About Lacee

Hi I’m Lacee Cunningham, Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) and founder of Simply28 Nutrition. I have had a passion for nutrition, fitness and business for much of my life. I worked part time as a certified fitness instructor for local health clubs while also building a successful business with my husband. I have dedicated many hours to researching health and fitness articles, reading books and attending workshops. 

I live in Northern California with my husband Steve and our yellow Labrador Wallace. We live on a small family ranch where we were able to raise our two (now adult) daughters, Mallory and Marissa, in a wholesome country environment. We raise our own beef and have a small vegetable & herb garden. 

I guess you could say I kind of backed into nutritional therapy and a grain-free, whole-food way of life by process of elimination. You see, as healthy as I thought I was, I suffered from chronic health problems that I thought were just normal for me. I often had an upset stomach after eating, intestinal cramping, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema and other unexplained skin rashes. One doctor told me that this is just my “norm” at this stage of life and that Imodium is my new best friend. Yikes!

My family had a history of obesity and diabetes, which motivated me in my teens and early 20’s to exercise for hours daily and to binge diet regularly. I did pretty good keeping my weight down but I had know idea how much I was damaging my body.

Then after having our daughters I started gaining weight. We ate what I considered a healthy diet … low fat, lean protein,  and plenty of whole grains including whole wheat bread and pasta. I continued teaching fitness classes sometimes bringing my girls then ages 2 and 4 to the gym with me to teach my 6:00 am class. I know it sounds crazy but they were up early anyhow and loved “teaching” with mommy.

Well, even with all this in place I struggled to maintain a healthy weight and my other symptoms were getting worse over time. I tried every diet in the book usually losing some weight and then gaining it all back…plus some.

• I still today can tell you how many points, calories or grams of fat and carbohydrate are in just about every food on the shelf.
• I have juiced, detoxed and smoothie’d my way through just about every weight loss program or diet.
• I have signed up for athletic events thinking THAT will motivate me to lose the weight. Right! Not only did I not lose the weight I usually gained weight probably from the stress of worrying about losing weight! Whew!! Now you know the deep inner me!

It wasn’t until one of my daughters started having health problems of her own that I knew something had to change. I went back to the books looking for answers. 

Through my research I transformed my thinking and my health. I discovered that eating specific nutrient dense “real” food could improve my health, and the health of my family. By adding back in to our diet plenty of healthy fats and eliminating grains and packaged or processed foods, I was able to turn my health around. We went back to an ancestral diet of high quality, nutrient dense vegetables, fats, protein and fruit. And, we eliminated the foods that, although had claims of health written on the package, were actually causing us harm. 

We enjoy an abundance of nutritious foods that taste great and are gloriously satisfying. We enjoy delicious desserts made from real ingredients that don’t raise our blood sugar levels sky high. Within just a couple of weeks I noticed I no longer had those “hangry” (hungry+angry) episodes. I would be ready to eat at mealtime but I no longer felt like I was going to pass out if I didn’t eat NOW and I rarely feel the need to snack between meals. 

I now have more energy and feel better than ever before. I’ve reduced my digestive problems, maintain low fasting glucose levels, and have eliminated brain fog. My skin is free from eczema and more radiant. People actually have told me I even look younger!

Following the 90/10 rule of eating healthy 90% of the time, I occasionally indulge in a few of my old favorite foods but I know that in order to continue living healthy and free from chronic health problems, the answer is rooted in nutrient dense real food. 

“Living Life Healthy and Happy!”