An Interview With Martita Mestey
Learning never stops, it’s a lifelong journey: I am constantly learning about better ways to increase the nutrient density of my dishes while focusing on their flavor.
In this interview series, called “Chefs and Restaurateurs Helping To Promote Healthy Eating” we are talking to chefs and restaurateurs who are helping to promote and raise awareness about healthy eating. The purpose of the series is to amplify their message and share insights about healthy eating with our readers. As a part of this series, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Amy Lippert, NTP.
Amy founded a natural and whole food website, Almond Milk and Cookies, after she saw a need for recipes that showcase whole food and nutrient dense ingredients to not only support her own health, but that of her clients as well. Her love for cooking marries beautifully with her chemistry and nutrition backgrounds in her recipe development. Additionally, Amy founded Natural Healing Foods Nutrition, a functional nutrition business in the Twin Cities area where she supports in-person and remote clients.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restauranteur or chef?
I have always loved food and cooking and I am Korean American. One of my earliest childhood memories was peeling garlic in a bowl of warm water for my mom to make kimchi. Fast forward several years later, when I learned about the power food has to restore and even reverse chronic health symptoms, I wanted to be able to create and share whole food recipes with others.
Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?
The type of food I focus on is whole foods that are minimally processed or refined. I believe that many of the illnesses and chronic symptoms people suffer is rooted in the foods they eat. The foods we eat influences blood sugars, digestive process, nutrient absorption, and gut health. Over time, consuming a diet that is highly refined and processed can lead to chronic symptoms and eventually disease.This is what I have been able to do with my own diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an auto-immune disease where my body creates antibodies to attack my thyroid and thyroid hormone. It’s not a lifelong sentence and despite what I was told, I was able to reverse it and restore my health.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that has happened to you since you started? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
Earlier this year I was working on an egg-free, gluten-free and dairy free chocolate cheesecake made with all whole food ingredients. Cheesecake is so inaccessible for people with dietary restrictions and I wanted to solve this.
I must have made three to four cheesecakes within a few days. While my family usually has an insatiable appetite for chocolate cheesecake, they didn’t ask for another one for months. I’ve learned to share my trials with my friends and neighbors so my husband and kids don’t to have to eat every iteration of the recipe!
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, it was my husband and children who were the backbone to my healing and restoration. Every step of the way they have been supportive and encouraging by embracing the changes I made to our way of eating, and testing out all my recipes. My husband has been the rock in my success, with his background in business and experience in banking, he has encouraged and guided me throughout the process of navigating my nutrition and blogging businesses.
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?
I strive to create recipes that are not only delicious, but are healthy and contain only whole food ingredients that you can feel good about. I think that when you love the flavors and textures and know that what you’re fueling your body with food that is clean and wholesome, you can’t help but go back for more!
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal’ for you?
The perfect meal to me is one that is sourced from local farm and co-ops, organic, and contains well rounded in nutrients. Lots of good carbohydrates from fresh and colorful veggies and a small amount of whole grains, some good fats, and a nice portion of high quality protein, like everything found in my arugula salad with wild rice (https://www.almondmilkandcookies.com/post/arugula-salad-with-wild-rice)
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
My inspiration comes from the belief that food is medicine and that by making small changes in our way of eating, we can switch from consuming disease-driving foods, to life giving foods. When I need inspiration, I think about the meals that I, and my clients, want to eat, but are often inaccessible or typically made with refined and processed ingredients. I then start my job of creating a whole food, healthy version of these foods to share with my clients and the world.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?
I am super passionate about whole food-based recipes and my focus now turns to reach more people in hopes that they can experience the positive impact of eating a nutrient-dense diet. I been more focused on social as a channel to have a larger impact — growing YouTube and Instagram to reach a broader audience with nutritious recipes! I am hoping that eventually more and more people will stop eating from boxes and bags, roll up their sleeves, and get in the kitchen to create a fabulous meal that fuels and nourishes their bodies.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the main part of our interview. You are currently leading an initiative to help promote healthy eating. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
The problem we are trying to solve is straightforward — so much of what people eat today is bad for them. This can take a number of forms from their morning latte to the the “healthy” protein shake they are having mid-afternoon. Most people are not aware of this and don’t know the alternative. That is where Almond Milk and Cookies comes in. We share accessible, whole food only recipes AND the underlying nutritional reasons behind them.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
My entire life I believed that I was healthy, just like a lot of us. I ate right, exercised and did what I thought were balanced lifestyle practices to support my body. I believed what most people did — fat was bad, carb were good, however, I had worsening health issues and chronic symptoms over time.
Five years ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s after suffering from chronic symptoms for almost a decade. After my diagnosis, I worked with functional doctors, nutritionists, endocrinologists and did everything I could to reduce my symptoms and lessen the burden of my disease, however, none of it really helped until I addressed the root causes of my disease and symptoms.
With my background in science, I was on a mission to get to the answer I craved: how do I heal? I became a nutritional therapy practitioner and started my journey to healing and bringing balance back to my body through food. Now, over two years later, I am off all my medications and have been symptom free for almost a year.
Without saying specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was helped by your cause?
I have several clients that have experienced the healing that comes from nourishing the body with real food. This is the story of one of those clients:
“After months of joint pain and unexplained weight gain and hair loss, I was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism in April 2020. Feeling thrown for a loop with an overwhelming autoimmune disease, and reeling from two back-to-back miscarriages, I turned to Amy for nutritional therapy. Amy became my trusted guide to navigate this brand new, unfamiliar world. Amy’s scientific background makes her a wealth of knowledge, but her approachable nature means she explains everything in a way that the average person can easily understand. With Amy’s help, I learned how parts of my lifestyle, like doing HIIT workouts on an empty stomach, were exacerbating my body’s inflammation and creating high levels of cortisol and adrenal fatigue. By cutting back on these aggressive workouts and eliminating gluten from my diet, my joint pain is almost 100% gone. From the beginning I have felt supported and that Amy genuinely cares about my wellbeing. I’m now enjoying a healthy pregnancy with my rainbow baby and look forward to continuing my journey with Amy in the postpartum phase and beyond. Thank you, Amy!!!”
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Promote whole food and nutrition over medication.
- Educate families and schools on how to balance macronutrients, hydration, and the importance of sleep and exercise.
- Set stricter guidelines on what is allowable in refined and processed foods such as artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and other toxins. The US allows more toxins and chemicals into processed foods that have been banned in other countries, like Canada and Britain.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Chef or Restaurateur” and why? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Food has the power to heal or steal: I wish I had know the power that food truly has and that with each bite we make the choice between health or not.
- Learning never stops, it’s a lifelong journey: I am constantly learning about better ways to increase the nutrient density of my dishes while focusing on their flavor.
- The importance it is to meet and learn from others: I love to learn and understand from other’s perspectives, it helps me to stay humble and focused on growing as a person.
- Inspiration can come from the most unsuspecting of places: I was sitting in my backyard one day with my son while he was shooting some hoops and asked for a fruity dessert that night, and my creamy blackberry mousse came to be.
- At the end of the day, do what you’re passionate about and make yourself happy. I love what I do, I love sharing my passions and love of real food recipes with the world.
What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?
It is so hard for me to choose favorites, it is like asking me who is my favorite child. If I had to choose only one dish, it would be my roasted tomatillo salsa, it is so good with some organic chips and on everything from eggs to tacos! https://www.almondmilkandcookies.com/post/roasted-tomatillo-salsa
However, close runner-ups would be my Paleo Flank Steak (https://www.almondmilkandcookies.com/post/paleo-korean-flank-steak) with Korean Cucumber Kimchi (https://www.almondmilkandcookies.com/post/quick-korean-cucumber-kimchi)
Additionally, I have lots of whole food recipes that cater to various eating lifestyles, check it out here: https://www.almondmilkandcookies.com/
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Bobby Flay. I absolutely love all of his recipes and have visited a few of his restaurants in NYC. I love the flavor he brings to every dish he creates.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Website: https://www.almondmilkandcookies.com/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/almondmilkandcookies/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCViUMt8urw4-F0wYGS-BS_Q
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almond.milk.and.cookies/
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
How Amy Lippert Of ‘Almond Milk and Cookies’ Is Helping To Promote Healthy Eating was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.