WELCOME TO WELL AND FULL!

Hi, I’m so glad you’re here! My name is Sarah, and I created this blog in 2015 to share recipes that are good for the body and soul. Here, you can find a variety of recipes, including vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, and vegetarian options.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

I was a sophomore in college when I first dreamed about starting a blog. Over the years, I created a number of blogs about yoga, gourmet food, lifestyle, etc. While I loved all of those categories, none of them were truly my passion.

After I graduated from college, I took a job in corporate finance that led to a total burnout in only a few years. This was mostly because I had started getting sick – debilitating yet amorphous gastrointestinal symptoms that no one could pin down. It was at this time when I decided to start Well and Full as a vegan blog. During those years, I experimented with vegan, raw, and stereotypically “healthy” recipes, but I still didn’t feel better.

Fast forward four years. I finally found healthcare professionals who would listen to me – a Nurse Practitioner and a Physician’s Assistant – after years of pleading with doctors to do more testing. A capsule endoscopy ordered by the PA quickly found ulcers in my small intestine.

I have Crohn’s disease, and a type of arthritis that goes along with IBD (enteropathic arthritis), and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. While getting these diagnoses were difficult for me to process mentally, I feel as though that process has given me a new direction in life.

While a bit disillusioned with the healthcare system, I was incredibly inspired by the nurses who had helped me along with my journey. Not long after, the coronavirus hit America hard. I saw so many images on the news of families suffering, doctors and nurses working without proper PPE, and so many preventable deaths. I felt a calling; I felt like I had to help. So, in May 2020, I signed up for my first classes for nursing school.

While I took classes like Anatomy & Physiology, microbiology, etc., I wanted to jump into the healthcare field to see the real-life applications of my studies. I decided to enroll in an accelerated Emergency Medical Technician program in the summer of 2021, and got a job as an EMT soon after.

MY APPROACH TO WELLNESS

I learned from my own experience that loading up on quinoa, kale smoothies, and açaí bowls isn’t a magical pathway to well-being, despite what you might see on social media. Creating diets centered around deprivation or restriction may lead to deleterious mental health effects. I also strongly believe that health is not a one-size-fits-all practice. What works for one person may not work for you, and that’s okay!

FUN FACTS ABOUT ME

• I live in Connecticut with my husband Jon, and my dog Ivy!
• Ivy is my rescue baby and she is the light of my life. You can read more about her here!
• I’m a classically trained pianist and sang competitively in school. Music is a huge part of my life.
• Reading is one of my great passions! I started reading at the age of four, and have read over a thousand books since then. Some of my favorites include the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, and My Life in France by Julia Child.
• My other hobbies include ice skating, rollerblading, hiking with Jon and Ivy, and yin yoga.

WELL AND FULL GROUND RULES

Keep it kind, keep it respectful! Above all, have fun!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

P.S.  The best way to get ahold of me is through the comments! I absolutely love hearing from my readers, and I respond to each and every comment I receive. But if you’d like to send a private message, please feel free to drop me a line at wellandfull@gmail.com.