
Tess Masters, aka The Blender Girl, is a powerful spokesperson for a healthy plant-based lifestyle, and a force of nature.
Growing up in Australia on a “meat and three veg” diet, she was plagued at age 14 with extreme lethargy. A naturopath suggested that she eliminate gluten, meat, and dairy, and within 48 hours she felt dramatically better.
She become intrigued by the concept of food as medicine, and embarked on a quest for the “perfect diet.” Still in her teens, she dabbled in Ayurdeva, vegan, raw, paleo, macrobiotic. And while all the diets came with benefits, her overall attitude was one of stress and worry. As her dad put it, “Are you having any fun? Because we're not, watching you.”
Tess loosened up, and gave up searching for the ideal human diet. Instead, she looked for a joyful, sustainable, healthy way of eating that worked for her. While the diet gurus staked out positions and bickered among themselves, she noticed the fundamentals that everyone agreed upon:
- reduce processed foods
- increase non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens
Tess launched The Blender Girl brand after starting a food blog in 2010, and discovering blending both as an easy way to get lots of veggies and greens into the diet, and as a metaphor for an eclectic and pragmatic approach to life.
The blender, Tess realized, levels the playing field in the kitchen. You don't need lots of time, or cordon bleu skills, or oodles of money, to get good-for-you food into your mouth and your bloodstream. In a world in a hurry, blending is a way to achieve close to instant gratification without sacrificing quality.
We talked about blending, and food, and nutrition, and health, and Tess's journey as an eater. But what I found truly inspiring was our conversation about her life trajectory. About being bold, and claiming her voice as a force for good in the world.
About being strategic and also acknowledging that things work out the way they're supposed to. About being an actor, faced with rejection on a daily basis, and choosing to be bold and take risks and ask, “Why not me? Seriously!”
Plus, as a bonus, Tess shares some of her blending secrets, including how to make your own crackers, skin care and cleaning products, compost, sauces, and oil-free salad dressings.
So enjoy!
Enjoy, add your voice to the conversation via the comment box or audio recording box below, and please share – that's how we spread our message and spread our roots.
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Tess's Strawberry Ice Cream with a Twist
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Music
The Plant Yourself Podcast theme music, “Dance of Peace (Sabali Don),” is generously provided by Will Ridenour, a kora player from North Carolina who has trained with top Senegalese musicians.
It can be found on his first CD, titled Will Ridenour.
You can learn about Will, listen to more tracks, and buy music on his website, WillRidenour.com.
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