People of Charlotte, please meet Cheryl Hoover, a Charlottean who wants to change the way Charlotte thinks about food, one bite at a time.
Now let's get to know her story!
What is Pharmacy in Your Kitchen?
I have a small business called Pharmacy In Your Kitchen that offers inspiration, recipes, and lifestyle suggestions that promote eating for optimal health and healing. The food you eat can either help your body fight disease or contribute to disease. My goal is to have you embrace the opportunity you have in your kitchen to nourish yourself with every bite.
How has your journey connected you to food in a different way?
I am a registered pharmacist, cancer survivor, cook, and certified in plant based nutrition. My journey has uniquely prepared me to help you begin to think about food differently and discover the philosophy of not just eating to eat, but eating to nourish your body.
I feel like I have been preparing for Pharmacy In Your Kitchen all my life. I have always loved to cook, but instead of becoming a chef, I initially went to school for restaurant management. I had a change of heart on the management side of things and decided to use my precise measuring skills to become a pharmacist. I practiced pharmacy for years in both hospital and retail settings, I worked in the pharmaceutical sales industry, and I married a traditionally trained doctor.
How have you combined your nutritional and pharmaceutical background?
Things were moving along just as planned until I was diagnoses with breast cancer in 2015. It literally stopped me in my tracks. By most standards, I was a picture of health. I exercised daily, was not overweight, and had no family history of breast cancer. Things happened so quickly after diagnosis, that it wasn't until the doctors were discharging me that I realized I had to do something myself. I wanted to do something that would make a difference in my health in the future. So, I used my pharmacist background and did a lot of research on diet and food and became educated in the power of nourishing your body properly. I became certified in Plant Based Nutrition and now my focus is in disease prevention using food as medicine.
Where can we learn more about food as medicine?
I have cowritten a book with Dr. Hayes Woollen, that will be available in a few weeks. The title is, Healthy Living for a Sharper Mind, and in it I share my "Pharmacy In Your Kitchen" philosophy to improve your overall health.
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