welcome to the change room

Here and now is the time for positive change.

the change room is a project that I hold very dear to my heart. I have dreamed about it for a very long time. This post - my very first - will be an introduction to the manifestation of that dream.

First of all, let me introduce myself.

My name is Mandy, and I am a registered pharmacist in Melbourne, Australia. Health, you could say, has always been my passion. Obtaining and maintaining good health have always been interests of mine.

Food has always been my other passion.

A love for food + a love for health = a healthy love for food + a love for healthy food. Right? Wrong.

It wasn't until I started to learn about nutrition during my university degree that I began to understand the complexity of food's impact on one's health. It was also about this time that my father pretty much lost control over the management of his type 2 diabetes. His health took a nosedive into the ground. Off a cliff.

Desperate to help, I read dozens of books on the sorts of food that diabetics should and shouldn't eat. Armed with new knowledge, I gave my father no choice but to implement change. When I say that I threw his junk in the bin, I mean exactly that - even if he hadn't yet had the chance to take it out of the shopping bag.

His health began to improve. And whilst his medications certainly played a vital role in helping him regain good health, it was his new lifestyle - diet and exercise - that ensured that he maintained his good health.

As I progressed through my university degree, I found that my interest resided in learning about the impact that food had on certain medical conditions - high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes. With knowledge came awareness. And with that, came mindful eating.

After a few years of eating mindfully, I was dealt a large blow. Gluten intolerance. I was forced to learn first-hand what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a diagnosis.

Naturally, I opted for denial. One moment, I'm preaching to my father that he needs to accept the fact that he is diabetic and therefore needs to harden up and stop eating certain foods. The next, I'm a shameful hypocrite eating foods that I shouldn't eat. The end result? Admission into an emergency department with internal bleeding. The damage I had inflicted upon myself was so bad that I had to consume local anaesthetic on a daily basis to neutralise the pain.

Acceptance followed the denial.

But suddenly there was nothing to eat.

Not only did I need to consider my intolerance, but I was no less passionate about healthful eating. Food courts, parties, restaurants, cafes - there was either nothing (or pretty much nothing) I could eat, or nothing (or pretty much nothing) that I was willing to eat.

Light bulb moment.

Why must people give up the foods they want to eat in order to obtain or maintain their health goals? Or, why must people suffer as a result of not giving up those foods?

Why can't tasty food just be good for you?

The answer is this - tasty food can be good for you.

the change room is a team dedicated to combining health knowledge with food knowledge - and producing clean, tasty, healthful food.

Gluten free, preservative free. Vegetarian. Almost all of the ingredients are certified organic. There is no refined sugar. High protein, low carbohydrate, low glycaemic index. Low fructose. There are nut free options, vegan options and dairy free options. All of the ingredients have been carefully selected because they are actually good for you.

This is my mission.

Step into the change room and let me change the way you think about food.