I am very inspired by the women I get to connect with through Haut. Every single one has something unique to give to the world and they are using their gifts to inspire positive change in their communities and beyond. This past week I had the pleasure of interviewing the beautiful Skye Jones, owner of Vegout Boutique in Cochrane, Alberta. Even if you are not in the general vicinity of her boutique, you need to follow @vegoutboutique on social media. Her steps to reaching phenomenal health are not only doable and realistic for all ages, the results are fast and you will feel stunning inside and out (just look at her). I learn something new every week from her Instagram posts. I am also very excited for the boutique to open up online in the next few months as I have a growing VEGOUT wish list!
J: How long have you been living a vegan lifestyle?
S: I’ve been vegan since March 2009.
J: How did it all begin?
S: I read ‘Skinny Bitch’ by Kim & Rory on a flight to a destination wedding after overhearing girls at the gym mention the name : I didn’t even know what it was about!! The name just stuck as I heard it hours before boarding. It was sitting alongside the magazines at the airport & I read it cover to cover before we landed. For the record it’s easy to be vegan at an all inclusive 🙂 Our holiday was 1week: at the end of the week I was surprised: I’d never felt better!! I never looked back!!
J: You believe in taking the plant based lifestyle a little farther than most. No salts, oils, sugars (SOS) or anything refined. Tell us more.
S: A vegan diet has a huge impact on our health & on our planet!
A whole food plant based diet reverses & prevents chronic disease & obesity & even more drastically reduces our environmental footprint. Wfpb diet reverses heart disease 99.4% in Dr. Esselstyn latest study. Dr. Greger states diabetes incidence was *not found* in wfpb study. A diet That includes processed foods/salt, sugar & oil jeopardizes our health & requires processing plants & ingredients such as palm oil that seriously impact our environment & fellow earthlings. Rainforest are being wiped out to support palm oil. Sugar is a nutrient void processed food and once you experience the sweetness of whole food sugars you can taste the ‘flatness’ of processed sugar. Minerals found in salt can be better obtained elsewhere: Dr. Goldhamer has a great video out about this & he also co wrote ‘The Pleasure Trap’ which was key for me in understanding why we crave what we do: it’s natural survival instinct!! Natural world never expected us to have access to Doritos & Chicken burgers though!! Basically wfpb is the best life insurance we’ll ever have, for ourselves and all living creatures.
J: What do your Alberta family and friends who favor steak have to say about your vegan ways? Any converts?
S: Haha: well I’m sure they wonder about me but I think they can see that I’m happy, strong & have found my passion. I’ve probably had impact greater than I realize. There are many people who have shared their curiosity with me & taken steps & when they share their stories I’m so happy for them!! As far as someone close to me, my mom made a vegan Christmas dinner for our whole family this year & my sister & her husband have gone wfpb within the past 8 mos & have lost over 20lb combined & have improved their health. They weren’t in need of huge weight loss: basically they easily lost all their extra fluff without even trying. They are radiant & strong wfpb advocates now: they served over 20ppl at their home recently, 100% wfpb and had people asking for recipes. Macaroni & ‘chez’, burritos, ‘chez’ ball etc. I’m proud of them & excited for what their future holds.
J: You claim to be 40+ so I have to ask, what is a typical day in the life of Skye? How do you stay looking so incredibly young and vibrant?
S:Haha unfortunately I *AM 40+. I say unfortunately because I don’t feel old! I have tons of energy and I feel Happy!! I like how I feel physically. & I notice a difference mentally too, it’s because I know I’m contributing something positive to my fellow Earthlings by making different choices 🙂 Its surprising how this affects daily perspective!! I work out regularly. Often only 20 minutes. Exercise isn’t necessary to achieve weight or health goals: it’s extremely beneficial!!! But not 100% required!! Dr. Esselstyn gets heart disease reversal from his patients on diet alone, he does not require patients to exercise at all, though he certainly encourages it!
J: It’s the beginning of 2015 and change is in the air! What wisdom can you share with anyone who is thinking about transitioning to a more plant based lifestyle?
K: ‘The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.’ Every time you choose a whole food plant based meal you are arming your body to do battle with disease & lightening your environmental footprint. Each bite matters. Cancers that take years and years to develop can be arrested & even reversed. Dr.Campbell states his researchers can ‘turn cancer on & off like a light switch’ by controlling the amount of animal protein their subjects consume. So if you’re someone interested in wfpb – feel free to try it wherever it fits you. Start where you are! Find resources to lean on & learn from & take baby steps. Our health is actually completely in our hands! It’s that simple really.
J: If you could take three Haut products with you to a deserted island what would they be?
K: Do I really have to choose only three?!?! HAUT, I love you. Each and every product. I could go on and on… But if I could only have three:
Glacial Clay Cleanser. I’ve never experienced another cleanser like it. My aesthetician didn’t recommend any of her products to me on my last visit, instead she said she will make a trip to VegOut! She couldn’t believe how moisturized my skin was in our cold dry climate here!! It starts with a good cleanser.
Raspberry Elixir. SPF 50. I could pretty much eat it. & it makes my skin glisten. It feels amazing & it works.
BB Cream. I want to bathe in it. I can’t see a drop of it on my skin when I use it I just feel like a magic fairy sprinkled younger-dust on my face!! I notice the magic!!! And it doesn’t sit on top of skin or amplify aging. And at the same time it sticks!! Even after a workout it’s still there doing it’s thing. How is this possible?? It’s a gift.
Basically, I feel like my skin looks 10 years younger because of you HAUT. I’m not saying I’m not aging: I have wrinkles & freckles & life that has happened on these cheeks, but their presence looks gentler & positive & they feel more like happy evidence of life. For anyone new here…You will know what I’m talking about when you experience HAUT.
J: Your boutique is open for business! What do you have to offer at Vegout Boutique and what is your inspiration behind it?
K: VegOut has a different perspective! We carry everything from raw vegan treats to kitchen staples including grains, nuts & seeds to packaged vegan-version meals to superfoods to cosmetics, eco-friendly clothes, yoga & gym accessories & gear, small appliances, books, DVDs, lifestyle coaching… We hope to offer locals a health store they can trust & visitors from far and near an example of how modern & effective plant based living is. I invite each and every one of you to come visit us!!! &For those of you who can’t come in person we hope to have our online store up & running in the next few months, keep your eyes open!!
Hope you are inspired too!
jo xo
