Leeandra Norman is a Far North Queenslander with an inspiring weightloss and wellness story . She has transformed her family’s life through a simple change in eating habits and routines.
“Leeandra was overweight all her life with her wedding day weight tipping the scale at 187kilograms. That was until her son, Gareth (now 10 years), was diagnosed with autism and the introduction of special dietary requirements to help manage behavior. Leeandra wanted to make him yummy treats that were also nutritious. Word spread and Leeanndra’s cooking was in demand by other people. At the same time she developed a passion for organic food and found it to be a healing medicine and before she knew it, the excess weight she was carrying dropped off and has never returned.”
Leeandra, now a healthy 63 kilograms says she has always been a passionate cook and taught home economics for 20 years but looking back, didn’t know much about nutrition. “This food journey has changed my life completely. Losing weight meant that I gained health, not just for myself but my family. Gareth went from daily traumatic meltdowns to one every three months or even less. That alone was enough to make it all worthwhile. We now live a totally organic life with no chemicals in the house. Neither in our food, nor in our cleaning products or personal care items. In the end I was so enlightened I started a new career, Love-Lee Cooking that has enabled me to share the joy of healthy food with others. It is going very well – just recently I catered a wedding for 150 on the Tablelands that was completely dairy and gluten-free.”
Love-Lee Cooking is a business with three specialties: Catering to specific dietary requirements – gluten free, vegan, dairy free, egg free, wheat free and chemical free; Cooking School Workshops and Retreats; and Products. All Leeandra’s food and catering uses local, organic produce and activated seeds and nuts.
Leeandra’s tips:
Use whole foods and keep it simple. My favourite food to eat is plain dahl – onion, garlic, butter and dahl! Learn one thing at a time. Create new habits and routines. Cooking should be a joy – no stress!
