Jewelry designer Jennifer Fisher wants you to stay positive.
Raised in a California beach town, her family enjoyed homegrown, fresh produce, which is a habit Fisher continues to this day. Today, she choses to feed her family the most wholesome of ingredients, and enjoys taking time to further explore the wide variety available to her. Here, Fisher details what she has chosen to eliminate from her diet in the name of good health, and that deprivation is never the name of her game.
Live The Process: While growing up in Santa Barbara and working as a young professional in fashion, were you as health-conscious as you are today?
Jennifer Fisher: I think that living in a beach town makes you are automatically more health-conscious without even trying. It's something that is a part of who I am as an adult because of my upbringing. We ate a lot of fresh produce—my father grew lemon, orange, avocado and persimmon trees, and we had a full vegetable and berry garden as well. My favorite thing to do now is take my time at the Farmer’s Market or Whole Foods to find interesting varieties of tomatoes, greens and other vegetables and fruits. Listen, I'm not a green juicer, but I choose to feed my family the freshest ingredients possible.
When I’m consuming live, fresh ingredients, I instantly feel energized and clean. I've especially noticed the difference since becoming gluten-free. When I accidentally eat it, I can immediately feel the reaction in my face as it heats and swells. Now that I have started the Lipman Be Well cleanse and I am off dairy and caffeine, I am feeling amazing. I think that my next choice is to eliminate dairy because I love an amazing cup of coffee too much to give up caffeine, so dairy is my next choice.
LTP: Was there a situation or circumstance that served as the catalyst for your change in lifestyle?
JF: When I was 30, I was diagnosed with a very rare tumor called a Desmoid Tumor; it was behind my breast on my chest wall. It was caused by scar tissue from my breast implants that I had put in when was I was 27.
My diet was crucial and I chose to mix Eastern and Western medicine to boost the effects of my treatment. I was a regular at Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy, and I feel that this specifically increased the effectiveness of my treatment, while also helping to alleviate some of the side effects of chemo. Since then, I have continued to live clean.
LTP: How did having children change your perspective on what it means to live healthily?
JF: Anyone who is a parent understands the shift that takes place after you become one. It is no longer about you, but about living for your family and making sure your family maintains a healthy lifestyle as well.
LTP: Are there unhealthy foods or habits that you struggle to resist, and what are your tips for those that battle similar vices?
JF: I have a daily battle with salt. I have a hypoactive thyroid, so salt is a big no-no. I really believe that maximum hydration is key in fighting the sodium urge. Every now and then, I must succumb to a bag of salt and vinegar chips, but that is life and I never want to feel deprived. Do it and move on, no regrets. Just not daily: moderation is vital!
LTP: What does happiness look like to you?
JF: It looks like my family and I somewhere on a warm beach.
LTP: What does it mean to you to "Live The Process”?
JF: It means to stay true to your own process, whatever that may be. Focus on doing so with a positive mindset and constructive energy from within, while also concentrating on those qualities among the people around you. Positive energy is contagious!