About Ama Opare

I’m a plant-based wellness and lifestyle coach, educator, vegan and raw vegan chef, cook book author, graphic designer and owner of Food For The Soul Global.

You are meant to be Whole and Healthy. I believe you have the answers you need to get there inside you. My job as your coach is to help you tap into your own inner wisdom and experience to discover what works best for you. To help you uncover and remove your roadblocks and discover your own personal recipe for Thriving-Whole and Healthy.

My clients go from self-sabotage to taking control. From mealtime boredom to loving what they eat. From being tempted by all the wrong choices to making the right decisions. And from being sick and tired to living a vibrant, healthy and liberating life!

My Story

Ever since I was a young teen in the early 70’s, growing up in Chicago, IL during the civil rights movement, I’ve had a deep sense that society was not set up for helping me be all that I am meant to be. The education system left me feeling stupid. I’m NOT stupid! The more I looked at the world around me the more things did not seem right.

When my daughters were young I created an in-home daycare center focused on nurturing children’s innate drive to learn and develop. Freedom in Education. I saw how deep and rich their learning was when I allowed children to follow what mattered to them and their lives. My role was to pay attention and to provide the space and resources for each child to follow their own inner voice and genius.

Later, I ran a large religious education program that also focused on providing experiences where children and adults could follow their own inner compass towards meaning. Each year I especially enjoyed the end of the Coming Of Age Program where our 8th graders wrote and shared their Credo, or their statement of what they believe. Very inspiring!

Eventually, I found my way to the natural health movement and the power of diet. The more I learned about what the standard medical institution is all about, the more I saw just how deep the misinformation rabbit hole is. It became clear to me that profit and greed rather than truth drives what we are told about what it takes to be healthy. I am very grateful to have been able to discover the truth and to have seen my health improve as I’ve changed my lifestyle. Now in my 60s, I feel better than I did when I was in my 40s.

My life has been forever changed for the better by turning my back on the path that modern society promotes and encourages. The blinders have been removed and I can no longer ignore the injustices and lies I see around me. It’s even more important now than ever.

We don’t have to accept the notion that as we get older chronic disease in inevitable. We don’t have to live a life on medication. We don’t have to spend our 50s, 60s and 70s (and beyond) in pain, disabled, and wishing we could do more. Most doctors won’t tell you that you DO have the POWER to live a different life. In fact most doctors don’t even know the truth themselves.

I'm here to tell you - YOU DO HAVE THE POWER!

I bring that same passion for liberating our inner wisdom and genius
to the work I do as a Healthy Lifestyle Coach

I know how hard it can be to make a healthy lifestyle work

It's hard to be resilient and make the right decisions when you're surrounded by all the wrong choices and your friends and family don't support you.
You feel like garbage when you give into bad cravings, especially when you've made the commitment (again) to stay strong.
It can be really hard to filter through all the misinformation and opinions on what's healthy and what's not.
And it's hard to stay committed when you're stressed out, triggered, over worked and exhausted and you just want some comfort food.

In the end you feel ashamed, worried, and helpless to stop your downward slide.

Not So Long Ago That Was Me

I was over weight and worried about my health. I couldn’t control my cravings for burgers and fries. I was forever going to Wendy’s for a mushroom swiss burger, often stopping on my way back to work from a supply shopping trip, even when I had told myself I wasn’t going to. I’d scarf it down greedily, and then feel terrible about my self!

I had WANTED to go vegetarian to get healthy for decades (I didn’t even know about vegan then) but I didn’t know how. I’d go to the food co-op and try to figure out what I should buy and spend way too much money. When I got home I struggled to make it taste good! And everything was cheese, cheese, cheese.

In 2007, Dr. Nana Kwaku Opare opened the door to a new way of life for me. He’s a physician and dietitian who has spent decades helping people like me make the plant-based lifestyle a reality. I embraced this new lifestyle and it changed my life in so many ways. I can’t imagine ever going back.

I’ve seen first hand the power that diet and lifestyle can have for healing and well being. For over 10 years I worked closely with and trained under Dr. Opare helping patients and clients prevent and heal their disease.

Sickness doesn't have to be a part of your life!

I’m a teacher at heart and I was eager to share what I had discovered to help other folks like me figure out how to make being plant-based work. In 2010 I joined forces with Dr. Opare to create the Opare Institute and combine my decades of education experience and his wholistic approach to health and healing.

I created in-depth in-person and online education programs and have coached many people just like you, who are ready to take charge of their health and well-being, successfully create sustainable lifelong lifestyle changes.

As of early 2021 I have stepped out on my own to continue this important work. I continue my commitment to helping you create the healthy diet and lifestyle you’ve been struggling to maintain. You will find the courses and material I’ve created here at Food For The Soul and in the Black Vegan Academy.

Discover Your PERSONAL Recipe For Success

You don’t need some magic potion or cookie cutter program. To start THRIVING-Whole and Healthy as a vegan you need a tailor made recipe for success. A recipe that takes into account your life, your struggles, your goals and your style.

When we work together I’ll help you discover, create and implement your personal recipe for success.

My #Blaxit!

In 2016 Nana Kwaku and I packed up our life in Atlanta, GA and moved across the world to Arusha, Tanzania, in East Africa. While we are no longer together, we each continue the work and I support the important gifts he brings. You can find out more about what Nana Kwaku is up to at https://opare.net

I have found a life of peace and freedom here in Tanzania. While there are challenges of course, I know the Ancestors are with me always and these challenges are learning opportunities for my growth and progress. And I’ve been given a glimpse of how I believe we are meant to live.

It has been a Sankofa experience. Sankofa is a West African adinkra symbol meaning to move forward by reaching back to pick up what we have left behind. Our ancestors knew how to live healthy. I have discovered peace and freedom by embracing who I really am.

It’s time we reclaim our heritage so that we can return to our Whole and Healthy birthright.

Helping you Thrive-Whole And Healthy is my passion

Thriving means you have the confidence, conviction, resilience and enjoyment you want and need to stick to your goals no matter what. When you’re THRIVING Whole And Healthy you’ll:

Enjoy great food that satisfies you and makes you feel good;
Stick to your lifestyle commitments at work, family and social settings, no matter what;
Relax without the mental obsession about nutrition and what you should be doing;
Take on your cravings and struggles without shame, knowing it's part of your healing process.
Renew yourself guilt-free with regular a self care practice that nurtures and energizes you.

As your plant-based lifestyle coach, my philosophy is that ...

A healthy lifestyle shouldn’t be complicated. A common sense approach will dissolve your confusion, stand the test of time and outlast the latest fad diet.
You are your own best resource for success. Learning to listen to what your experiences and body are telling you is the foundation of creating a plan that fits you and will change your life. The best wisdom comes from within.
Healthy food should be delicious! You don’t have to sacrifice taste to be healthy. In fact you'll be able to love your food even more once you know the secrets of flavorful food.
A healthy lifestyle doesn't have to mean cutting yourself off from your friends and family. You can incorporate real-world navigation tactics so you can THRIVE in spite of your non-vegan and unhealthy world.

When you work privately with me you’ll walk away with:

Are You Ready To Stop Struggling And Start Thriving?

I’m here to show you how. Click the button to find out how coaching can help and how you can work privately with me no matter where in the world you live.

Food For The Soul

Black Vegans Worldwide