Following My Passion into the Kitchen
Just a little bit of passion can take you a long way. Everybody always asks me how I got into this, what led me to “create” what I have today. I answer them with one simple word “passion.” Once you find what this word means for you, it will bring you happiness, health and success. I promise!
We have all heard that you need to be true to yourself and your beliefs to get what you want out of life, but sometimes it takes a little effort and a step out of the that box that we often find ourselves in. It is okay to get thrown off a couple of times, but keep your focus and you will get there.
So what started out as a simple passion for me (food, eating, health) led me on a journey, which has not only become my lifestyle but my chosen profession.
I taught myself the basics, read any health book I could get my hands on and then went to schools that complimented and fueled this passion. I started my journey at the The Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto, where I became certified as a nutritional consultant. I wasn’t completely satisfied yet, I wanted to do more than just consultations and tell people what to eat. I needed to go one step further and teach people how to eat. This led me to the Natural Gourmet Culinary School in New York City. Throughout this experience, I realized that I wanted my knowledge of nutrition to apply to everything one could do in the kitchen. So now, teaching people to create simple, healthy, delicious meals is my passion. It is also the reason why I strive to show people how much fun it can be to take their own health into their kitchen and “make” themselves a happier and healthier person.
I dedicate everyday of my life now to empowering the people around me to take control of their “diet” and eat the best foods that nature has to offer. This means predominantly adopting a plant based diet that is stemmed from whole foods -nuts, seeds, grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and healthy oils from avocado and coconuts.
When I first made the switch to a plant based diet, I noticed differences right away. The daily cramps and bloated feeling I had following every meal was enough to make me sick (literally). I attributed this to wheat, dairy and refined sugar – the foundation of the North American diet. Once these guys are out, it makes room for a whole new palette or colours, textures, shapes and flavours to enter into your kitchen and become the new basis of a healthy and balanced diet.
I tell people to start simple, go back to the basics and “play” from there. Of course most people are overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, so I teach people how to prepare simple and delicious recipes with simple ingredients in their home. Most people don’t realize that they attain optimal health right from their very own kitchen.
Unfortunately most people are afraid to take responsibility for their own health. This idea of fear needs to be eradicated, because I have to tell you, once you see the benefit of having your kitchen loaded full of the freshest and best quality organic ingredients, there is no turning back. To me there is nothing more inspiring and motivating then watching people learn how to sauté green veggies for the first time, or blending up a smoothie that tastes better than any milkshake they have ever had.
The best part is when health problems start to diminish once a whole food diet is incorporated into your life. Not only will you learn that you get your calcium from kale and almonds (not dairy), iron from green leafies, dried fruit and seaweed (not red meat), and protein from hemp – but problems such as osteoporosis, iron deficiency and diabetes will start to disappear. With these foods as the foundation you will start to feel great, lose weight and have more energy!
Once these positive changes start to happen in your life – you may also discover what your true passion in life is, if you haven’t already found it.
You need to just listen to yourself and trust your instincts. Follow that itch inside that is telling you which direction to go. Choosing a more wholesome diet will allow you to feel more wholesome and connected to what really matters in your life.
After following my instincts and teaching myself the roots to good health, I very quickly learned that educating people is my passion in life. I only wanted to be in my kitchen and share my “delicious knowledge” with as many people as possible.
Marni Wasserman is a Holistic Nutritionist and Natural Chef in Toronto. Her focus is stemmed around whole foods. She is dedicated to providing individuals with a balanced lifestyle through natural foods. Using passion and experience, she strives to educate individuals on how everyday eating can be simple and delicious.
- Posted by Guest Blogger on November 18, 2009 at 5:00 am
-
Tagged as: career, cooking, nutrition
Other posts by this author:

















Thanks for this post! I am tarnsitioning from a moderately healthy diet to a very healthy diet, and am having difficulty to find substitutes for the wheat, meat and dairy without going hungry. Reading this I know I am pn the right track. I just need to keep experimenting to find a new balance.
Marni,
What an inspiration you are! Keep following your passion, it certainly shows.
It’s very inspiring to hear about people like yourself who have turned their passions into their profession!
It’s not easy following your dreams sometimes, but as Marni has shown in this blog, it pays off!
Thanks for this post – this is so relevent to me right now. Trying to get my Dad to beat his diabetes after he suffered stroke recently is my challenge at the moment. Unfortunately, eating a low-sodium vegan dinner is almost enough to make him cry. I can’t decide if it’s better to feed him healthy food and have him miserable about it, or let him eat what he wants and be happy??
Thank you for all the amazing comments! I am happy to inspire – just follow that passion!
I am so happy to have started a vegetable-based mostly raw diet utilizing all the foods that you’ve mentioned. I am about a month and a half into it, and my awful, weeping eczema is absolutely GONE. And my period cramps were markedly less severe this month.. I only took 6 advil total compared to my usual 9 or 10 each day. Looking forward to diminished pain next month.. and for the rest of my life!
Hi Lillian – I am so happy to hear about the new veggie diet and the amazing impact it has had so far on your life – it can only get better from here. And one day – no advil at all – stick to green leafies and you should be fine!
Marni, Thank you for putting into words so much of what I am thinking. Over time, I have slowly been eliminating things like meat, dairy, processed foods, etc., from my diet. Wheat is the next thing on my list. It just makes sense to me. I don’t want to do it all cold turkey, as I attribute my mother’s quitting smoking to the onset of her rheumatoid arthritis. I believe that sometimes when people have genetic predispositions to conditions or diseases, a sudden shock to their system can bring on these conditions or diseases.
You sound like you are on the right path. Just do what feels right to you and eventually you will get to a place where you will feel amazing!
You are what you eat holds much truth! Keep going!