About Me
Hi! I’m Brittany, a 20 something online marketing professional living in Richmond, Virginia. I’m passionate about food, fitness and living a healthy lifestyle! I started Eating Bird Food in March 2008 as a way to share my passion and inspire others.
How I got to where I am now:
I didn’t always eat healthy. Growing up my mom cooked in a very southern fashion and you better believe that butter was put on everything. Iced tea was made with at least a 1/2 cup of sugar and biscuits with chocolate jam, cornbread and fried potatoes were normal occurrences in our house. You get the idea.
High school and beyond:
During high school I ended up weighing the most I have ever weighed. Although I never really thought I looked overweight or felt big, I look back on pictures now and realize that I was. I also think back to my eating habits and thoughts on eating healthy and realize I was a little confused. For one, I thought tortilla chips were more nutritious than regular chips so I would pack those in my lunch, I thought bagels were the healthiest thing you could eat for breakfast, and my favorite snack was Little Debbie Nutty Buddy bars (the ones with the peanut butter and crispy wafers) or oatmeal cream pies, or Easy Mac, sugary cereals, chips or Chex Mix. I ate fast food often- I loved french fries and would order BIG MACS from McDonald’s and think nothing of it. Chick-fil-a was my all time favorite. I seriously went there any chance I got. I loved their nuggets, waffle fries and special sauce.
My senior year of high school I started working at the Kid’s Zone at a local gym so I was able to use the facilities for free. I tinkered with working out and started running a little bit, but didn’t really change my eating habits or lose any weight.
Fall 2003- Just starting college:
The start of a healthier lifestyle:
When I went away to college I knew I couldn’t gain the infamous “freshman 15″ so I began working out every day and eating healthier. When I say working out every day, this means moderate exercise daily, such as running or walking 30 minutes on the treadmill/elliptical and doing a bit of strength training (most commonly arms and abs). I definitely wasn’t doing intense workouts each day. But instead of gaining 15 pounds my freshman year, I lost about 20. I finally came to the realization that the foods I was eating before were weighing me down. Having a ton of healthy options at school and not eating fast food really helped. It didn’t hurt that I went to the gym often, had to take 3 flights of stairs to get to my dorm room and did a lot of walking all over campus for classes.
Being from a small town, I had never been introduced to ethnic foods. The only ethnic restaurant I had ever been to was a small take-out Chinese place. Since I was at one of the most diverse colleges in the US, my options for ethnic foods were widened tremendously. I tried every ethnic food I could get my hands on and developed a strong love for Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indian cuisine. Now, I would much rather eat out at an ethnic restaurant than one with standard American fare. I also like to experiment with ethnic cooking at home. Check out some of my featured recipes to see what I mean.
To sum it all up, I lost a considerable amount of weight my freshman year of college without dieting- just eating healthier and working out. It was a slow and healthy loss, but after losing the 20 pounds I felt much more confident, happier with myself and most of all healthier.
Today:
I have stayed consistently at the same weight by keeping up with the habits I started 6 years ago. On a regular basis I try to eat healthy and workout 5 to 6 days a week. I have also started to enjoy running. I have ran quite a few races including a half marathon in November of 2008. And in 2010 I was the runner-up for the Richmond’s healthiest person award.
Currently I work as a online marketing manager and am also a holistic health coach. After seeing how small changes can make such a big difference in myself, I love helping others that are striving to live healthier and happier lives.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me: eatingbirdfood at gmail dot com.
Brittany Mullins, HHC
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Hi, I like your blog alot. I found your blog while doing research on promoting healthy eating blogs. My wife just started a blog (http://www.healthyincandyland.com/) and I am trying to help her increase her readership. I found your blog and you have a lot in common with my wife. Your outlook on life and food is very similar. Even some of your recipes sound like things she makes for our family. Anyway, if you have time, please take a look at her blog and if you have any tips on blogging, I would love to hear them.
Keep up the good work.
Really happy I found your blog!!
Just found your blog and I love it! Cant wait to read more. I do have a really random question, I am a new blogger using wordpress and I was wondering how you got your twitter facebook RSS and mail all in one line I still cannot figure it out! Thanks Kate
Hi Kate, Thanks so much for commenting. I had a web designer do it- sorry I can’t be of much help.
haha its okay! I am about to do that I have no idea what I am doing!
I was googling “healthy eating blogs” and yours was one of the first that came up. This is just what I needed to start my journey to eating healthy!
Found your blog from Tina’s (FaithFitnessFun) and I thought I’d say hi.
You look fabulous! Congrats on your weight loss.
Hi!
Ohmygosh, I am so happy I found your blog! Oftentimes, I find myself getting lost in the blogosphere and boy am I glad I did because it led me right here. I love your insight, specifically the part about the weight loss being “slow and healthy.” I’m on a weight loss journey (I ‘officially’ started it a few weeks ago and am down 5 lbs.) and am getting back to the habits I used to have (i.e., running and making healthier food choices). I packed on a good 30 pounds while I was in law school and now that I’m engaged and employed, I’m trying to just get healthy. Anyhoo, I love your blog and am very grateful for the inspiration!
So glad i found your blog. it’s just what I need right now to keep me motivated!
Your blog is so helpful and encouraging! I have a very simular background and development of a passion for nutrition and fitness. (I also love ethnic food such as Thai, more than a traditional American food) Thank you for taking the time an effort to share your nutrition insite!
Great blog. I am a reformed junkfood head who is trying hard to live a healthy lifestyle. You have great information and good food advice.
I am sooo excited to finally find a blog by someone who shares the same interest in food and health as I do. I work around people 4 days a week who chastise me about what I eat. Mind you, they eat fatty greasy foods and I don’t say a word. We had a meeting the other day where our manager ordered pizza and I ate a power bar and one lady said to me aren’t you going to eat pizza instead of that bird seed? I’m not one to turn it around and say what pizza does to your body and how unhealthy it is for you. I decided to change my lifestyle about 3 months ago and I’ve lost about 20 pounds and couldn’t be happier. Thanks for such great motivation.
I just found your blog and I think I bookmarked half the recipes! I had been looking for a healthy apple butter recipe forever, but every one I found used sooo much sugar. Look forward to reading more!
Thanks for the sweet comment. I hope you enjoy the recipes!
Hi! I just stumbled across your blog and love it!!! You are so adoreable!
But I can definitely relate to your high school experience. I never knew anything was wrong with my eating habits and my weight. Thank goodness, I learned!!!! I have come a long way in my personal journey! When you get a chance, check my blog out at http://www.yourfoodsmiles.com!
Thanks so much Emily. I’ll be sure to check out your blog!
Hey, I just stumbled across this site and fell in love. I too went through an experience like yours where I lost about 25 lbs (I moved to Taiwan for half a year) and my eating and lifestyle have never been the same since. It’s amazing how nice it is to feel good about your body and be confident with your eating. I love this and will probably be a faithful follower now
Great blog, I’m also in my 20′s and felt the same way in college. You’ve hit the nail on the head here- it’s abou a healthy lifestyle not about “dieting”. Keep up the great posts.
This is so inspirational! I’ve also gotten into whole and healthy foods after eating badly for a long time, and it makes me feel so much better!
Thank you for adding me on Twitter! Your blog is great! I’m so sorry about your recent medical news. It sounds like you have a very strong head on your shoulders and will figure out how to heal yourself. I’m adding you to my reader, can’t wait for your future posts
I have to laugh b/c it sounds like we ate nearly the exact same foods growing up. I used to LOVE Little Debbies. He he. I also grew up in a small town (in Indiana) and the only ethnic food I ate was Chinese then when I moved to Santa Barbara for college I was like WHOA!!!! Sooo many wonderful places to eat. My very very favorite food is Indian. Love.
I’m late to the party, but so glad I found your blog. It’s truly inspirational. After reading a few entries, I find myself already being more mindful of what I eat. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Awesome blog! I’m going through a fitness transition myself, and reading about yours is really inspiring. Thank you for sharing!!! I am also blogging about my journey if you want to check it out
http://www.jamiemarin.blogspot.com I am competing in my first Bikini Body Competition! Your blog has helped me stay motivated. It’s helpful to read about other people’s experiences as I go through my own. Thanks
Very very inspiring website. Great job and good luck!
I just ‘stumbled’ across your blog and am really glad I did. I look forward to digging deeper and trying out some of your recipes too! I recently started a blog with a friend of mine: http://nuts4health.ca/ Stop by if you get the chance and let us know what you think
Hey! I just found your blog through Twitter. Love it! I saw you’re going through the IIN program, too. I’m thinking of doing the same. I’d love to make a career change in the next few years. Best of luck with it. Can’t wait to keep reading.
I love your blog- and story!! I am a 20 something online marketing professional living in Virginia Beach, so I feel a kinship.
So cool Jamie!! Thanks for commenting.
I love your blog. I read it every week at work and it’s very inspiring. Thank you!
Hello
I found your blog and I must say– you are an inspiration! I do have a question for you though, my boyfriend is a really picky eater when it comes to healthy food and I was wondering if you have any good tips to help him become more open-minded to foods like fish and vegetables? Currently, he is trying to lose almost 60pounds but can’t seem to shake his addiction to French fries and fast food.
Any advice you can offer would be a huge help! Thanks!
Just stumbled along your blog (does everyone check out bloggers’ about me first? I sure do!) and can’t wait to read more
Hi! I just found your webiste from Tasty Kitchen. Glad I found it. I just learned about small changes and mild exercies. I’ve yo-yo dieted for about 10 years. I just started logging everything I ate and doing 20 min on a stationary bike a day. Man what a difference 20 min a day makes! Plus i’m more aware of what food I eat now and how they affect my weight. I’m deffinetly going to follow your blog. thank you for keeping it up!
I just added you to my Google Reader today! I really appreciate your writing style and approach to healthy eating, exercising, and otherwise living. I’m looking forward to keeping up with your blog!
Yours is the kind of blog I have to follow. Having struggled with my weight throughout, I lost it all with a great exercise routine and healthy eating habits. But I gained ungainly amount of weight in my pregnancy and haven’t been able to shake it off even after 2 years. I know the reason but somehow I don’t find myself motivated enough to do the needful.
I hope to feel encouraged from your story and bring about a positive change in my life.
Hey can I just say that you are GORGEOUS at any weight! I can see my story in yours as well! Feel free to check out my blog:)!
Thank you for such a sweet comment Jessica!!
If you don’t mind me asking but how much did you weigh to begin with? And what is a normal day of eating for you, about how many calories? I love your blog and I am looking to lose weight. Right now I am on the Ideal Protein diet which restricts carbs to about 20 and I starve alot….so I am looking to do it the healthy way.
At my largest I weighed about 140-145. I don’t count calories but I would guess that I eat around 1500-1800 a day.
Best of luck on your weight loss journey!
Just stumbled upon your blog and I love it! You’ve totally inspired me to revisit my healthy eating/living ways of a past life!
Wow you sound alot like me, gotta love that southern food!! I’m trying to lose about 20 pounds right now too and your story is so inspiring!! I can’t wait to try some of your recipes!!
Hey! This is an awesome blog and I am glad I stumbled upon it. Can’t wait to keep reading.
Thanks Mallory.
I randomly stumbled on your blog while searching for a recipe to make my own Mayan Harvest Bake (Thanks! BTW) and discovered that you’re from my hometown and appear to have gone to my college (based on the random sampling of Mason references)! Small world, huh? Looking forward to reading more and using your blog to help my family live a healthier lifestyle!
I’m so glad you found my blog! And yes it’s definitely a small world.
Hi there! I just came across your blog and can easily relate to your experiences. It is easy to overindulge, but once you find a balance everything seems to fall into place. Becoming healthy is a journey and isn’t something that will happen over night. I just started my own blog as well and hope that I can inspire others to lead a healthy lifestyle as you have.
I look forward to trying some of the recipes you have posted!
Hi Brittany! So great to meet you and read more about you! I know it’s been a great journey for you so far~but congrats on your progression in health
hahaha! That is great, my husband often says I eat a lot of birdfood. And, sometimes when I make him something he says,” what is this?, I’m not a bird”. And then eats it because it’s yummy. Great blog, glad I found you:)
Love your recipes, balanced approach to health, and your common sense suggestions! A dear friend forwarded your blog to me and I have since suggested it to many others. Keep writing and sharing ~ you are bound for ongoing success. Thanks for all!
Hi! I just discovered your wonderful little blog when I googled “healthy eating blogs!” Yours was the first one to pop up so I decided to visit it. You are now in my top 5 of blogs! I read your little bio and thats what hooked me. I am 19 years old, and have recently lost 40 pounds. I went to university already a solid girl (ha, thats the term people have been describing me as for years) and actually lost weight, but that changed when exams hit and I lost all sense of health as I felt the pressure to dedicate my entirety to my studies. THe summer after freshman year I knew that my sense of depression was tied to my health and how I looked. I started a low-carb program that Im now getting off. I work out almost everyday and now low-carb isn’t cutting it since I need more energy. I still have 10-15 more pounds I’d like to lose, but I know I can do it with healthy eating, regular exercise. I just need more energizing foods….and I really want to eat oatmeal again!
Thanks for being so inspiring and honest
Hi Brittany,
I love your story. It is a story that a lot of people have about how they ate while growing up. I have always been searching for better health, because this body has gone through a lot of transitions (good — like yours). I never had a weight problem, but I just did not feel well after eating. That may have been food allergies, because now I have figured out a way to eat healthier and have less bad days. My motto: Eating Healthy Should Be a Way of Life. Thank you for the SunWarrior product. I think it is a great product and have signed up to be an affiliate, as well. I told them I found them at your site.
I also think, this country has always looked at health backwards. We wait until we have a crisis, and then we do something about it. Where in essence, if we started taking care of ourselves now, there would be fewer fire drills down the road. This situation with the adult population heading toward 70% obesity– well, it is not acceptable. And our youngsters are facing a similar situation. Anyway, I could go on and on. My other blog: http://www.nutritionandhealthexpress.com has many other issues I have written on. I am also pushing for change on my facebook page. Thank you, Brittany
Thomas OBrien from Los Angeles
Hi! I’ve been following your blog for some time now. You’re very inspiring and have fantastic recipes
I too am enrolled at IIN – such an exciting year ahead! I look forward to your new posts!!
Im from Richmond, too! I came across your page through janetha, she helped me start bfl and I saw that you did it, also! Anyways, love your blog I’ve been browsing thru your old posts!
Hi Betty. I’m glad you found my blog!
It’s cool that you’re from Richmond as well. Are you doing BFL now?
I’m on week 7 now.. I had a to work on and I’ve lost 27 lbs but I have a lot to go.. I wasn’t eating terrible before, just not the right things, so I’ve now gotten on track with clean eating and love it!
So glad I stumbled upon your web site! You eat like I do!! I’m from Tennessee and it was hard to go against the grain – foodwise. I often heard, “What are you eating, now?” I’ve been so discouraged with my post pregnancy body and I needed some serious motivation to get back in shape. I’m going to start following your blog. Thanks!
LOVE your blog! The title is what drew me in. It’s true. Healthy food is delicious!I think we have a lot in common and I’d love to swap health tips with you!! I have a similar blog: kaleandcocoa.blogspot.com – you should check it out!
Kristen
Luv your blog!! I am also going through IIN’s program to become a health counselor-can’t wait to start!! I wish you great success!
Amazing story!
Brittany – I just was sitting down to watch “Forks Over Knives” and mentioned it to my friend M. She then proceeded to share your site with me. What an absolute treat and so inspiring. You’re a wonderful leader in informing people about changing their lives through diet (esp clean eating) and exercise! Looking forward to following you! – Cheers!
Hi Brittany! Wow!! I can’t believe how much your blog has grown since I remember you first mentioning it back in the way day! Congratulations! I don’t know if you remember me (and probably not the appropriate place to be giving out details including names) but I wanted to congratulate you on your success and I look forward to seeing what else you have in store!
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