because there's no added sugar, there's no artificial sweeteners. It's like very clean and, and so she said, you know, the way she describes it, okay, I'll do it. But I'm going to add, you know, eggs and I'm going to add this. And so her friend just cut. Her off and was like, you're doing this the way it's designed. And so, so she describes. It as she felt arrested in that moment and decided, okay, well, all right, I'm going to do it as it's designed and, she did it and everything changed. It was like she said, I'm probably about three weeks into it. She noticed that a cloud lifted. You know, she started having all this energy. She had this mental and spiritual clarity that she never had before. And she even said that her depression lifted during that time. And it was it was kind of it was really the beginning of her stepping into her purpose. Because what happened was, she just, you know, she started doing a lot of the, you know, reading a lot of the articles that I was reading, you know, about whole food plant based diet, you know, reversing heart disease and, all current, basically all the chronic diseases. And, and from that point forward, she, you know, she called her self on Instagram and whatnot, the faithful vegan. So that was kind of her, her, her, her title, you know, kind of in the public. But she was really advocating to get more people in churches to use the Daniel Fast as a jumping off point for a whole food plant based diet. So kind of where our lives intersected, because, you know, I'm in the Pacific Northwest and she's in the southeast, you know, kind of in the Florida area, North Florida area. And, and so it was like in the middle of the pandemic, like at the throes of the pandemic. So probably April 2020, when things were shut down and, you know, we didn't have a vaccine or anything like that, you know, and everybody's people were they were just showing the statistics of people dying every day. And a lot of the statistics showed that African-Americans, were dying at a disproportionately higher rate than everyone else. And people were speculating, you know, oh, it's because they're in these, these jobs that, you know, are critical jobs and they have to keep and they're getting more exposure to Covid. But there was an interesting study done out of Rush University, and I learned about this from Doctor Kim Williams, who is the former, president of the American College of Cardiology that showed that the it was more disease risk based, not race based. So the deaths were due to disease risk, not necessarily race, but what what the data was showing was that African-Americans had a disproportionately higher rate of chronic diseases. And so that is why the deaths were so much higher. And, and so, you know, Sersi and I were kind of in our own separate little, you know, caves like looking at the problem. And saying, I know the. Solution, you know, adopt a whole food plant based diet, reverse that chronic disease, and your risk goes down, you know, significantly of complications and death from Covid. And so that's kind of how we connected. I, I had, a there was a lady helping me with my blog, I had a blog, and, and it was like I was writing this article about, you know, adopting a plant based diet and, and, you know, food changes and all that stuff. And so she found Sersi through just a Google search, and Sersi had, her podcast. And so we got on her podcast and we just hit it off right away. We were kind of looking at the same things, really focused on, you know, really trying to let people know about whole plant foods as a way to heal your body, restore your health. And so we, started collaborating on that. And that's how we came together. And, you know, it was just over zoom, but I want to circle back to Circe's, son K.J., who passed away and, before. And so we started collaborating virtually over zoom, and we put, you know, these things in place and started looking at, you know, recipes and Facebook groups and all this stuff. And I found out a year after we started that she sent me this video of CJ's, you know, funeral, kind of his when, when he was born and then his short life and then when he passed and the very end of the video, it showed his date of death. And he died on my birthday. Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh, so that and you just shared your birthday was yesterday, so. Yeah. That, so that was. Yeah. Yeah. He he died June 18th, 2011. So, Yeah. So it was, you know, we were like, this is a thumbprint from God, and you guys are meant to be together. Should be. Yeah, yeah. I mean, isn't that it is so interesting how life works out and that these people just come into your life and, you know, I can't say that I'm like a a very religious person, but I feel like I have noticed it's all the same. It's not that I don't believe in God. I mean, I do I believe there's a God. I just wouldn't say I am. I specifically am a religious person, but I feel like it's all the same thing. Like if I meditate, that's the same as praying, right? You're quiet, you're asking for guidance. It's like it's it's all the same thing, maybe just different language, you know, that we all use. And I do, you know, you might say like, oh, this is something like, God put us together and I, I can even say, yeah, that's true. I mean, I believe in that or but I would say, like, I might say just even different language, like, oh, the universe brought us together, but it's all the same thing, right? I mean, it's all source, it's all energy, it's all so I you know, I just I feel like there's I just always don't I always want to focus on what we have in common rather than what we don't have in common as humans. You know, even if somebody is like, I, I don't care for that language. Well, it's all the same, right? I just kind of want to point that out. For what? For whichever side. But I love that you guys found each other. And so can you tell me a little bit about I'm not familiar with, it's called Daniel's Fast, right? Yeah. So how. Fast? I know. And I read on your website, so I sort of know the story about, but can you tell the story of, like, the Kings diet and so forth, and, and how long you're supposed to do this fast. Can you talk about that a little bit? Yeah, yeah. So the Daniel Fast is based off of, the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, in the Bible, where, Daniel were in and some of his friends were slated to work in the king's palace and, and what happened was, the king wanted all of his workers to be strong and, you know, vibrant. And so in order to do that, he felt that they should eat the king's diet, which was a rich diet of, you know, meat and wine and all of that. So Daniel, basically said to, not to the king directly, but to his, his, lieutenant, if you will, that, my God doesn't want me to eat this diet that I, I, we are to eat, you know, basically plants. And he said, well, let's eat it. So the the, the lieutenant was like, you got to understand, the lieutenant's head would literally be chopped off if he, you know, if some of these guys didn't show up, you know, strong and vibrant and in good health. And, and so he was kind of reluctant to allow that. And then Daniel said, well, let's test us for ten days. You know, if after the ten days that we're not as strong and vibrant as the other, young men, then we'll we'll deal with that. And so the, the chief official or lieutenant said, okay, we'll do that. And so he just fed them vegetables, water, you know, just plants basically. And after the ten days, Daniel and his friends were stronger, more vibrant, more, you know, just more fit than the others who were eating the King's diet. And so, you know, Doctor Michael Greger says that's the the first, study of a plant based diet. And hey, know. Yeah. So what happens is that a lot of churches around the globe will do this thing called a Daniel Fast, and it's often done in January. And they'll do it typically for 3 or 4 weeks. And it's, it coincides with, it's both a partial fast because you're just eating a whole food plant based diet. Plus, you know, prayer and meditation and kind of some focus. Sometimes the focus could be around, you know, financial or health or whatever. And, and so that's kind of what the Daniel Fast is. And it's super popular in January. But like I said, churches will do it and other times of the year. But it doesn't have to be churches. It's just, you know, common for a lot of churches to do it. People will just do it as individuals. Anyway. And it's a way to reset. And so, you know, for us, you know, the Daniel Fast is a lifestyle. So, you know, we do make some modifications after the fast, like adding certain things back in but still maintaining the gains, the health gains from eating whole plant foods. So, we kind of offer some, some guidance and it's done through our recipe website. Daniel's plate.com. Yeah. And you have great. You have great recipes. I was looking at at the, the, pesto pasta salad looks so good to me. But, okay, I have a couple more questions. So the Daniel first, is it just fruits and vegetables for 3 or 4 weeks, or do you eat legumes? Do you eat whole grains? Yeah. So it's just like we eat regularly. It is. I'll tell you the only exceptions. But yeah, it's basically whole. It's it's vegetables, fruits, whole grains, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. And the things that are not included that are that we still think are part of a healthy whole food plant based diet are things like leavened breads, like, you know, like a Zico bread or should, you know, sourdough bread or something like that. We think of healthy matcha, for example, because it has caffeine is not on the Daniel Fast, but matcha, you know, has tons of antioxidants in it. It's super healthy. So that would be something you'll find on Daniel's plate, but not technically part of the fast. Oh. So. Yeah. And then there's some other things like maple sirup would not be on the on the Daniel fast. But you know, maple sirup isn't it's it's it could be a lot worse, like refined sugar. But you know. What about date sirup, would you say that's okay. That. Yes, date date sirup is fine. And we have a recipe for a homemade date sirup. And it's just as long as we just encourage you. If you're doing the fast to just do the homemade kind. Because sometimes the store bought is filtered. And so it removes some of the fiber that's in the dates because it's, you know, when you look at and it looks very clear, it's usually a sign that, you know, it's been filtered. But date sirup is allowed. And then other, you know, fruits to sweeten, like, right. Bananas, you know, are always a great thing to use when you're trying to sweeten something. Yeah. Yeah. I love that churches did that. I actually had no idea about that. That. But it makes sense. Like to start off the new year and to do that. But I wish that they would kind of encourage I mean, I'm sure do they encourage people in certain I mean, I guess you don't know what every church does, but I mean, the churches that you know, that do this, do they encourage people to stick with this diet? I love that you asked that question. I really what did you that's what we say. But, yeah, we've interacted with a lot of churches. And honestly, I think when you think about the churches and the people that are leading the churches, I mean, they struggle with the same things that everybody else struggles with. You know, they struggle with, you know, food addictions and vices around food and, you know, so, you know, it's it just depends on where the church is leaning as a congregation and as a leader of a church. And some of them, you know, it's like a continuum. I mean, you could probably look at your friends and family and there are kind of, you know, it's like when I look at my sister, she's way over here. When I look at. My mom, she's, you know, closer to here, you know, so you kind of as churches are the same way you've got, you know, churches that are kind of leaning in that direction or even church leaders who are already in that position, where they're, they're, they're practicing it, they're doing it. Their, and they're trying to bring their congregation along. But, you know, it's it's difficult for people to, you know, when you grow up or eating these foods, like, I mean, I grew up, I was a Ronald Reagan government cheese recipient. So, you know, you are we're. Getting the government cheese. So salty and processed. I know it's awful. It was awful. But but yeah, it was, Yeah. So when you grew up eating this and you're used to hyper palatable foods. Yes. And, you know, certain diet is very difficult unless there's some compelling reason where you feel like, okay, I need to step out of my comfort zone and, and make the change. I just, you know, would hope that people would feel so good on this that they would want. And I'm sure that that does it. Does that. Sure that. Yeah, yeah. And, so what can I ask how old you are. Yeah. I'm 54. 55. When you said Ronald Reagan, I was like, oh, we have to be close in age 56. So, Yeah. And what what do you feel like you're. I mean, because you have a beautiful, healthy glow. I mean, you really. I do feel like I, I call this kind of diet like the fountain of youth as far as things go. Like, I've had, dermatologists on and talking about, like, this is really, you know, all the antioxidants and all the things that you get from this diet. How do you how do you feel that it's that it's helped you age so well? Yeah, I you know, it was interesting because when I first made this shift, you know, it's been almost it's been about 13 years. I noticed the first thing I noticed, I noticed the mental and spiritual clarity as well, but I just noticed I had a ton more energy. And I remember, you know, I was, you know, 41 years old, and I just had all this energy, and I just started running more. And then I started joining, like, boot camps, you know, and flipping tires over and doing all that crazy stuff. And then at the age of 42, I actually started bike racing and, just doing some pretty, you know, some some road races, some races, time trials, road bike racing, and what I attribute that to changing what was at the end of my four because I never had that energy. And so when I think about it being a fountain of youth, it's both in terms of what it's doing, you know, how to cellular level in terms of the antioxidants and the phytochemicals that are, you know, lowering oxidative stress in your body and and doing all that good stuff. But it was also kind of as a byproduct of that, you know, boosting energy levels, boosting mental clarity. And because of that boost, I became more physically active, which is also, I think, in an area of, you know, you know, aging slower, and, and being physically active because honestly, I never had I was one of those my exercise was walking the dogs and occasionally going to the gym. I mean, I would have a gym membership and I would go and sometimes I would have good, you know, couple weeks where I would go consistent. But it was just the bare minimum. It was never, you know, like, you know, when I started eating this way, I mean, I was doing, you know, 100, 200 mile bike races. Just, you know, something I never thought I would do ever in my life, let alone in my 40s and even, you know, 50s. And so it's I think it does, you know, just changing what's at the end of your fork can, can really cascade into other areas of your life. Yeah, I agree, I mean, I've been doing this about ten years and I feel like it's changed every area of my life, including, like you said, mental clarity. I started thinking about I don't know why I didn't make this connection, but I started realizing, that I used to get headaches almost every day before I started eating this way. And I didn't even realize it. It was just like such a part of my life. And my mom did, too. Like, we always had a bottle of Advil or Tylenol in our purse. You know, if I switched purses, I'd have to make sure I had the whole bottle because, like, I had to nip it in the bud if I didn't catch this headache when it was coming on and take some Tylenol or Advil. Yeah, like it would just bloom into just this horrible, debilitating headache. And my mom had the same thing. I just thought that was normal. And then I was switching purses the other day and I found like one Advil floating around in there, and I was like, oh, wow, I don't even care. I was like, this has been going on ten years that I haven't carried a bottle of, you know, medicine with me. And I was just like, wow, here's just one sad little Tylenol or Advil or whatever it is floating around in my purse. And I was like, wow, that is something that I just don't have that that headache every day. And it's been so long since I've had that. It just was an incredible thing to think about. Did do you think that, did you get your M.S., Your nutrition? What what are you. Yeah, my wife, our nutritionist. Yeah. Before or after? It was after. Yeah, I was working. Yeah, I was working, in the aerospace industry. Oh. And, Yeah. And honestly, because I was so transformed, this is when we talk about changing every area of your life. It changed my career. I was working in aerospace and left my corporate career after, you know, 22 years, and going back to school to get a master's in nutrition sciences from University of Alabama at Birmingham. And it was, yeah, it was just kind of the beginning of me entering this new season of my life and just dedicating my life to, you know, this whole food, plant based lifestyle. And so how old were you when you switched and got this degree? Let's see, it was. I think I was 40. Five. Wow. Yeah. 45. That's beautiful. And I, I asked you if, you know, Doctor Nikki Davis and and you said no, but she's like, she does tella tella medicine, telehealth. And, I just interviewed her, and she actually was, a NASA rocket scientist. Oh, and then switched and became a doctor, and. Wow. Yeah. It's awesome. I mean, so kind of like you you guys have some stuff in common. That's incredible. And what what did, Searcy do? Yeah, yeah. Searcy. Searcy has been in kind of a counseling role. So this is like a natural segue for her in terms of, you know, because, you know, part of what we do with Daniels plate is we do connect with people who use our recipes outside of the recipe website, you know, either for coaching or for education and training on whole plant foods. So sources, she's got a master's in divinity. And so a lot of times what we'll do is, you know, for those who are doing the Daniel Fast, we will offer kind of like this virtual boot camp situation where we combine both faith and kind of nutrition science. So I cover the nutrition science, and she covers the faith where she weaves in kind of biblical scripture that deals with, you know, kind of the key topics to helping people make the shifts. So we deal with, you know, creating a God centered self image for your health. We talk about breaking your addiction to food and looking specifically at biblical scripture to kind of line line that up, you know, from a biblical perspective. Because what we find is that, you know, people who are believers first, faith based will, put that faith based lens on a lot of areas of their life, like who they're going to marry, what career they're going to take, if they're going to move, you know, to another city or state or whatever. But they oftentimes don't necessarily do it when it comes to their health. And so, so we kind of offer that as a, as an additional offering, you know, in addition to the recipes on our website for people who want to, like, make it a lifestyle but haven't, been able to do it on their own, you know, sometimes we just need that compelling reason. Like, for me, I needed it from an animal perspective for me to make. Because remember, I learned about Whole Foods food plant based five years before I actually made the change. But for me, you know, it was it was the animal piece that that shifted me, more so than my own health. And and for other people, you know, it's a faith perspective of, you know, lining up their values with what, you know, what God intended, you know, for them to be. And, I mean, I know we probably don't want to get too deep into the scripture, but the first book, of the Bible in Genesis chapter one, verse 29, it talks about God's design for us before sin entered the world was to eat plants and for animals to eat plants. And so there's a biblical precedent for a whole food plant based diet. Even before the book of Daniel, before the story of Daniel in him, doing the ten day test. So, so that's what we do, you know, we, we kind of people come to our website and, you know, people who have that faith based mindset, or belief or approach will gravitate into some of these other areas that we offer. So yeah. So you mentioned two places where it says to eat places that say to eat meat anywhere in the Bible. Yeah. It's it's there's a, there's a scripture in there that doesn't say to eat meat. It says God allows for it. And, you know, there's lots of scripture, but if you if you just go back to what his perfect design was for us when we had a close relationship with him, we're we're if you could envision, you know, Adam and Eve in the garden and they're conversing with God and it's it's, you know, because he made, you know, Adam in his own image and he told them to eat plants. Okay. Right. Okay. So there you go. God said I could. Just pause there. We could. Jesus, I said. Let's process it. Well, it's written. I mean, if you pull out any Bible, any version of the Bible, it has this same thing. What's what's the most, miraculous thing that you've seen, like transformation from people eating plants. Like, have you worked with really sick people who all of a sudden got better or can you. Yeah. Really like that? Yeah. I mean, we've worked with a lot of women who have lost weight, who've reversed their type two diabetes. You know, their A-1 C was, you know, in the, in the 1112 range. And then it went down into the healthy range. We've had a lot of people lose weight. The thing that I find really, encouraging is when people adopt the lifestyle and then they start adopting the other parts of the lifestyle, you know, like the fitness and the and the movement piece. And then they just start to shift their confidence and their and and really fulfilling, you know, what they believe their purpose to be, and doing it at a level that they never thought possible. And that has been probably just the whole transformation. I, you know, I mean, we've had a lot of stories, you know, cases where people have lost 50 pounds, 70 pounds, 90 pounds, you know, like drastic weight loss by doing this. But it's, but it's, it's also for me, I think what's rewarding is seeing what that translates into in terms of their life here, you know, and and what their purpose is and fulfilling that purpose, you know, at a higher level, higher frequency, because you can lose all the weight. And that's great. Yeah. You can wear a black dress now or whatever. But it's more about what are you doing with that health. You know, it's kind of taking that next step that excites me. And that's that's what I love. Yeah. I agree, that's true. To see everybody kind of come into themselves once they have more confidence and vibrancy and feel better. I agree with that. What's your best piece of advice for aging? Well. Don't let perfection get in the way of progress. You know, I see a lot of people who will go gung ho into this. They'll they'll slip up, make a mistake, and then they're just like, they just throw the baby out with the bathwater. Or as they say, you know. Yeah. And and then that throws them off track until they get sick and tired of being sick and tired again. And then they try again, you know, don't fall into that trap. You know, if if you're going at it and you're going all gung ho and you slip up, you know, it's so easy, you just start with the next meal. I mean, you don't even have to wait, you know, it's like literally it's like, okay, I did that I don't like and people know, like if they've been doing it even just for a few weeks and they eat something that, you know, that doesn't agree with them with their new lifestyle, it usually doesn't agree with their body at the time. They're just like, oh, I just felt sluggish. I felt, yeah, you know, and just hit the reset button at that point and start with the next with the next meal. Yeah. So you're so I guess your best piece of advice for aging well is to eat a plant based diet. Then that's your best piece of advice for sticking to it is just don't don't don't worry if there's always the next meal to get back on the wagon. That's what I tell people all the time, right? Yeah, yeah, it's true. Do you have a favorite health or beauty product that you like? It's not really a product. It's actually a food that I think is highly underrated and not popular. It's called natto. It is. It's not very tasty. It it's not a tasty thing to eat, but it it's a super. Selling. It. I know, but you know what? It, it is. It's a probiotic like powerhouse. It's it's also very high in vitamin K2, which is important for bone health, heart health. So it literally will pull the calcium out of your blood and put it into your bones, especially for us, you know, period. Postmenopausal ladies, that's important. It's, I think, a secret, you know, it's a product. An anti-aging product, for sure. Well, where do you get it and how do you eat it? Yeah, I've heard of it, but I've never used it or in it. Yeah, you can. I order mine online because I live in a. NATO. NATO. NATO. We've got a couple recipes on Daniel's plate.com. We've got NATO avocado toast, which is really good. And then a natto mochi bowl is kind of like a, like a sushi bowl with natto, in it. And it's a fermented soy. Okay. For natto is fermented. It's the fermented. Was just going to ask you, like, what is it? Okay. What is it? What's so what is it? So it's kind of like, like a kimchi. Well, no, because that's not soy. Okay. Yeah. It's soy. Yeah. And what makes it. And I'm just being upfront, you know? So you know what? You're getting. Yourself in. You. It's it's really, it's really slimy and stringy. Yeah. And I. Stop telling people. What it is. Just tell them to go get it. But you you should. Be able to you should be able to get it from if you have an Asian market or, you know, an ethnic store in your area, if you go there and ask for it, they should carry it. Now, sometimes they'll sell it with these flavor packets that have a lot of like stuff in it. You don't want it. You just throw the flavor packet away. Just beat the natto. You could get a couple good recipes on Daniel, slate.com. But honestly, that to me is like the superfood of superfoods. I try it, because I'm not afraid of icky food, but, and also, I usually end up liking things after a while anyway, but, well, how much of it do you need to eat? Yeah. You know, I, I think it's helpful to eat about three tablespoons of it, you know, probably three times a week would be helpful. Just because because of the probiotic benefits, because of the K2, you know, and it just it's just a good thing to add to the rotation. It's not, once you get used to it. I would say that after eating it, it took me about maybe 7 to 10 times eating it for me to like, I mean, really start. To, to tolerate. Well, to tolerate it and then enjoy it. But I like it with, like, ginger. I like it with, the avocado toast is good because, you can add some everything bagel seasoning to it. Yeah. Little scratch, if you want a little kick. Yeah. But it's good. Yeah. It's really a highly underrated under utilized superfood. I mean, I think a lot of people should look at. I'm so glad you talked about that. That. That's a treasure. What's your favorite concert you've ever been to? Do you have a favorite concert? Yeah. You know, I think the one that really sticks out in my mind, was the Jackson Victory Tours back in the mid 80s. I think it was 80. Four when. It. Yes, yes. When they all went around, you know, they went around the country and performed at different like stadiums. So they, I was living and I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and and so I went to see them at our football stadium and with some friends and just had a blast because I was such a big Michael Jackson fan, you know, the whole thriller and all that. So even off the wall, I was just. Like, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So that was definitely big when we were growing up. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yes. That's that would have been a great, great concert to go to. Yes Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Austins and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That's right. Yes, I've been there. Well, gee, gee, I'm so glad to know you. And I appreciate you talking to me today and sharing your knowledge and your natto and all the good stuff. And, I hope that people will go to is Daniels plate.com. Okay. Daniels plate. I'll put everything in the show notes. Thank you so much. Thank you. Lauren. Take care. Bye bye. Thanks for listening, friend. From my heart to yours. Be well. Until we meet again.