CHERYL HOOVER
I feel like I have been preparing for Pharmacy In Your Kitchen all of my life. I have always loved to cook. Instead of becoming one, I initially went to college for Restaurant Management so that I could run one. I had a change of heart on the management side of things and decided to use my precise measuring skills to become a pharmacist. After graduating from the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy, I practiced pharmacy for years in both hospital and retail settings. I married a traditionally trained Otolaryngologist and became the mother of two wonderful daughters.
Things were moving along just as planned until I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. It literally stopped me in my tracks. By most standards, I was a picture of health. I exercised 6 days a week, was not overweight, and had no family history of breast cancer. Things happened so quickly after diagnosis and treatment that it wasn't until the doctors were discharging me that I realized I had to do something myself. I wanted to be in control of something that would make a difference in my future and not live in fear of metastasis.
That is when food became medicine to me. Eating as I was designed to eat was what I could do to help prevent recurrence of disease. I began to learn that each bite I took could either help my body fight disease or contribute to disease. My pharmacist background aided my extensive research on nutrition. The medical articles I read and conferences I attended switched from those on medications to those about diet. I became certified in Plant-Based Nutrition, since eating more plants was now an important part of my plan. I started sharing my food philosophy with others through social media, one-on-one counseling and lectures. Currently, I am writing the nutrition chapter and recipes for a book about brain health with a physician, as well as preparing a cookbook on my own.
My journey has uniquely prepared me to help you embrace the power food has on your health. My cooking skills, pharmacist background, cancer diagnosis, and plant-based knowledge are the pillars of a culinary pharmacy mindset that I would like to share with you. Join me, as you begin to think of food differently and discover the philosophy of not just eating but nourishing your body.
