Happy and Healthy. Period.
Blogger Shannon Leparski
talks about veganism, her
books and helping women
balance their hormones
Despite being wary of meat as a child
and learning about veganism in college,
you didn’t stop eating animals
until watching “Vegucated” years
later. Tell us how the documentary
clicked with you at that point in life?
I think you aren’t ready for a major
change until you are. There are points
in life where things click, and you have
a level-up type of moment, a spiritual
awakening of sorts. It was a perfect
storm type of night where I was called
to watch this documentary and knew
I wouldn’t be the same afterward. It
sounds a little dramatic, but it was one
of the biggest turning points in my life
and the beginning of my career.
How did becoming vegan lead to
your blog, The Glowing Fridge?
I knew I wanted to document my
journey of going vegan overnight because
it was extreme and scary at first. Making
vegan food was totally new to me. Plus,
I had always wanted to start a blog, and
this felt like the perfect opening: a space
of my own online where I could share
beautiful plant-based recipes and what I
was learning along the way.
The Glowing Fridge stands out from
other plant-based blogs because of its
focus on female health and hormones.
When and why did you become a
certified hormone specialist?
Even though eating plant-based had
improved my health in so many ways,
I was still struggling with acne and
knew it was hormone-related. I had
come across a book by Alisa Vitti called
“WomanCode,” which introduced me
to the idea of eating for your menstrual
cycle. Her food charts included animal
foods, so I knew this was an opportunity
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHANNON LEPARSKI
for me to create a plant-based version of
eating with the cycle phases.
This work eventually led to my book,
“The Happy Hormone Guide.” While
writing the book, I studied to become
a certified hormone specialist, as I felt
it aligned perfectly. The idea of healing
hormones wasn’t part of my initial vision,
but I’m so glad I was led to it years later
and have been able to help thousands of
women clear up their skin and balance
their hormones naturally.
What is the relationship between hormones
and plant-based eating? If a
woman is concerned about hormonal
imbalance, what is her plan of action?
Plant foods are a girl’s best friend. I
love the plant-based lifestyle because
it’s not about deprivation but rather
eating in abundance. It’s not about
counting calories; it’s counting colors
and becoming more in tune with what
your body wants. Plant-based eating
aligns with intuitive eating while honoring
hormonal fluctuations and phases
of the cycle.
Every woman responds differently,
and some do not like labels. You do not
have to be 100% plant-based to follow
my plans. I wanted to create a space for
women who wish to be plant-based — or
at least want to try — but want to do it
in a way that meets their nutrient needs.
A woman’s first plan of action should
be to eat meals that keep blood sugar
balanced instead of spiking it. Each
meal should include a protein, fat, and
complex carbohydrate or starchy vegetable.
Eating this way will help the body
be in the parasympathetic, or rest and
digest, mode. In this mode, the body can
balance hormones instead of being in a
fight or flight state all day.
From there, a woman can address
her gut health, switch to green beauty
and home cleaning products, remove
endocrine-disrupting chemicals, make
a plan for managing stress, and follow
phase-friendly food and workout plans.
You wrote “The Happy Hormone
Guide” in 2019 and released a companion
journal, “The Happy Hormone
Tracker,” in 2020. How did these
projects come about?
I published a hormone healing e-book
in 2018. A few months later, an editor
from Blue Star Press reached out to ask if
I would like to expand on this e-book and
turn it into a book. This opportunity was
a dream come true.
“The Happy Hormone Tracker” came
to life shortly after the “Happy Hormone
Guide.” I wanted to take tracking
back to pen and paper in the form of
a journal. Recording all the specifics
in an app feels impersonal to me, but
when you write something down, it
holds space for you in a different way.
You can easily flip back to see how you
were doing last month and if things
improved. It helps to detect patterns, so
you know what’s coming.
I had always dreamt about becoming a
published author and am thankful every
day for how these projects came to life.
Continued on Page 39 »
Planted | 37
Food
Shannon
Leparski