THE DETOXINISTA
Megan Gilmore, Georgia-grown girl and current Los Angelian, is a certified Holistic Health Counselor, trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Based in New York City, Integrative Nutrition® is the largest nutrition school in the world. Her education has equipped her with a deep knowledge in holistic nutrition, health coaching, and the importance of preventive care, which she loves sharing on her blog detoxinista.com and in her new cookbook, Everyday Detox!
Tell us your name: Megan Gilmore
City? Kansas + Georgia and currently Los Angeles.
What is your business? I’m a greeting card illustrator by day but nutrition and healthy cooking has been a passion of mine for years so I created detoxinsta.com as a creative outlet to share my favorite recipes.
Inspiration? I grew up on a terrible junk-food diet which took me years to turn around. I did a lot of yo-yo dieting and found myself obsessing over food anytime I tried to count calories. I changed my focus to eating real, unprocessed foods which was a refreshing, welcoming change. My goal with the website is to make healthy living accessible and show people that eating well can be both easy and delicious.
The Creamy Almond Butter & Spinach Shake + the Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Shake were just a few of our favorites that we found on detoxinista.com!
Pick a Superfood: Hemp seeds! They’re my favorite form of complete protein to add to my morning smoothie.
Favorite form of release? Hiking! Los Angeles has beautiful hiking trails, and getting out of nature gives me the recharge I need after working on my computer so often.
Something you miss about the South: The people! It’s true that everyone is more welcoming in the southern states.
Greatest joy of beginning Detoxinista? Hearing that someone’s life has been changed because of something I’ve shared. If my recipes make just one person healthier, I feel like I’ve made an impact on the world.
All photos (c) of Megan Gilmore
FOUNTAIN OF JUICE
Here at IFF, we can personally attest to the fact that Fountain of Juice (or FOJ, as the cool kids call it) is a breakfast, lunch and (now) dinner staple in Macon, Georgia. Most mornings we found ourselves starting the day off with a detox smoothie and returning at noon for a savory salad or their famous Grown-up Macaroni. Due to the overwhelming success at Mercer Village, they recently expanded their location to The Prado. The green juice + beautiful bounty of food was incentive enough, but a gorgeous new locale that features an after-5 menu was a deal-sealer for IFF to capture the handiwork of owner and entrepreneur, Natasha Phillips. I could go on, but I'll let her charming Q&A do all the talkin'.
QUICK ABOUT: The Del-Basso-Orsini family has become synonymous with Macon’s finest epicurean offerings for almost thirty years, and Fountain of Juice maintains the standard set forth by family inspiration. The skills of Natasha Phillips, who grew up in her mama’s kitchen, reflect the impeccable taste and unmistakable flair of her Italian family heritage. Teamed up with husband, Carl, she is carrying on the family tradition and introducing new and inventive ways to create good food.
Name: Natasha Phillips, Owner, Fountain of Juice and FOJ – an Eatery.
Inspiration for starting your own biz? I moved back to Macon from the big city of Atlanta and saw how Macon was lacking in good healthy eateries. Having grown up in the business, I jumped right on it and created such a place for initially selfish reasons.
What makes you tick? The smell of cilantro and fresh corn tortillas inspires my palate to create. Also, the smell of cloves in the fall and white chili, tomato jam, or anything pumpkin. Seasonal soothes the soul!
Personal mantra: Teamwork makes the dream work. No one is more important than the other when it comes to the final outcome! It takes a village with most things in life.
Pick a Superfood: Dragon Fruit… my newest obsession.
Favorite indulgence: French fries and cold beer 'cause ya can’t take the South out of the girl!
Health trend you are loving: B-12, I take it via inhaler. As a wife, mother of 2, and owner of 2 stores, I need all the extra energy I can get.
Favorite form of exercise: I love mixing cardio and weights - I’ve been on that ride a while. Plus, yoga!
Preferred yoga pose: Childs pose. After a butt-kicking Hot Yoga session, I crawl into that pose and exhale!
Photo: Owner Natasha Phillips and husband Carl // All images (c) of Haley Sheffield.