A heartfelt letter
Over the past year I’ve felt a deep shift both personally and professionally. 2023 was one of the most challenging years of my life, and I found it hard to talk about while I was going through it. Now that I’m on the other side, I can finally say I feel like myself again.
Although 2023 marked our biggest year yet for Allianna’s Kitchen, it also brought many growing pains. After two years of building, we finally moved into our new home. We love the house, but the process was overwhelmingly draining. At the same time, my family faced major changes: my parents took in my three little cousins. The circumstances leading up to that were heartbreaking, and as an empath I felt the weight of it all deeply. There were many days I felt paralyzed by sadness. I’m someone who usually believes I can figure anything out and fix anything, and this situation reminded me there are times when there’s nothing to fix—you simply have to be present and endure.
During that year I continued to take care of myself—eating foods that make me feel good and maintaining healthy habits—yet I still didn’t feel my best. As a Holistic Health Coach I know how important it is to consider every aspect of life when assessing health. You can eat the healthiest foods and take the best supplements, but if you aren’t addressing the other areas of your life, you won’t feel well overall.
That’s why primary foods are just as vital as the foods on your plate. Primary foods are the elements that feed you but don’t come from your plate: relationships, meaningful work, small daily joys, your home life, and community connection. Secondary foods are the actual foods you eat. When primary foods are out of balance, no amount of nutritious eating can fully compensate.
Over the past few months I’ve re-centered around my primary foods. Learning how to care for a home—decorating, hosting, and turning a house into a warm home—has given me so much joy. The difficulties my family faced have also taught me invaluable lessons about being a better family member: patience, compassion, forgiveness, and deeper empathy. I’m grateful for those lessons. It also reminded me how much fulfillment I get from community outreach. In recent months Allianna’s Kitchen has partnered with several wonderful non-profits, and those collaborations have been deeply meaningful.
What this means for Allianna’s Kitchen
Allianna’s Kitchen will continue to prioritize ready-to-eat meals, recipes, and practical tips for living with autoimmune disease—that focus will remain central to the blog and social channels. At the same time, I’ll be sharing more lifestyle content that reflects my journey and the primary-food approach to wellbeing. I’ve already begun to share more of this content, and now it will feel more intentional because I’ll explain the “why” behind it.
When people feel better across the different areas of their lives, they tend to make healthier choices about food and self-care. My goal is to inspire you to become the best version of yourself. When you feel better, you show up better for others, and that creates a ripple effect. That ripple is how we make a meaningful impact in the world.
With love,
Allianna