Welcome back to The Grains of Paradise!

My name is Amanda and I follow a whole-food, plant-based diet. I also live on the island of Maui, which for obvious reasons, is pretty rad too. Some of you might already know me through my previous blog, “The Grains of Paradise” on Blogspot. If so, thank you so much for following me over here!

I started the original, “The Grains of Paradise” back in 2009, primarily so I could document my vegetarian diet and answer a lot of questions I was receiving from friends on Facebook about it. I also thought it would be nice to have a place where I could post recipes and take pictures of food. I’ve always been drawn to foodie websites and colorful cookbooks so having a food blog turned into a nice little hobby for me. I honestly look back at my first couple years of blogging and absolutely cringe at the quality of the website, and most of the photos ( as most bloggers do, I’m sure ) but it was fun and even more importantly, it was a nice inexpensive distraction during the tough economic downturn of the Great Recession.

Over the years while blogging, I went from a long-time vegetarian diet to an entirely plant-based, mostly vegan diet by finally omitting all dairy products and eggs ( however, I still consume honey ). I also started documenting my Mainland and international travels on the blog. Eventually, I started adding other things that inspired me like Island living, cool finds from local shops, and even skincare. At this point, I finally decided that maybe it was time to start a new website? More of a "Lifestyle” blog that was easy to navigate and where I could focus not only on my new entirely plant-based diet but also on other interests as well.

With this updated version of, “The Grains of Paradise”. I plan to continue posting delicious and nutritious plant-based recipes as well as so many other topics that resonate with me. I am also currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition pursuing my Holistic Health Coaching Certification at this time. I look forward to possibly coaching one on one in the near future so stay tuned for that!

On an important note, I want to mention that when it comes to a vegan, plant-based diet, I’m sharing my own experiences. I am not professionally qualified to give medical advice regarding nutrition. It took me years to figure out what worked for me and to finally transition to a plant-based diet ( please see, My Plant-Based Story ) and what might work for me, might not work for you. I encourage you to do your research and possibly even consider reaching out to a Naturopathic Physician to help you make the transition to the plant-based lifestyle if that’s your desire. I know that my doctor has helped me tremendously over the years. This is a lifestyle change and a completely different way of looking at food. This is not a quick fix. It took time, but since going completely plant-based, I’ve had more energy, clearer skin, better digestion and I am in better physical shape than I was as an athlete in high school. Again, you don’t have to be vegan to start noticing some benefits. Just adding more whole, plant-based foods to your diet can only be a good thing for your health, our animal friends, and the planet.

Please feel free to follow me on Instagram

Mahalo for your support!