Testimonials
It helps to have a guide on this journey. These are some of my favorite resources, and I will continue to add more. Let me know what resource ideas you need.
“My husband Bill had heart disease and was recovering from prostate cancer treatment and had many symptoms from being a first responder on 9-11.
After having seen documentaries about the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle (e.g. Forks over Knives), I wanted to make a change but was still kind of stuck on how to fully transition to a Whole Food Plant-Based diet.
My husband Bill had heart disease and was recovering from prostate cancer treatment and had many symptoms from being a first responder on 9-11. Fortunately, I reached out to Laurie for help. Laurie’s Eat to Heal program kicked off with Laurie interviewing us both to understand our health concerns and what and how we were eating. We immediately discovered gaps in our understanding; Laurie was so helpful. What was confusing soon became clear as Laurie showed us how to shop, cook and generally live in this new clean way. We felt better, lost weight and were moving along nicely. It was not until I visited my daughter in North Carolina that the full effect of the change in us both became apparent. My daughter, who had not seen us in a few months, could not believe the change. She reported that her dad was breathing better than he had in years! Also she was surprised at the stamina we both had as we vacationed together. We were both able to keep up with our 9 and 12 year old red-headed grandsons. I say red-headed because they are all that that implies and their mom was astounded at how easily we could keep up. So to say the least, our lives have changed. We are healthier, stronger and we are so glad to say we have also gained a friend. Thank you Laurie Courage!”
—Marianne W.
“I’ve been a Diabetic for 17 years and on insulin and numerous pills to combat my Diabetes. After 6 months working with Laurie, I lost over 50lbs, no longer need to take insulin and am off nearly all of my medications.
Laurie taught my wife and I how to cook and eat a plant-based diet. She also gave us several helpful resources to help guide us. I have the energy to workout daily and my wife can hug me and grasp her hands behind my back. I am not on a diet; this is a lifestyle.”
—Jerry W.
“Laurie was a joy to work with! I never could’ve gone ‘vegan’ (really plant-based) without her help. She understood my needs and gave me the research-based facts, tools and a solid working knowledge of how to change my diet for healthy living. This included recipes and cooking advice. With Laurie’s support and guidance, I discovered new ways to cook healthy, hearty and tasty meals.
At every stage, she gave me the tools, and yes, the courage, to experiment and continue my journey toward healthy eating (for optimal health). I learned the dangers of fat and the joys of cannellini beans and sweet potatoes!
I can say with confidence I am able to follow a healthy eating program for the rest of my life because of Laurie. I lost a noticeable amount of weight in the process, and my cholesterol dropped 48 points. Feeling good, looking good. How cool is that!”
—Tina D.
“Laurie counseled me for 6 months to help me achieve weight loss with a plant-based diet. I’m a 46-year-old perpetually overweight dad that was vegan for a year before meeting Laurie. My wife and 3 sons eat the standard American diet and have no interest in changing. I had been well versed in WFPB nutrition before I ever met Laurie.
The diet produced good cholesterol figures and good energy but I was still overeating and maintaining an unhealthy weight. Laurie was really that extra push that I needed to take the weight off too.
On our weekly calls we strategized and strategized as if we were going into a battle (and when you’re surrounded by the junk food in my house, it is a battle). Laurie gave me tips to prepare for my daily battles in the office, with the kids, at home or going out. Her tips included ways to order, what to bring with me to work, what to do with the Oreos in my house, recipes, and much more. We used a shared app so she could see my progress and I didn’t want to disappoint her!
Laurie approached every one of my hurdles with compassion and fresh ideas. I wasn’t perfect and had plenty of bad stretches. Through the good times and the bad she was consistently a supportive voice helping me make the right choice. Many around me think vegan eating is peculiar, and WFPB eating is just crazy. In the social challenges I faced, it was great to have a partner on my side giving me evidence to support this way of life. Your body also tells you it’s right because your energy levels will explode!
In summary, I can’t recommend Laurie enough – as an educator, coach, and positive force to help you make a change and become a healthier you. The WFPB lifestyle is unquestionably the best choice but it’s not an easy choice in our society. Laurie fills that gap. She helps you make that transition and you won’t regret it!”
—Michael R.
“After having chronic and painful acid reflux for over a year, Laurie helped me to change my diet and my symptoms went away. No more reflux.”
—Mark S.
“Laurie helped me get my plant-based eating back on track after a series of stressful life events unearthed my old bingeing habits. Counseling for eating disorders requires special training, and Laurie is one of very few plant-based practitioners with certification in this area.
Her approach to nutrition education and coaching is a combination of compassion, patience and deep knowledge. Laurie loves data! She delves deep into the latest nutritional studies and research, then culls the most relevant and useful information for her clients; making it easy to understand. I’m so grateful to have met Laurie!”
—Deb K.
“I felt it was time to change my eating habits. With the various medical issues such as Hep C, Thyroid issues, heart stents and prostate cancer treatment, I needed to make a change. My stomach was a mess and I was on all kinds of medicine. I had constant stomach issues and the radiation did not help my bowels. Laurie took the time to listen and understand me, my medical situation and my goals.
I wanted to lose weight, improve my digestive health, improve my bloodwork and reduce some of the prescription drugs I was on for high blood pressure, blood thinner, and thyroid. We talked about the difference between vegetarian, vegan and plant-based. What an eye-opener that was. Laurie was very helpful in explaining the different types of foods, vegetables, meats, dairy products, reading labels, processed foods and much more. But, the best part for me was the recipes as I love cooking (and wine). So, this gave me a great opportunity to try new things and ingredients that I would never have if not working with Laurie. I learned a lot about foods. Also, the awesome recipes and the books Laurie recommended and provided will be in my kitchen for a long time. I was able to introduce family and friends to some of these recipes and foods and for the most part have been very successful.
In the end, the Eat to Heal program and coaching from Laurie were very successful. I was able to drop 15 lbs. and, with support from my doctor after seeing my results, got off the blood thinner Rx(Brilenta) and reduced the amount of Synthroid I was taking. As a prostate cancer survivor, after my prostate was removed, I had radiation treatment when my PSA level went back up. The radiation initially did reduce my PSA level but the negative impact of the radiation caused a lot of issues with my digestive system and caused rectal bleeding.
Since I started the program with Laurie, my stomach issues have greatly improved. I no longer experience stomach cramps, bloating, GERD at night, and most of all the rectal bleeding. I feel that going on a plant-based program, reducing and cutting out meats, dairy, and processed junk food definitely helped my stomach and digestive system. Another wonderful benefit was that my PSA level did go down slightly in six months. I feel the plant-based diet had a positive impact on my overall health, digestive system, heart, and PSA level.
Overall, the time and effort were definitely worth the investment and learning. I am very excited to continue this journey, share with my family and friends my new foods and recipes, and maybe help others along the way.
I would strongly recommend Laurie’s services as she is well educated and informed about better eating and has trained with several plant-based leaders. I cannot thank Laurie enough for all she has done and taught me. She had helped to change my life for the better.”
—Michael V.
“My brother, a cardiologist, told me that my high blood pressure medication was treating the symptom and not the cause of my heart disease. After watching Forks Over Knives, and researching whole plant-based food, I started working with Laurie.
Through her, I learned the keys to success on this new lifestyle. With her help, I lost 40 pounds, about 1 pound a week, and my blood pressure is now normal. More importantly, I don’t even think about eating food that I should not be eating. Thanks Laurie for teaching me that we can’t leave it all in god’s hands. We have to make an effort then g-d helps us. I have a lot to live for and Encouraging Greens helped me do this. The whole world is a narrow bridge and the main path is not to be afraid of what it means to walk that narrow path.”
—Ezra H.
“I had fantastic results with Laurie’s Eat to Heal Program. My overall cholesterol dropped 57 points, my LDL dropped 27 points and I dropped 20lbs pretty easily in a few months!
What I liked a lot is that Laurie is so informative, down to the low level details of recent studies and findings related to plant-based eating. She shares recipes and cookbooks which really helped someone like me who is always looking for something tasty but easy to fix. She will also call restaurants to find out the best thing for you to order that is compliant with the program. I’ve never encountered anyone who would do such a thing – it’s great!
Laurie makes the adventure into plant-based eating enjoyable and even fun. I loved working with her and highly recommend her program to anyone who wants to adopt a more healthy way of eating.”
—Carolyn S.
“By August 2020, I was beginning to see the negative effects of unhealthy eating as a result of being in quarantine for 5 months. I woke up thinking Betty Crocker has taken complete possession of me!!
My daily obsession became all about what I was baking and what sugary treat I was going to consume. I knew that if I didn’t take control over these bad habits quickly, I’d end up gaining the Covid “19” lbs. My state of mind was pretty down and depressed after suffering from the nasty virus for 6 weeks! When I was sick, I lost my sense of taste & smell, so as those senses returned, I made up for lost time! I was grateful to feel better, but I had to make some serious changes. My state of mind was grim as my clothes got tighter & tighter…
A friend recommended I watch a documentary called “Game Changers”, a film featuring the healthy diets of athletes and promoting a plant-based diet. My mind was blown! I had tried to go the vegan route before, yet was unsuccessful because I wasn’t willing to eliminate salt, oils, and sugars! I was a chubby vegan. My husband, a “steak loving Irishman” agreed to watch the film with me. I knew I couldn’t embark on this journey alone, but he would be a hard sell! But low and behold, my husband was sold and wanted to give this new plant-based lifestyle a try!
A friend referred me to Laurie. My husband and I worked with Laurie for 3 months, then I continued for another 3 months and I have to say, we learned so much more working with Laurie than just changing our diets. We have permanently changed our lifestyle and how we take care of our health, our habits, and our food. The change was more gradual for me since I had a hard time giving up a deep-rooted addiction to sugar, but we saw changes in each other and in our family in just the first few weeks. As a family, we lost 50 pounds. And the changes went far beyond weight loss. My husband has become more peaceful and serene. I’m guessing all the hormone and steroid-loaded meat was affecting his mood. And if we decide to go “off-plan” at a restaurant, we pay for it the next day, usually with a stomach ache and bloating. We look forward to eating “our food” again the next day.
Through Laurie’s guidance and benefitting from her many years of knowledge, we’ve made a complete transformation. Laurie often put in extra time with me on the phone, understanding, identifying, and relating to all my challenges as an emotional eater and struggles of being addicted to sugar. Her wisdom is unending! I often felt like I had just gotten off the phone with not only a nutritionist, health coach, and teacher but a behavioral therapist!
So, I highly recommend working with Laurie if you’re ready for change, and if you’re not sure, Laurie will meet you there too! But once you take that leap of faith, be ready for your life to change!”
—Loren and Wayne K.
“In 6 weeks, Laurie helped me go from drinking 6 large diet sodas a day to eliminating soda altogether and now I have much more energy. My students noticed the change and were very supportive. In fact, many of my students decided to give up soda as well.”
—Kimberly E.
“Working with Laurie, I lost 15 additional pounds; I didn’t have any ER visits-even during cold and flu season; I was able to heal my ear infection without antibiotics and put an end to my digestive issues. Laurie helped change my focus from weight loss to health gains . . . She gives you the COURAGE to change old habits and replace them with new and better ones’.”
—Ummi M.
“Laurie is the BEST! Guiding me through my vegan journey, she is extremely knowledgeable, compassionate, truly supportive and always willing to go the extra distance & research a specific question.
We had many issues to discuss along the way & I never felt rushed or judged. She is an accomplished culinary talent as well. I enjoyed all the easy recipes she so willingly shared. I highly recommend Laurie to help with your health concerns. She is a powerhouse of knowledge, patience & kindness.”
—Sue-Ann S.
“After working with Laurie, I learned how to make better food choices and how food affects our health. My doctor confirmed I am no longer Diabetic or pre-Diabetic.
I valued the flexibility of the program to work around my busy schedule and the added resources and bonuses. I am thankful for Laurie’s support and knowledge to help me finally lose weight and learn how to cook healthy foods for my family.”
—Marcia M.
“I came to Laurie out of desperation over the prospect of losing an organ. Six months later and forty pounds lighter, I have been able to postpone the surgery indefinitely. Thanks Laurie!”
—Claudia J.
“Laurie introduced me to a whole new way of eating and thinking about food, which I believe has prolonged my life! Several years ago I had a recurrence of a serious disease, and the doctor grimly told me that my expected lifetime would be 3 years.
Clearly I needed to try something different. Laurie’s enthusiasm for a plant-based diet piqued my interest. Her encouragement, her knowledge, her support and her recipes got me started. She introduced me to Dr. John McDougall and other “giants”. Thanks to her, I have embraced a whole new way of eating – a plant-based diet – and I feel great. Now I am almost at the 6-year mark, and the doctor refers to me as his “poster child” because I am disease-free and doing so well. I highly recommend Laurie for her expertise and support if you want to improve your health!”
—Peggy L.