svclevenger17
svclevenger17
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Aug 18, 2014 (11 years) |
3 years | 1 | 0 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
Aug 18, 2014 (11 years)
- Last activity
- 3 years
- Topics created
- 1
- Replies created
- 0
Bio
Hello, I’m Vanida Clevenger, author and recipe inventor for TheHealthyCharms.com; which introduces healthier alternatives to comfort dishes I grew up eating. My parents were immigrants from Laos and resettled in San Diego, California. I grew up in National City a neighborhood which offers a vibrant taste of Filipino and Mexican culture. It was an invigorating and enlightening experience to be exposed to so many types of cuisines. We always had Lao, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese food at home. I can still remember my mom waking up early to pack my nontraditional school lunch consisting of fried rice with Chinese sausage. During lunchtime I noticed the unlimited amount of PB&J sandwiches and bologna sandwiches, I quickly realized fried rice with Chinese sausage is not a typical option for school lunch. However, I found Sharon who had rice and hot dogs in her school lunchbox; needless-to-say, Sharon and I became friends instantly. Her father was in the Navy and her mom was from the Philipines so her lunchbox was always as interesting as mine. I find it inspiring that food possess the power to connect people.
I am a big foodie but have always struggled with my weight. I enjoy cooking and eating out whether it’s grabbing a carne asada burrito, pho or sigsig and of course, nothing tops my mom’s cooking. It wasn’t until I saw a picture of myself heavily over weight that I decided I had to do something about my eating habits. I did not want to discount the taste of food or put a dent in my grocery bill so I started to do a lot of research online and read a lot of cookbooks. With diet and exercise, the weight started to melt off. I still indulge once in a while without deviating from my healthy eating habits. This is my realistic approach to eating to last my entire life. I am not a nutritionist nor a chef, I simply have a passion for food which works as the driving force to my knowledge.
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