Hi there!
I’m Amber and I’m the founder and creative director behind Herbivore. Most days you’ll probably find me in the kitchen -either in front of my stove, or behind my camera lens. I’m a photographer, recipe creator, storyteller, mother, and can’t imagine living anywhere that’s not seaside.
I never actually wanted to go the plant-based lifestyle route. For a very long time my dreams were vested in moving to France as a food photographer and eating my way through baguettes, quiche and croissants. Even though I was a vegetarian (ok, pescatarian) my entire life, the thought of giving up eggs and dairy was only ever met with one attitude: dismissal.
At the beginning of 2022, and quite suddenly, I became very sick. I was plagued with daily stomachaches, digestive issues, extreme exhaustion, and other strange symptoms that didn’t seem to be related to one another. I was a work at home mom with four children-including an infant-and there were days I barely got out of bed. At one point I couldn’t even drink a couple ounces of water without feeling extreme pain and bloating.
It was a few months before my doctor finally got the test results diagnosing me with celiac disease. I was devastated and terrified of change, but knew that I had to cut gluten out of my life if I wanted to heal. Unfortunately, the damage done to my body had caused other issues, as well. Even after removing gluten, I had additional sensitivities to foods that have never bothered me before. I felt entirely betrayed and angered by food- something I had once felt so passionate and joyful about.
After a lot of research, I felt that raw and whole foods could help heal me internally, so I started there. I did the Raw Till 4 diet for about 4 weeks and experienced a lot of positive change in that time. I also cut out almost all of the major allergens, which is when I stopped eating eggs and dairy and my diet became plant focused. Even though I didn’t want to admit it at first, my symptoms began to disappear and my energy began to come back. With healing I began to understand that plant based foods are the best foods for your health. I also gained a new level of respect for my body that I didn’t have before- which means I’m really careful about what I put in it. I now prioritize wellness, self-care and teaching my kids healthy habits.
The plant based community is still very new to me- or rather, I’m very new to it. I created Herbivore as both a media agency to work with like-minded brands, but also to share my own food and wellness related content, find a sense of community and promote a healthy lifestyle.
