It鈥檚 no secret the average person wants to improve health, increase energy and restore vitality. What many people don鈥檛 realize is there is no magic pill to achieve these goals, and the solution is as close as the kitchen.

Recognizing that training is the missing component for many people seeking to prepare healthy foods to achieve these goals, Michele Ruttkiewicz, a registered holistic nutritionist and food educator, founded Chew To Live in the Comox Valley in December.

Chew To Live offers a variety of services to clients, including one-on-one consulting and 'pantry' assessments. Topic-driven workshops, however, are the service that Ruttkiewicz believes will be the most popular, since the three-hour sessions are hands-on, fun and affordable.

Cooking workshops are offered in Courtenay, but Chew To Live will also do nutritious cooking classes at individuals鈥� homes.

The next workshop, Balance Blood Sugar & Banish Bell Fat, is Jan. 29 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Eureka Clubhouse, 280 4th St. in Courtenay. The gluten-free menu includes Greek lentil salad, chicken and yam-stuffed avocado, creole shrimp with baked spaghetti squash, and quinoa carrot cake.

The session is limited to eight people, with a portion of the $49 participant/food fee being donated to the Vancouver Island Adaptive Ski program.

"At Chew to Live, we believe that the basis of proper nutrition is eating delicious, real, wholesome food," Ruttkiewicz said. "Our culinary nutrition classes and workshops teach individuals how to prepare healthy foods that will have a positive effect on overall health, in addition to the way we think and feel.鈥�

www.ChewToLive.ca