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Zoe-HackZoe Hack Keller ’05

  • Owner of One Beet Wellness
  • Sociology major

“Get clear about sugar. Start reading labels to see how much total sugar is in food. The World Health Organization recommends no more than 25 grams of sugar per day for adults, which is not much once you start paying attention to labels. For example, a can of soda could have 39 grams. Once you are clear about where the sugar in your diet comes from, you can start choosing which sugar really matters to you and which sugar you can eliminate.”

“Learn to listen to your body instead of following trendy diet advice. There are so many confusing and conflicting dietary theories floating around, and many of them aren’t healthy at all. Focus on building a relationship with your body to figure out what way of eating works best for you. Pay attention to how you feel after meals, how your energy levels change depending on what you eat, and any other physical symptoms you can connect to your diet. Eat the foods that make you feel best, not what someone else tells you to eat.”

“Eating well is only one aspect of taking care of yourself. Make self-care a priority, perhaps a hot bath after a long day or a monthly massage.”

“When in doubt, eat vegetables. They are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and are essential for optimal health. One of my favorite recipes is Massaged Tuscan Kale Salad (below). It is so simple but is delicious every time.”

Zoe-Kale SaladMassaged Tuscan Kale Salad

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 1 large bunch of Tuscan kale, torn off stem and chopped into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins, apricots, or currants
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, or toasted pine nuts
  • Vinaigrette Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons of honey
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake until mixed well.

Pour the vinaigrette over the kale and begin mixing and massaging with your hands. Continue massaging for five minutes, or until the texture of the kale softens and tastes delicious.

Add in the dried fruit, cheese and nuts, and mix well.

Seed of an idea grows into business

“My mission is to empower people about their health and wellness, so they can live their life fully and bring their best self to the world. I have always had a personal interest in health and wellness, but honestly never really thought I could build a successful business in that space. I spent a lot of time reading and researching on my own while I was still working in fundraising and grew more and more interested in the concept of using food as medicine. I was on my own healing journey after suffering from digestive issues my whole life, and was shocked by how good I felt when I focused on taking care of myself. At the same time I was cooking more and more, experimenting in the kitchen, and developing my own recipes. This led me to start a blog, which at that point was purely a fun side project, but turned out to be the seed of One Beet Wellness. After two years of writing my blog and continuing my self-study in health and nutrition I was ready to take the leap to leave my fundraising job and start my business. The name One Beet actually comes from my wedding, which coincided with launching the blog. We had a local food theme at our wedding and used a beet as the image on all our printed material. My dear friend made us a huge beet piñata for the reception and hanging below the beet was a banner that read ‘two hearts, one beet.’ It stuck and became the name for my business. Besides the personal connection for me, I like thinking about how we can create harmony in our lives so our body, mind and spirit are beating as one.”

Food for thought

“People get stuck due to all-or-nothing thinking—if they aren’t doing everything perfectly they get discouraged and don’t keep trying to make healthy choices. They ate a donut for breakfast so the day is shot and they might as well have a burger for lunch. Instead, I encourage people to take a moderate approach to health and nutrition. Each meal or snack is a new opportunity to make a nourishing choice.”

New Year’s resolution

“As a new mom I’m focusing on self-care in 2017. I need to find the right balance of caring for my daughter, my family, my business and myself. It’s the old ‘put on your oxygen mask before helping others’ situation. I need to make time for my own rejuvenation and healing in order to be fully present for those I support.”