Hi! I’m Ginny – a.k.a. the Hypothyrioid Chef.

My involvement with Real Plans has led to my reviewing their recipes to approve them for general use. There are many recipes available online, however at Real Plans all their recipes are tested to ensure they actually work in the kitchen, taste delicious and fall with the dietary restriction they are linked to.

I am a Functional Medicine Health Coach and Cordon Bleu-trained chef who has been blogging thyroid-friendly recipes and lifestyle tips since 2015. I also hosts the Thyroid-healthy Bites podcast featuring food & lifestyle topics for people with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s. I teach ‘Thyroid Thrivers’ how to cook, eat, and live for optimal health. I have a 20+ year background as a chef, food writer, and cooking instructor, but my life and career took a turn after a Hashimoto’s diagnosis. Through my own health transformation, I became a passionate thyroid advocate on a mission to empower and support others on their healing journeys. I live in Western Montana with my husband, son, and two scruffy dogs.

My Real Plans story

I was first introduced to Real Plans at the start of my own healing journey. As a newly diagnosed Hashimoto’s patient, I struggled to adapt to the dietary restrictions recommended by my doctor. For over 20 years, I had worked as a chef, food writer, and recipe developer. With that diagnosis, it was as if half the colors on my artist’s palette were instantly wiped away. My career, my identity, and my passion were turned upside-down. Regardless, I was on board because I had reached a point with my health where I couldn’t function or work normally anymore. Somehow, I had to learn to paint with these limited colors (no gluten, grains, dairy, soy, or sugar, for example). Still, I was desperate to feel better, and I could feel these dietary changes reducing my symptoms and restoring my energy.

I eventually sought the help of a holistic nutritionist who introduced me to the Real Plans platform. Inside Real Plans, instead of feeling isolated and alone with my new dietary restrictions, I felt like I belonged. Instead of facing an internet full of recipes that no longer worked for me, I saw an expansive catalog of recipes that did. Not only could I create my own meal plans and add my own recipes with ease, but my unique dietary needs were catered to with delicious, colorful food. The settings automated this in a way that required no effort or sorting on my end. I was no longer searching for recipes that worked, like a needle in a haystack; I had stumbled upon an entire haystack of recipes that did.

Real Plans didn’t just help me implement health-restoring dietary changes; it inspired me to embrace these new limitations and create my own thyroid-healthy recipes and meal plans. Today, I use Real Plans as a thyroid health coach specializing in helping other ‘Thyroid Thrivers’ navigate the journey back to health. This journey requires a whole-life, whole-health approach, with food as the foundation. Food is the piece of the puzzle that people need the most help and support with. They need solutions and inspiration. They need help finding joy in a new way of eating. They need help implementing the recommendations of their doctors and nutritionists and navigating varied diets like AIP or Low-FODMAP. Finally, they need a way to meal plan that is easy enough to work for real people in the real world. That’s what Real Plans does– it makes harnessing the healing power of food doable and easy, no matter what your limitations are.