My Mission- To help people work towards optimal health and wellness through deliciously good food
My food journey began when I was 13 after reading a book that made my impulsive teenage self decide to become vegetarian. My mum having gone through cancer recently was happy to indulge me (luckily). For the next 9 years I stuck steadfastly to this choice.
Unfortunately for me being vegetarian wasn’t synonymous with good health. I lived a rather indulgent and unhealthy life style from the time I left home at 17 and became overweight, unwell and very unhappy both inside and out.
A week before my 20th birthday I was diagnosed with cancer. This was my wake up call, and so began my journey with nourishing whole food eating. After my diagnosis I attended the Gawler Foundation in Australia where I was educated about life affirming foods and complete ways to regain health. This course focused on all the possible modalities both eastern and western that could be used to fight cancer and general ill health.
My absolute love of food flourished from here, I worked in Emergency trauma care for a number of years as well as in the outdoor and Antarctic all the time gathering my food and health knowledge.
In 2013 I completed a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition at Cornell University and started blogging my recipes. I believe that food should be nourishing and a total joy. I also understand how overwhelming it can be, especially when you or a love one have been advised to ‘eat healthily’ or are recovering from diet related illness. More recently I completed Raw Chef Certification.
I want to provide the link between being told what to do and creating that sustainable easy lifestyle change. It doesn’t mean giving up all foods you love, but incorporating more health promoting, unprocessed, unrefined foods into your diet.
I now work as a wholefood coach and I am currently writing my first cookbook. My food creations are plant based and are gluten free. They can all be easily changed to meet special dietary requirements. I live in Nelson New Zealand and my spare time is spent adventuring in the great outdoors.
Please look through the services I offer if you are interested in your own journey to wholefood health.
Maddy
NourishFull 
Your Divine Roasted Tomato Soup recipe caught my eye in the Nelson Mail on line for two reasons – I have loads of ripe tomatoes in my Murchison vegetable garden, fresh garlic hanging up drying, and I follow a plant based whole foods (with fish) diet too!
I read your story, and while I haven’t been to the Gawler Foundation in the Yarra Valley, I have been to a retreat here in New Zealand run by Professor George Jelinek, a close friend of Ian Gawler. George has run many retreats for people with MS at Gawler, showing how lifestyle modifications can not only halt the progression of MS but that it is possible to regain health. It has certainly worked for me!
When will your cookbook be out?
Wendy
Hey Wendy. Fantastic to hear about the fantastic lifestyle you are living. I have read a lot of great things about George Jelinek and the work he does. Hope to have a cookbook out in the next year, I will keep you updated!
George Jelinek is an inspiration just like Ian Gawler. I moderate the forum and deal with all the email queries on Georges’s Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis site. Looking forward to the cookbook!
I just stumbled upon your blog and what a story you have to share. I’m sorry that you’ve struggled with your health so much, I can’t imagine having cancer at such a young age! Still, it sounds like it brought you to vibrant health and allowed you to discover your true calling in life. My husband and I have been following a plant based diet for two years now and we love it. It’s always exciting for me to meet others on this path. I wish you the best of luck with your book and will certainly check it out when it’s available. Celeste 🙂
Maddy your recipes looks great! I look forward to following you
-April