Terri Edwards wants to know what’s for dinner. It’s personal to her as the plant-based food educator has shed 55 pounds and a variety of health issues by changing her diet.

She’ll share her story in a Jan. 6 workshop from 10 -11:30 a.m. at Steps to Hope in  Columbus. The workshop does have a registration fee to participate.

Edwards literally puts her mission where her mouth is.

“At 35, I was suffering with painful joints, as well as other health issues that were progressively worsening,” she said. “My mother has debilitating Rheumatoid Arthritis, and I was concerned I was experiencing similar symptoms.”

Numerous doctor visits and blood tests produced few results, but the movie “Forks Over Knives,” which chronicles the path of implementing a plant-based food lifestyle, changed her life.

“In addition to resolving inflamed and painful joints, I’ve lowered my cholesterol, lost 55 pounds, cleared up adult acne, and resolved sleep issues,” Edwards said.

All of this, she attributes to plant-based eating. It’s a big commitment, but with long-term benefits as demonstrated by mounting evidence. Simply put, a plant-based diet is based on foods derived from plants, including vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits, but with few or no animal products.

Numerous nutritional studies demonstrate strong links between plant-based diets and prevention — and even reversal — of the top killer diseases in the United States. In some cases, the diet has been more effective than medication and surgery. It is the only diet proven to reverse heart disease, the number one cause of death in both men and women.

Edwards will discuss the power of food to heal the body and do a small recipe demo with samples. In the meantime, feel free to read more about Edwards, a licensed Food for Life instructor, on her blog, EatPlant-Based.com.

Register for this workshop online by going to http://bit.ly/2kweT13 or by calling 828-863-4231.

– submitted by Terri Edwards