The Beginning of Healthy Hankerings

This is the beginning of Healthy Hankerings.
If you want to learn what the goal of this blog is, please check out the About tab.

But first, let me tell you a little about myself and how I got started.

My name is Stefanie, and I am 23 years old. I studied at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, and graduated in 2012 with a B.S. in Nutrition. While at Plattsburgh, I was a competitive runner on the cross country team, as well as Track & Field. Running is where I excelled. I made eight NCAA Championship appearances, and earned All-American status after placing in the top 15 at the NCAA Division 3 Cross Country Championships. I was also named Regional Athlete of the Year, as well as Female Athlete of the Year for my University, my senior year.

When I first started school at Plattsburgh, I started out as a Nursing major. However, my sophomore year I had second thoughts and switched my major to Nutrition. I developed an interest in healthy eating like I never had before in high school. I was the world's pickiest eater up until I went to college. I introduced myself to foods I had never tried before and I was actually enjoying them. Instead of gaining the freshman 15 like most kids, I lost the freshman 15. Like most young female athletes; especially runners, I battled a love-hate relationship with food. The foods I ate in high school developed into fear foods.

Today I have learned to love myself and my body, and treat it with the necessary nutrients that it needs. I'm an athlete and I need to fuel myself. I have been Pescetarian for almost 2 years now, which is a vegetarian/fish-based diet. However, I am transitioning myself to Vegan which I started back in March. A vegan-based diet is by no means restrictive, and I think it only has broadened my diet to new things. The kitchen is where I like to be creative, and I will be sharing some of those with you, from quinoa stuffed mushrooms to healthy vegan peanut butter cups. I eat healthy but there's always room for dessert; you need to treat yourself!

As far as my designations, I am certified as a DTR (Dietetic Technician). I work for one of the many hospitals owned by North Shore LIJ, which is a huge health-care system on Long Island, New York. In addition, I am a member of the ADA and am Serv Safe Food Handler Certified.

Thanks for reading my little intro, and I hope you find this blog of use.

If you have any questions at all, please leave a comment or email me at healthyhankerings@gmail.com