Gut Feeling

Staying well can be confusing in this age of constant information that seems to contradict itself from day to day. But there are local women whose hard work takes the guesswork out of healthy choices whether that be the food, supplements, or herbal remedies.

MADELINE LEE, owner of Superfree Food, has created a line of anti-inflammatory foods that will satisfy and heal. Owner of longtime favorite Lovey’s Natural Foods & Café, MARIE MONTEMURRO has the knowledge and experience to help select the best food and supplement choices. ADRIENNE ARRINGTON-KENION, owner of Queen Esther Teas, has created immunity-boosting tea blends to help the body feel its best.

Each of these women has put their heart and soul into helping others feel good. Their dedication to health and wellness provides tangible approaches to being well and staying well.

MADELINE LEE discovered Superfree Food through her own “gut-healing journey.” After being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at just eighteen years old, she set out on a “long journey of healing.”

Lee opened her anti-inflammatory kitchen on the corner of Queen and 16th streets, to serve as Superfree Food’s production space and to open up for foot traffic for customers to grab and go.

Lee has a degree from North Carolina State University in nutrition science and attended Duke Integrative Medicine’s integrative health coaching program, providing her with the technical background which combined with her own experience empowered her to create healthy food offerings.

“We do have a choice, and my food offerings are a vehicle for that message,” Lee says. “We do not choose our genetics, but we are empowered by the choices we do have.”

Whether it is Superfree Food’s MCT oil to take first thing in the morning, an anti-inflammatory raw nocheese nocake for a snack, maca maca for mind-body fuel, or adaptogenic chia oats for a breakfast, mid-morning, or anytime snack, Lee’s superfood selections are designed for customers to support their health.

“It was a long but eye-opening and intuitive experience. Each of the products are intentional, anti-inflammatory, and gut-healing,” Lee says.

After struggling to feel well for so long, Lee turned to her eating to help with her health issues and developed products from that need. Each of her foods has no refined sweeteners and high-quality fats that satiate without crashing.

Those with auto-immune diseases, as well as those with diabetics and heart disease, all suffer from inflammatory illnesses and would benefit from the advantages Superfree Food offers, according to Lee.

“I don’t see anyone who wouldn’t benefit from it. Inflammation, whether it is the cause or the symptom, is a big part of illnesses,” she says.

Lee posts weekly recipes on Superfree Food’s Instagram account, to incorporate her products in versatile and interchangeable ways. One goal of Lee’s is to release a cookbook full of anti-inflammatory recipes.

As she works on “scaling” her business, given that she “wears all the hats,” Lee is on the precipice of the growth she has been working towards. She just entered a partnership with the well-known chain Urban Outfitters to carry her products.

Lee is most excited about enabling people to incorporate good choices into their lives. She believes Superfree Food allows people’s bodies to tap into their innate healing qualities.

“It is really simple,” she says. “It is about feeling good, and that is what motivates me to share this offering.”

To view more of photographer Madeline Gray’s work, go to madelinegrayphoto.com.

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