When I first made the decision to have a plant based, vegan diet, I wasn't sure where to turn. Sure, there are tons of recipes on the web, but nothing beats a beautiful cookbook to leaf through, when planning meals.

As luck would have it, I have a friend who has a friend who has a friend, whose IG share rabbit hole brought me to Gianna Ciaramello, and her vegan cookbooks. I bought them both, and the rest is history.

Gianna is a young, talented cook with tons of enthusiasm and invention. An Italian girl who was raised helping her grandmother cook, she's now taking her talents in the direction of her in-progress third cook book, a vegan Italian cookbook.

Tune in and learn how she found her way to a vegan lifestyle, to creating a cookbook, and get excited for what she has in store.

I asked Gianna to tell me a bit about herself, and here's what she had to share, in her own words:

I have loved food with all of my heart since I was a little girl & cooking has been part of me since a very young age. Some of my most cherished memories come from the times I have spent in the kitchen with my mother & grandmother. When I was just three years old my mom used to pull a chair up to the counter & put me in charge of preparing string beans. I would stand on the chair & snap the ends off for her with the biggest smile on my face. It was a simple task, but the beginning of something bigger.

My passion for helping others soon evolved into finding a way to spread health & positivity in the least intimidating way. As someone who grew up having a toxic relationship with her body and food, I never thought that one day I would overcome these struggles, build healthy relationships with my body, and ultimately design a life around sharing my journey with others and helping to guide them to a place of self-love.

I feel that part of my life’s mission is to guide others to find this gift for themselves.

Healing is not linear. My soul resides in food and nourishing your highest self. I am here to create, support, love and thrive—and I encourage others to do the same.

For more info, and to order her cookbooks, visit: www.giannaciaramello.com

On IG: @gianna_ciaramello On fb: @gianna.ciaramello

And to check out the cool YouTube video she mentioned, visit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN_QtblmwT6-oS4n2o8FjWw