Health + Wellness
Holistic Eating: A Chat With Health Coach Adjua Fisher
We chatted with holistic health coach, REAP Mini Mart co-owner and smoothie aficionado Adjua Fisher cabout her tips and tricks to make food decisions that are sustainable, because the relationship you have with food is forever. Since our habits are foundational to how we feel, mentally and physically, there’s no better time than the present to implement small changes so you can feel like your best self.
Lynzi Yearick
April 2023
A Chat with Health Coach Adjua Fisher
Adjua Fisher has been a friend of Printfresh for quite some time. The Reap Mini Mart is just a short walk from our Fishtown, Philadelphia office, making it the perfect go-to spot for teammates to pick up one of their amazing salads, juices or a quick snack. We love their incredible food offerings but we also love what Adjua and her business stands for; a sustainable, well-balanced lifestyle that'll make you feel good. Because as an eco-friendly sleepwear company focused on self-care, this message really resonates with us.
Can you talk about your journey to become a certified holistic health coach and what the Find Your Glow program is like?
When I was working a 9-5, I got really burnt out and the symptoms started to manifest physically. The desire to feel not-like-crap led me to really take a hard look at my lifestyle, food included, to see where I could make tweaks to feel better. I became really fascinated by how the food we put on our plates impacts us in larger ways, playing a major role in gut health, mood, and more. This led me to get my health coaching certification through the Institute for Integrative Health.
With wellness coaching clients now, I like to take a holistic approach and look at areas of life — including food and beyond — that play into how we are feeling on the day to day. Sometimes this means looking at our sleep habits and creating a better relationship with rest; sometimes this means creating a morning routine that sets a positive foundation for the day; sometimes this means taking 10 minutes to prep all of your smoothies on Sunday (and knowing how to prep them so that they’ll actually be enjoyable). A lot goes into feeling our best, and it’s not one-size-fits-all by any means.
What prompted you to open REAP Mini Mart and can you talk about what you offer?
Many of my clients want to eat healthier, but they were too busy to cook for themselves — or just didn’t want to, which is okay too. My husband Zach has been cooking in restaurants professionally for two decades, and he makes me the very best food, so I thought, If only all of my clients could have Zach cooking for them, they’d be good.
And that’s when we decided to join forces to start a healthy meal delivery service focused on helping people to eat more plants with ease, while actually enjoying them. When we started, many of the people who ordered were coaching clients of mine. Eventually the concept expanded to include a storefront with lots of our house-made food, a smoothie bar, and with retail from companies that make eating well more delightful.
Inside Reap Mini Mart
There’s such a connection between the food you eat and how you feel, sleep, process stress, etc. Can you discuss this a little bit?
Our food is foundational to how we feel, mentally and physically, and a large component of this is based on food’s impact on our gut health. Our gut health is integral to everything from digestion to producing and storing certain hormones, like serotonin, to keeping our immune systems strong.
To make a long story short, our guts thrive on plenty of plant fiber, but most of us don’t eat enough plants. Research shows less than 10 percent of Americans actually eat the recommended amount of vegetables each day. This is why, with REAP, we focus on making eating more plants easier, so our clients can ultimately reap the many benefits that come along with that.
Adjua Fisher at Reap
Now that we’re in spring, can you give some tips & tricks for how to incorporate fresher/more whole foods into one’s diet?
One of my favorite ways to incorporate more whole foods in the spring is with pestos. Pestos are so easy to make, they’re versatile (use whatever herbs, greens, nuts or seeds strike your fancy!), and they instantly add nutrients to whatever you are serving them with, from pasta to spreading onto a sandwich to using as a salad dressing. Ramp season is right around the corner and Zach makes a ramp pesto for REAP Mini Mart that I can’t wait to toss with pasta.
I am also a huge fan of smoothies (I mean, anyone who’s been to REAP Mini Mart knows we are obsessed with our smoothies), especially as the weather begins to warm. I love that I can squeeze a ton of antioxidant, fiber-rich plants into one easy-to-drink, delicious snack or meal. That said, with smoothies, I think it’s important to make sure you’re getting the trio of protein, fiber and healthy fats in, versus just blending a bunch of fruit together and calling it a day.
What would you like people to know about the power of transforming your relationship with food?
Our relationship with food is the most consistent relationship we have in our lives. Many of us eat three times a day, at least. So when that relationship is filled with stress, confusion or frustration, it can have a major snowball effect and seep into other areas of life. I can only speak for myself that when my relationship with food became easier, so did the rest of my life. And that’s why I’m so passionate about helping others transform their relationships with food, too.
Reap's pre-made offerings
Any other takeaways you’d like to share about switching one’s lifestyle/relationship with food?
Just that your body is the only home you’ll live in forever, and it’s never too late to start treating it how it deserves to be treated.
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