About the Author
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TORIE BORRELLI is an integrative holistic
tionist, consultant, recipe creator, and founder of
The Vida Well, a brand rooted in tion education and
wholesome living. Her Mexican and Italian heritage birthed a
lifelong love of food, but personal issues were ultimately
the impetus behind Torie's pursuit of an education in holistic
medicine and tional cooking. Borrelli is an instructor at
Rancho La Puerta Spa in Tecate, Mexico, and a collaborator
with brands such as Butcher Box, Bulletproof, Siete Foods, Lyft,
Kopari, and Coola.
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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
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INTRODUCTION
MY JOURNEY TO
I discovered the keto-focused, anti-inflammatory lifestyle after
struggling with my for twenty-five years. When I was
sixteen, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, Hashimoto’s
thyroiditis, and irritable bowel syndrome (or IBS), which I
thankfully do not have today. While my daily work as an
integrative holistic tionist includes helping people with
everything from to es, I have faced my own set
of issues over the years. About four years ago, I
experienced a radical shift in my personal that has led me
to writing this book today.
My journey to finding through tion has been an
incredibly transformative one. I spent years trying the newest
fad diets, every trend under the sun, and the most
punishing cleanses before I found something that worked for me.
My goal for this book is to cut through all the confusing,
conflicting information and tell you everything you need
to nourish your body. Cooking y meals with the right
ingredients should be fun and inspiring—not a chore or
intimidating.
Transitioning to a high- lifestyle has been one of the most
impactful changes in my life. Before this, I was constantly
“stabilizing my blood sugar” by eating every couple of hours to
relieve my hanger. Sw to a high- ketogenic diet cleared
my brain fog, energized me, and eliminated hunger pangs and mood
swings from my life. doesn’t make you ; it makes you
thrive. After applying these principles to my own life and seeing
dramatic changes, I started to implement them with my clients,
friends, and anyone who wanted to let me guide them.
THE HEALING TRANSITION
Before I launched my brand, The Vida Well, in 2016, I worked
closely with leading naturopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists,
and local San Diego doctors. I helped develop personalized
programs for their patients combating everything from daily
concerns such as igue and skin issues to widespread chronic
illnesses such as es, heart disease, and obesity. This work
inspired me to create The Vida Well, a and education
brand rooted in and tion. I created this platform to
open people’s worlds by helping them take a preventative approach
to living, which essentially means not waiting until ness
strikes in order to change habits. My work consists of meeting
one-on-one with clients, corporate consulting, and teaching
around the world.
The knowledge I had, along with the direct access to some of San
Diego’s best practitioners, helped me give patients the tools to
change their lives through diet. And with this book, I can help
so many more people than I would ever be able to on a one-on-one
basis.
Throughout my work with thousands of clients, one thing has made
itself clear to me: people are confused. There is an overwhelming
a of misinformation out there when it comes to what we
should be eating. My clients will often share, with increasing
exasperation and frustration, things they read online. They’re
hesitant to eat because they believe it will clog their
arteries, and they’re worried that skipping breakfast or snacks
will cause a drop in blood sugar.
This book will dispel all the ambiguity by breaking down the
science of tion into easily digestible information and
giving you clear solutions to help eliminate sugar and reduce
carbohydrates in your diet. Everyone I have worked with, no
matter what symptoms they have, has benefited from this simple
process.
I will not recommend anything in this book that I have not
experimented with on myself. For so long, I felt like I tried
everything from going gluten-free to using prescription
medications. The major shift happened when my mind felt clear and
I was satisfied after meals. With the keto diet, I have finally
found something that not only works but is a tenable way to live.
THE TRUTH
Chronic inflammatory diseases have never been more of a global
problem than they are right now. Most of this is due to
inflammation caused by poor tional habits, stress levels,
sedentary lifestyles, abnormal patterns, and environmental
exposures. As our food becomes more sugar laden and processed,
the number of people suffering with inflammation-based
diseases such as es, ty liver disease, mental illnesses,
digestive disorders, and even cancer continues to rise. The
United States spends more on care than any other country,
yet our rates of disease are the highest in the world. Over half
of the country is suffering from ailments that can be treated,
managed, or even reversed through tion-based programs. My
own experiences have inspired me to look for answers, but the
positive change I see in my clients has turned it into my
passion.
THE SOLUTION
The good news is that this doesn’t have to be the way. We can go
back to a more intuitive way of eating and still live in the
modern world. Pairing locally sourced and unprocessed foods with
my simple high-, low-carb guidelines will transform the way
your body functions and, with that, many aspects of your .
I chose to focus on Mexican food for a couple reasons. I’m half
Mexican and live in Mexico part-time, so Mexican cooking is like
a first language to me. Traditional Mexican cuisine is high in
y s and proteins and lends itself well to a ketogenic
diet. Finally, many of my clients have some sort of Mexican
heritage like I do. Seeing people embrace their culinary roots
firsthand and at the same time reverse their inflammation
symptoms is one of the best parts of my job.
In researching the concept for this book, I started to explore
the ways my great-grandparents ate and their relationship with
food. What I discovered was that not too long ago, their diet
closely resembled the one I have painstakingly discovered through
trial and error. Slow-cooked meats, whole fish, and seasonal
vegetables served with homemade salsas comprised the majority of
their meals. You’ll read more about the relationship between
high- foods and Mexican cooking on page 8.
Everyone wants to lead ier lives, but most are overwhelmed
by either tion myths or inflammation ailments or both.
Throughout this book, you will learn simple ways to prioritize
your everyday . This cookbook is your road to .
You will learn that food reminiscent of abuelita’s cooking is
ier than any commercialized Mexican food you’ll find today.
These flavorful Mexican recipes will resemble what people ate
before processed and fast foods became the norm in both Mexico
and the United States.
My goal is to educate and empower by taking the traditional
Mexican dishes I have always known and loved and updating them to
optimize in a delicious and enjoyable way. Each recipe
will be accompanied by tips, ingredient facts, and
substitution ideas. I will also help you fill your kitchen
cabinets with affordable and ent-dense stes. We want to
create an enduring lifestyle change rather than a quick fix. It’s
time to become more connected with the food we put into our
bodies and learn to listen to our bodies’ signals.
Imagine a life where you have the energy to check things off
your always growing to-do list, where you’re ing through the
night, not wearing as much makeup because your skin is now clear
and glowing, where you’re fitting into that favorite pair of
jeans, and feeling like your best self. You slow down, listen,
and understand the messages from your body.
Of course, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution when it
comes to tion. Everyone has their own taste preferences and
issues. Still, despite these distinctions, everybody can
benefit from incorporating keto concepts into their life. All the
research I have done, all my experiences working with people to
better their tion, and my own personal journey with the keto
diet have shown me that proactively reducing your inflammation
leads to major benefits. Imbalance is caused by
inflammation. Just one imbalance creates oxidative stress in the
body, which in turn creates mitochondrial dysfunction.
Inflammation is something that every single one of us has,
although the symptoms may present themselves in different ways.
These simple and straightforward recipes are low in carbs, high
in y s, and moderate in protein. This book uses the
principles of the ketogenic diet (see page 16) and the pillars of
Mexican heritage cuisine as the foundation for creating
affordable and accessible meals that will reduce disease-causing
inflammation in the body, speed up your sm, help shed
those extra pounds, clear that brain fog, improve mental clarity,
and balance your hormones.
It can be argued that everybody loves Mexican food—but that’s
not why I’m writing this book. People all over the world are
and they are only getting er. There are so many conflicting
opinions about what is y, and people fall into a
mainstream-trending diet hole. They are afraid to include in
their diets, opting for low-, high-sugar, and high-
products instead. Most people don’t have easy access to
ent-rich food, elite dieting fads, or posh cookbooks. My
hope is that this book will start to bridge that chasm by
bringing this information to people all over the world.
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