Having spent 30 years as a registered nurse, Sheila Cunningham knew what it meant to treat patients afflicted with disease and chronic conditions. What she never experienced, and what they failed to teach in nursing school, was how to prevent illness by transforming your pantry.
It wasn’t until Sheila went from working in a hospital to working in a school that her own health started to decline and she could see first-hand how many children were afflicted with stomach problems, ADHD, and eczema. Also, how many parents fed them chemical after chemical, unknowingly fueling the inflammatory fire. 
That’s when Sheila knew there had to be more to healthcare than the food pyramid and healing patients after the fact. She dove into nutrition school and, shortly after, discovered Jen Smiley. The puzzle pieces clicked and Sheila knew she had to share her new wealth of nutritional knowledge with the world. 
Today, Sheila talks with Jen about why hospitals aren’t the key to holistic health, what parents don’t realize about food and their kids, why learning to read the labels became empowering for Sheila, and why nurses more than anyone need clean foods in their diet.

Key Takeaways

[00:39] - A brief introduction to Sheila. 

[01:52] - What Sheila learned about food and nutrition in nursing school. 

[02:26] - Why Sheila decided to become a certified nutritionist. 

[05:40] - Why Sheila wanted to impact her community beyond traditional nutritional services.  

[07:05] - Why nutrition school didn’t give Sheila the full picture. 

[08:06] - How Sheila discovered the power of labels. 

[09:29] - How Sheila’s personal health propelled her desire to master healthy eating.

[11:51] - What Sheila’s life looked like before clean eating. 

[12:45] - Why nutrition school wasn’t enough for Sheila. 

[14:45] - The most beneficial part of Clean Eating Academy for Sheila. 

[16:42] - How clean eating has transformed Sheila’s life. 

[22:08] - Sheila’s Wake Up moment. 

[24:28] - How you can eat clean without breaking the bank.


Quotes
[12:58] - “Nutrition school definitely gets you to a certain point of knowledge. But for what I want to offer the world and my clients, I want to give them empowerment to learn on their own, and to know that just because you are looking at the outside of this pretty picture and saying oh, fat-free, low-carb, gluten-free, that you still have to look at the facts.” ~ Sheila Cunningham 
[13:47] - “I learned through your program that you’re not healthy until you really start diving into what those ingredients are in your food.” ~ Sheila Cunningham 
[16:45] - “The biggest difference is just feeling better, not feeling bloated when you’re eating, and also being able to go to the grocery store and recognize the fake advertising.” ~ Sheila Cunningham 

Links 

Sheila Cunningham 

Sheila on Facebook

Abs Are Made In The Kitchen

Clean Eating Academy

Chosen Foods

Whole Foods 

Primal Kitchen


Dunkin’ Donuts* 


Froot Loops*


SkinnyPop*


Starbucks*


Nexium*


Celsius* 


5-Hour Energy*


Clif Bar* 


Lean Cuisine* 


Piccadilly* 


Connect with our host

Jen on Instagram

Jen on Facebook

Wake Up and Read the Labels!


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