Jennifer Sinyerd

In November 2014, I had just returned from a beautiful vacation in Maui. During the last few days of the trip, I watched Forks Over Knives, and before the credits even rolled, I knew I couldn’t ignore what I had just learned. If you haven’t seen this documentary yet, I highly recommend it.

“Healthy” on the Outside

If you'd asked me then, I would’ve said I was perfectly healthy. I wasn’t overweight, so I assumed my diet was working. The truth? I had multiple health struggles, and I just didn’t realize they could be related to food.

An Accidental Experiment

Out of sheer shock from the film, I dove into a plant-based experiment. I didn’t know how long I’d do it, or even exactly what a Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) diet was. I started by purging my kitchen and looking up guidance from the doctors and researchers featured in the film

Unexpected Healing

As I changed my diet, something amazing happened:

• My lifelong asthma vanished

• Ten years of allergies disappeared

• Eczema covering my back and arms cleared

• Arthritis pain that affected my workare gone

• Migraines reduced drastically

• No more post-meal fatigue or chronic sinus infections

• I began sleeping deeper and feeling more energized

That’s when I realized I hadn’t been healthy at all.

Doctors Took Notice

I was undergoing extensive blood work to become a living organ donor. When my doctor reviewed my labs, she said they were the best she had ever seen, frame-worthy. She was stunned to hear I was eating a WFPB diet.

A Surprise Twist

Then in April 2015, I started feeling unusually tired. Before calling the doctor, I took a pregnancy test—and stared at the positive result in disbelief. I was 33, on birth control, and had been told as a teen that pregnancy might not be possible. I credit my diet change for my sudden fertility, and three years later, I conceived again under similar circumstances.

A Whole Plant-Based Family

Today, I’m a mom to two little Whole Plant Foodies. I raise them as close to a WFPB lifestyle as possible—and it’s become a way of life for our entire family.

Where I Share My Journey

My story has been featured on the Forks Over Knives website and in their 2020 How To Eat Plant-Based magazine. In 2019, I completed the Plant-Based Nutrition course through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies via eCornell. It deepened my understanding and appreciation for the evidence behind this lifestyle.

More Than Recipes

On my website, you’ll find simple, oil-free recipes made with whole or minimally processed ingredients. Salt is optional, sweeteners are unrefined, and spices bring out the natural flavors of the food.

I also share my go-to pantry items, kitchen tools, and recommended reading for those seeking expert advice and medical insight.

Join the Community

I run the Alberta Whole Food Plant Based Society and host a WFPB Parenting Facebook group. I love meeting fellow Whole Plant Foodies, so feel free to reach out or connect on social media.

And if you’d like to share your own story, contact me about being featured in the Transformation section!