Meet Heather

Hey Guys!

I’m Heather, aka the “Primal Princess" - a twenty-something gal with a love for healthy, Paleo cooking. My cooking revolves around figuring out how to make most any dish palatable and delicious, while also being free of gluten, most grains, corn, soy, dairy, refined sugar, minimal legumes, and absolutely no processed foods.  

I’m not only a Primal Princess, I’m also a southern belle, born and raised - a belle who developed some autoimmune health issues along the way. At the age of 22, I was diagnosed with three autoimmune diseases: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Sjögren's Syndrome, and Costochondritis. Two years later, in the midst of researching about the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), I discovered that a diagnosis I received when I was 11 - Lichen Planus - was actually also an autoimmune disease, bringing me to a total of four. I went from being a young, healthy belle enjoying my life, family, friends, and finding my career path, to being slowed and often stopped in my tracks by the effects of these diseases.

From the moment I received my diagnoses, I have been determined to find my health again - and doing it the right way. I have been working with nutrition, and with an abundance of research, naturopathic advice, alternative health options, and food choices to get my symptoms under control  - without the use of traditional medicines unless absolutely necessary! As great as this sounds, this lifestyle is not easy to do in the southern United States. We have one local health foods store in my area, and the closest Whole Foods or Trader Joe's is an hour and a half away. Thank goodness for the internet and other ways to acquire the foods and tinctures that do this southern body good! 

I created this site to be able to share what I have learned and am continuing to learn as I go through this process of healing - it's definitely not cookie cutter! I have always loved to write and share ideas, read, and research, and I have also had a long love of cooking, which has helped so much in my recovery from the inside out. I grew up in my mom’s kitchen almost from day one, helping with creating meals and baking. I started my own bakery out of my home at the age of 11 and, for the next 10 years, baked pies, cakes, and a myriad of other things for shops and local events. In that time, I learned to adapt recipes, create new ones, and let my imagination inspire what I created for clients and for myself, and this background has put me in good stead for adjusting my cooking and my eating on the way to a new and restored me!

Some Fun Facts: 

Aside from digging deep into my Paleo lifestyle and my work as a paralegal, I cherish time with my family, my friends, and my 13 year old puppy, Maggie. I find strength in my faith, in meaningful conversation, sunshine, the beach, and I travel any chance I get!

Thanks for joining me on this journey to find the best way to achieve optimal health through what I put in - and on - my body.

XOXO,

Heather