Alexis’s passion for plant-based eating deepened during college, where persistent gastrointestinal distress propelled her into the realm of natural healing.
Despite exhaustive traditional medical tests and diets, answers remained elusive until a naturopath’s diagnosis of SIBO guided her towards exploring the intricate connections between the gut, microbiome, and mental health.
Armed with self-education in food industry insights and plant nutrition, and driven by her own physical and mental transformation, Alexis pursued formal certification as a holistic health coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Her personal milestones—adopting a plant-based diet, embracing meditation, journaling, completing marathons, and transitioning from a corporate fashion job to entrepreneur—all contributed to her remarkable 50-pound weight loss and holistic wellness journey.
Today, fueled by a mission to help others become more in tune with their bodies, purpose, and power, Alexis stands as a beacon of inspiration, making the vision of a life of health and harmony accessible to all.
Please tell us more about yourself
I am your health coach BFF and I can’t wait to be on this journey together xx
Alexis Hawes
My name is Alexis Hawes. I am from Seattle, WA but have lived in NYC over the past 8 years.
I used to work in the luxury fashion industry but left during Covid to find more purpose in my life. I decided I wanted to help others on their health journey’s and became a holistic health coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
Now I help clients one-on-one to get healthy and a big part of my program is to eat more plant-based. I also do content creation for plant-based recipes and have an e-book, Nature’s Pharmacy: The Power of Natural Remedies and Whole Foods to Heal, to highlight the power of food as medicine.
I am vegetarian (plant-based), I keep completely vegan at home and only eat a little cheese/dairy when I eat out. I officially gave up eating meat and fish back in November of 2018 so it has now been over 5 years!
In every aspect it’s made me a more conscious person, intrinsically healthier and happier, and my energy is unbelievable
Alexis Hawes
Since I was a little girl I have always been conscious about what I ate. I remember being 7 or 8 years old and deciding to only eat farmed animals (chicken, pork, beef, salmon). My thoughts back then were that I didn’t ever need to take from a natural ecosystem in the wild and eat what other animals relied on. I grew up going to my Granddad’s cattle farm in Arkansas, so at the time this logic made the most sense to me in trying to be conscious of other animals.
The biggest impact you can make towards climate change is by going plant-based
Alexis Hawes
Little did I know, factory farmed animals (which 90% of meat in America come from) is the least humane and the worst meat that you can eat. I always struggled with my love for animals and the relationship I had in eating them, but I thought that I had to in order to get the right protein I needed.
In November of 2018 that view completely changed when I was able to see a pre-screening of the documentary Game Changers. For the very first time I realized that I didn’t need animal protein to survive, I could actually get all the nutrients that I needed from plants (not only get the nutrients but THRIVE without it). As soon as my eyes were opened to this, I vowed to never eat meat again.
One of my biggest challenges when I first went vegan/vegetarian is that I used it as an excuse to eat all the unhealthy items that were already meatless (pasta, pizza, etc.). This actually caused me to gain even more weight. I quickly realized that I had to focus on eating a whole-food plant-based diet to really get the nutrients I needed and feel my best. You can definitely be an unhealthy vegan!
In order to overcome this, I got educated on our food system and how to read food labels. I use apps like “Yuka” which scans my food to ensure I am not ingesting any toxic ingredients, and I focused my diet on eliminating inflammatory oils, added sugar, and ingredients I couldn’t pronounce.
Cooking more at home and getting close to my food through farmers markets and local business has been extremely helpful to find the balance of vegan/vegetarianism and health. I have since lost 50 lbs and will continue with a plant-based, whole food diet to get the nutrients I need.
What are your thoughts and feelings about following a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle?
I feel more connected to my food, my body, and the planet
Alexis Hawes
I absolutely love it! My sister has a rescue farm in Connecticut and someday I would love to open a rescue farm of my own. Knowing how smart, gentle, and intelligent other animals are, I truly can’t imagine ever eating one again.
Going meatless is a choice and in our current society, it still takes work to find options. Depending on where you are it isn’t always easy. But being deeply grounded in my “why” and being grounded in the fundamental belief that we don’t need to eat animals for our bodies to thrive is what keeps me going.
What approach would you take to encourage someone who hasn’t embraced a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle to give meatless food a try?
Food is so much more than what we put in our mouths
Alexis Hawes
I try to share my website, alexishawes.com/recipes which has over 200 plant-based recipes that I have developed! I try to advise my clients to start with making the recipes at home that you love, while just omitting the meat.
This could be veggie tacos instead of beef, salads without the meet, or pastas that are veggie focused. People typically realize that there are multiple recipes/foods they love to eat that are meatless.
Reducing your meat intake has profound benefits to your overall health and reduces risk of chronic disease so I go back to these benefits in reducing meat consumption, then I suggest yummy recipes!
Here are a few of my favorite recipes:
- Edamame Lettuce Cups: https://www.alexishawes.com/recipes-1/edamame-lettuce-cups
- French Onion Risotto: https://www.alexishawes.com/recipes-1/french-onion-risotto
- Pulled “pork” Sandwhich: https://www.alexishawes.com/recipes-1/pulled-%22pork%22-sandwich
- Zucchini Brownies: https://www.alexishawes.com/recipes-1/zucchini-brownies
- Spicy Tomato Crispy Rice: https://www.alexishawes.com/recipes-1/spicy-tomato-crispy-rice
- Chick-fil-A Mushroom Sandwich: https://www.alexishawes.com/recipes-1/chick-fil-a-sandwich
There are incredible vegan restaurants in NYC, some of my favorites are Planta, ABCV, Anixi and Hangawi.
Because you deserve to feel happy, healthy, and free!
Alexis Hawes
The biggest misconception of being vegan/vegetarian is that you don’t get enough protein in your diet. When in reality, there is an abundance of protein in beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains, vegetables, etc. I prove this on my platform by getting my blood work done every 6 months and sharing with my followers my results for protein and other nutrients such as iron and B-12. I also create helpful guides for nutrients that are vegan.
Ready to heal yourself naturally?
Alexis Hawes
Get educated and deepen your why! It isn’t easy to go meatless, so starting with following people on social media is really helpful. I also recommend getting closer to your food, start reading nutrition labels, shop at local farmers markets, make new recipes, and get educated on what you are putting into your body.
I actually have a health coaching subscription platform, EVOLVE, that provides weekly tips to living a healthier lifestyle. In the program I host monthly group calls and I share season recipe guides with 35 recipes each season (140 per year) that are plant-based, dairy, gluten, and refined sugar free. My entire platform is about eating more plant-based food and this is a great resource for anyone that is trying to go meatless, get healthier, and join a community of like minded people!
My Health coaching program goes beyond the food you eat, or how you move our body
Alexis Hawes
We are all on our own journey’s to discover what works for our bodies and makes us feel our best. I always suggest that people get educated on the food system, stop and take time to actually understand where your food comes from. Learn how animals are raised in the US, and read what they are fed. The most profound statement is that “we are what we eat”, and what you put at the end of your fork is the most important decision you will make each and every day.
Best,
Alexis
Alexis Hawes
✨ Integrative Nutrition Health Coach
🌿 plant-based + mocktails + holistic health + balanced lifestyle
💌 alexis@alexishawes.com
⇩links & site⇩
Website: https://www.alexishawes.com
Recipes: https://www.alexishawes.com/recipes
Health Coaching Subscription: https://www.alexishawes.com/evolve
Nature’s Pharmacy e-book: https://www.alexishawes.com/category/all-products?scrollToProduct=nature-s-pharmacy-the-power-of-natural-remedies-and-whole-foods-to
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whyieatplants/?hl=en
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whyieatplants
all images courtesy of Alexis Hawes