Have you ever struggled with a sugar addiction?
Michelle is a resident of Shelton, and will be the first presenter, along with me in the 3-Part “Health Conversations” series at the Plumb Memorial Library on Wednesday March 4th at 7 p.m. Meeting Michelle here in this pre-series chat will allow you to become familiar with her topic before our presentations at the Plumb Memorial Library next month.
Tell us a little about your background, Michelle.
I’m originally from Pennsylvania and grew up surrounded by a large Italian family where every day was another reason to celebrate with food. Many of my relatives owned food businesses so my first jobs were working at my Aunt’s Italian deli, a cousin’s pizza shop and another cousin’s Italian bakery. Needless to say, I was always surrounded by delicious food, and I loved my work. Besides having an interest in eating, I also developed an interest in Television, Radio and Theatre and appeared in some local shows and productions. This inspired me to pursue degrees in Communications, Journalism and English at King’s College in Pennsylvania.
While in college, I fell in love with my future husband, who was from Connecticut. After we got married, we made a decision to move back to his home town. I worked for a local newspaper for a short time until my first daughter was born. Then I decided to be a stay at home mom and opened my own home daycare. I really enjoyed working with children, so when my second daughter was old enough to start school, I pursued a career in teaching. For the next 25 years, I worked as a school librarian, a middle school and high school Language Arts teacher, an Adult Education teacher, and a historical docent. I also went back to school and received my Masters in education from Sacred Heart University.
Your topic will be “Sugar – The Elephant in the Kitchen”. What made you focus on that topic?
This topic is very personal to me. The number one reason is the dangers of “too much” Sugar in today’s diet. Reason number two is my own personal health battle with food, but mainly sugar. I loved eating food from a young age which led me to become an overweight child struggling with weight issues throughout my adult life. I’ll be sharing my family history and the story of how I weighed more than 300 pounds by the age of 40, and the health challenges that followed.
What is the name of your business? And, what is your state of health today?
The name of my business is Sugar & Spice Bakery and Honey Products. It's a full-service bakery but my passion is specializing in treats made with healthy, alternative, natural sweeteners and other whole foods. I also make and sell local honey. My favorite part of the business is getting to meet so many wonderful people and sharing my message of healthy eating, as well as encouraging my customers to make healthier food choices that will promote better health and healing.
for the past eight years I have kept all the weight off, but it is a daily struggle. This is not a once done, and it's over situation. Sugar addiction is a lifelong challenge that we must meet with education, honesty, and being realistic every single day. Is it worth it? Yes. Absolutely!
Thank you so much Michelle for sharing a slice of your personal story with us today. We look forward to learning more about your amazing journey.
If any of you have ever faced a sugar addiction, and the challenges that come with it, you will want to hear more of Michelle’s story. It was the hardest battle of her life.