In the middle of a harsh winter, Varya Lorne found herself down with her third cold in six weeks. As a preschool teacher, exposure to germs was part of the job—but her immune system was clearly waving a white flag.
“I was sick more days than I was healthy,” she says. “I knew something had to change.”
A friend suggested she take a closer look at her diet, and Varya realized that while she was technically vegan, her meals weren’t always nourishing. “I was eating a lot of bread, pasta, vegan cheese. Not bad foods—but not immune-boosting either.”
She began reading up on the connection between nutrition and immunity and decided to rebuild her meals around whole plant foods that would support her body’s defenses.
The change was intentional but not overwhelming. She added garlic and ginger to everything, leaned into citrus fruits and leafy greens, and began making smoothies with turmeric and chia. Mushrooms became her go-to protein, and she started each week by prepping a big pot of lentil stew.
Within a month, she noticed a shift—not just fewer sick days, but better sleep, improved skin, and less brain fog. Her energy returned, and for the first time in a long time, she felt resilient. “It was like I’d given my body the tools it needed,” Varya says.
Today, she still follows her vegan lifestyle, but now it’s grounded in purpose. Every meal is a quiet act of care, a way of strengthening her body from the inside out. “I don’t wait until I’m sick anymore,” she smiles. “I eat like someone who wants to stay well.”
