About

by Cheryl Whyte

HEALTHY RECIPES | DELICIOUSLY BALANCED FOOD | NUTRITION MATTERS

These homemade chocolate buttons are a healthy recipe with toppings like dried rose petals, dried fruit, mixed nuts, toasted coconut and sea salt flakes.

About Cheryl

Hiya! Call me Cheryl. I’m so happy you’re here!

I am the recipe developer and food photographer behind The Real Food Geek. As a Certified Culinary Medicine Coach nothing makes me happier than bringing you healthy recipes from my kitchen to yours.

The recipes you’ll find here are healthy, simple, and incredibly tasty! So if you’re into that, join the community, and together, let’s embrace a deliciously balanced approach to food!

My Story & The Real Food Geek

Can you relate to that feeling of being out of control around food? Those dreaded cravings that dictate your food choices all the live long day! Well, I’ve been there. For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with food. I was miserable, stuck in an endless cycle of restriction and binge eating.

I knew I had to make a drastic change. At 350 lbs, I had been diagnosed with prediabetes and was dealing with a host of other medical problems. But it felt overwhelming to even start – let alone stay on track – when all my previous diets had failed.

Desperate to take back control of my health I decided no more dieting. Instead of jumping on the next restrictive diet trend, I’d return to basics and start recreating healthier versions of my favorite meals. I soon realized that healthy eating needn’t be bland, expensive, or complicated. Healthy meals could be incredibly delicious, affordable, and easy to prepare. 

Finally, I’d found a way to eat healthily without sacrificing the flavors I love, and I wanted the same for others as well. That’s when I started sharing my real food recipes online, and The Real Food Geek was born.

Over time, I have seen improvements in my health, and my excess weight is coming off consistently. I still have a long way to go, but I feel much happier and healthier now that I am in control around food.

FAQs

What is Real Food?

Simply put, real foods are minimally processed foods that nourish the body. No matter what type of ‘diet’ or ‘non-diet’ you follow, adding a variety of real foods to your plate at every meal can deliver abundant nutrients to your body, and help you function at your best.

These days, I limit the amount of highly processed foods I eat, as they often lack nutrients and are loaded with simple carbohydrates, added sugars, saturated fats, trans fats, artificial colors, flavors, and chemical preservatives. When eaten in excess, these foods can wreak havoc on the body and are a surefire way to sabotage your healthy eating goals.

I also want to emphasize that I say “limit” highly processed foods rather than remove them. No food is forbidden in this space. There’s nothing quite like making something off-limits to trigger uncontrollable cravings in many of us. It’s all about balance.

What is Culinary Medicine?

After experiencing the impact of different types of food on my health – good and bad, I was curious to learn more about nutrition. So, I enrolled at The Culinary Medicine College and gained my diploma in culinary medicine.

Culinary medicine is the study of how food can be used as a form of medicine. It requires an understanding of disease processes, how nutrition influences disease processes, and how to apply that science to your diet to transform your health. 

The Culinary Medicine College curriculum was developed by course founder Dale Pinnock, a nutrition expert, clinical practitioner, television presenter, and the author of 18 books! Dale has nearly 30 years of experience helping people regain their health with effective yet simple dietary strategies. Exactly the person I wanted to learn from!

Is The Real Food Geek a Weight Loss Blog?

The focus of The Real Food Geek is to deliver healthy, affordable, simple, and incredibly tasty recipes made with real food ingredients. Although the story of how The Real Food Geek came to fruition includes my personal weight loss efforts and initial steps towards better health, The Real Food Geek is not a weight-loss-centered food blog, nor does it claim to solve health complaints.

Most of the recipes here are designed with a balanced approach. I want for you to enjoy the recipes and feel inspired to grow your confidence in the kitchen. Regarding health, including weight loss and weight maintenance, different people have different needs, which are influenced by age, activity level, lifestyle, genetics, gender, calorie requirements, and their current state of health, among other things. Therefore, I do not define any recipe as being suitable for weight loss or solving a specific health complaint.

That said, each recipe contains nutritional information so you can choose the best recipes to suit your own specific needs.

Where to Start?

If you are new to The Real Food Geek, here are some great places to start. 

What’s Next? Join the Community!

Connecting with readers is genuinely my favorite part of blogging, and I have plenty of ways for you to stay in touch.  

  • Comment on my recipe posts. I love to hear when you try a recipe! 
  • Come say hi on social media. I personally respond to all your messages on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • Check out what I’m pinning on Pinterest.
  • Get free recipes delivered straight to your inbox by subscribing to the weekly newsletter…did I mention it was free!
  • Email me directly at cheryl@therealfoodgeek.com.  
  • Or you can visit my contact page. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope that The Real Food Geek becomes a place for you to find inspiration and delicious recipes and a place to connect with others as we take steps together toward better health.