About

Hi there, I’m Maria!  I’m so pleased you found my website!  I hope you feel at home here!

THE BLOG!
I published my first blog post December 6, 2014 after going through a health and weight loss transformation.  I have currently lost 125 pounds on a Whole Food Plant Based Diet.  I don’t like the word “diet”.  Diet is such a temporary word.  Sticking to a diet long term is not easy for me.  My plant based journey has been a lifestyle change, not a diet.  The majority of my weight loss is due to the fact that I have been following a Protective Diet since August 2013.  

April 2012 / November 2015

My husband took the photo on the left in April 2012.  Needless to say, I was not very happy with him.  At that time in my life I did not want any picture taken of me.  Looking back, I am grateful he took this picture and kept it.  The picture on the right was taken November 2015.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME!

I have been married to my best friend for 20 years.  The above photo was taken when we were first dating.  I currently work full-time and commute approximately two hours round trip per day.  Of course, it all depends on the traffic and weather.:)  Some of my interests include ceramics, gardening, bicycling and camping.  Since going plant based, cooking and running have been added to this list.

WEBSITE GOAL!
My passion is to inspire you on your whole food plant based journey, while encouraging you with strategies to incorporate into daily, weekly and monthly routines.  I will share ideas, tips and tools through my blog posts, and exclusive newsletter subscriber content.  I would love to enlighten, encourage and empower you along your journey.  My ultimate goal is to inspire you to take action!

WHY EatLiveBNspired!
As my husband and I brainstormed on a blog name, everything we came up with had already been taken or was very similar to other sites.  The name had to encompass what I wanted to convey with my website.  As I searched and pondered a name, I knew I wanted it to be available across all the social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram).  Length was also an issue.  The original site name was going to be EatLiveBeInspired.  Well this name was too long, so I decided to condense the name.  I have been very happy with that decision.  Eat. Live. Be Inspired became EatLiveBNspired

WHEN DID IT ALL START?
I remember standing in the store reading the ingredients on a can.  As I stared at the label, a thought came to mind, “what is all this stuff?”.  “Is this really good for me?  I could barely pronounce half of the ingredients.  I longed for a time that these chemicals were not a part of my food.  I had no idea how to accomplish this or where to even start.  I grew up eating a Standard American Diet (Portuguese style that is!).  

Then one night in 2012, my life would change forever.  Little did I know back then what kind of impact a documentary called Forks over Knives would have on my life.  As a result of watching this documentary on Netflix my outlook on food changed forever.  To read about my journey, check out My Plant Based Journey and My Photo Journal.

As the weight came off, my activity level naturally increased.  In August 2014, a year after I started a Protective Diet, I ran my first 5K.  I was never a runner growing up, but I have found enjoyment in this new activity.

                5K Run


The same summer, I looked into updating my life insurance.  I was hoping to reduce my monthly rate.  I was pleasantly surprised that my health had improved significantly.  I was able to upgrade my plan to the “Preferred Elite” category.  My agent told me very few people ever move into this category.  Below are my numbers over the last few years.  I would love for others to transition into the “Preferred Elite” category.  Will you join me?

This is not a diet.  “Diet” has negative connotations.  Any change has to take place because of a “want” to change.  Lifestyle change such as I have gone through and you are about to will change you forever.

FOOD BLOGGER/CHEF!
Neither one.  Not even close.  I am definitely not a chef nor do I claim to be.  My husband loves to tell a story that happened before we were married when I burned a bag of instant rice.  I know!  How does someone do that?  All I had to do was boil a bag of rice in water.  In my defense, I was on the phone with him when this happened.  So technically, I blame him.

When we were first married, I didn’t like to cook.  I was not a wonderful or even a good cook.  My husband did the cooking.  I would look around the kitchen and think, there is nothing to eat!  He would put things together and in the end it would taste great.  I was also impatient.  If I was hungry, I just wanted something fast and easy. 

I  can mess up a recipe with the instructions right in front of me.  I don’t know how I do it but it still happens to this day, even if I have made the same recipe multiple times.  I have to say that over the last four years my cooking has improved.  My husband agrees!  

I have created a few of my own recipes but not many.  You can find them under My Recipes.  That’s okay, there are many wonderful plant based chefs out there.  I don’t need to join them, just enjoy their recipes.

I will be blogging about so much more than the food I eat.  Technically, I don’t consider myself a food blogger, … or should I?

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE!
It all depends on you!  Are you ready to start your journey?  I am excited about the possibilities and opportunities that lay before you.  I am grateful you came across my blog.  I hope you will come back often and join me as we embark on this new phase of own lives together!  Let’s connect through social media Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter.  

Learn more about my weight loss journey, go to  My Plant Based Journey and My Photo Journal

Here are some areas to check out:  

Where to go from here?
Start Here Page
Simple Living
Sign up for Free Protective Diet Recipes

My Story has been featured:
Protective Diet Testimonial 1/2012
Protective Diet Testimonial 2012 & 2015
Discover the Word of Wisdom
Meridian Magazine
Discovering the Word of Wisdom a short film

Health4life,