1. INSPIRE HEALTH20 March §April 2015
coverstory
H
ealthy living and eating is a hot
topic these days. Leading the
charge is Carolyn Scott-Hamilton,
better known as the Healthy
Voyager, who has spent over a
decade inspiring people to live well, one veggie
at a time.As a respected expert in the fields of
travel, health, green living and nutrition, Scott-
Hamilton wears many hats: She is a vegan chef,
a cookbook author, a media spokesperson, a
holistic nutritionist, and a television and radio
personality as well as a world traveler who
has her own website, web series and blog, all
dedicated to healthy and green living.
“In 1998 I went vegan for my health,”
Scott-Hamilton said.“I had moved to Los
Angeles and was looking for a way to get
in shape. I read the book Fit For Life and it
resonated with me, so one day I just went
vegan cold turkey, or, as I like to say, cold tofu.”
At that time, it wasn’t easy to have a
special diet.“Because I was doing it for my
health, I knew I couldn’t survive on guacamole
and cucumber sandwiches” she laughed.“There
was no Whole Foods in Los Angeles yet and
vegan food was pretty much non-existent, so I
had to learn everything on my own. I went to
culinary school and got my masters in culinary
nutrition because I wanted to do it right.”
Even more difficult than finding ways to
eat vegan at home, was finding restaurants that
served the food she needed when she traveled.
She began keeping a journal of places she
went, and in 2005The HealthyVoyager travel
show was born in order to be an entertaining
resource for people like her, that found traveling
difficult due to dietary restrictions, as well as
for those who wanted to keep healthy, green
and fit while away from home. “I knew how
to manipulate restaurant menus and how to
pack certain things so I could cook in my hotel
room to accommodate my vegan diet and I
knew there was no travel show out there that
showed diners with special diets how to eat
when they travel.That’s where the idea started.
I figured I wasn’t the only one who struggled,
as there were so many other diets that people
followed such as gluten free, diabetic or kosher,
for example. So I decided to start the blog and
web series in 2006, and the rest is history.”
The HealthyVoyager web site is the
“go-to” source for all things healthy and green
living.“It really started out as something that
I felt was lacking in the marketplace.Travel is
still very much the flagship” Scott-Hamilton
states,“but now I have a cooking show and I
have added in some recipes, health news and
lifestyle stuff with tips and tricks on how to live
a happier, healthier and greener life.”
There has been an explosion of resources
and availability since she first began her travel
show and blog.When she first began, there
very few resources to help people navigate
the needs of a special diet, especially when
traveling. These days, Scott-Hamilton explained,
restaurants are much more savvy of special
By Michelle Fouchi Esneault
GOOD
HEALTH
OneStep
ATATIME
Inspiring
INSPIRE HEALTH20 March §April 2015

2. INSPIRE HEALTH 21inspirehealthmag.com § #inspirehealthmag
diets and there are even restaurants
that cater specifically to them.“I
like to say that my show takes me
from Kansas City to Kenya and I can
find restaurants to meet my needs
anywhere.Also there are more natural
food stores out there and if you
don’t live near one, there are a lot of
resources on-line that will deliver right
to your home. It’s outrageous how
easy it is now. I love that it’s now hitting
the mainstream. I like becoming a
resource that people can trust”
In 2012, she addedThe Healthy
Voyager’s Global Kitchen cookbook,
a collection of plant-based recipes
from around the world, to her list of
accomplishments. A firm believer in
eating as unprocessed as possible, the
cookbook offers alternatives on how
to prepare a vast array of popular
international animal-free recipes from
scratch, with gluten-free, low glycemic,
soy-free, low-fat and raw-food
notations on every recipe.“I wanted
to do something that incorporated
my love of travel and world culture
and cooking” she enthused.“You
might have grown up with something
you can no longer eat because it’s
not vegan, or gluten-free or whatever
your dietary restriction is, or, maybe
you’ve traveled to some country and
INSPIRE HEALTH 21inspirehealthmag.com § #inspirehealthmag

3. INSPIRE HEALTH22 March §April 2015
coverstory
you would like to recreate a dish
you had there that you can’t have
anymore. I’m Colombian and grew
up in Miami so the Colombian and
Cuban dishes are near and dear to
my heart. The empanada recipe is
my grandma’s and it’s fun to think
that people will be making vegan
versions of them now.”
Though the recipes in her book
are a little more labor-intensive,
eating a healthy diet can be quite
simple, Scott-Hamilton said.“People
think that they need to make a giant
lasagna or a gourmet meal for dinner
every night” she remarks,“and that’s
not the case. I like to cook once, eat
twice. If you cook a pot of beans
and a pot of rice, you can use those
ingredients all week in salads, soups and
other dishes to make easy, healthful
meals. In addition to saving time, you
know that your meal is low in sodium,
cholesterol and sugar and is without
chemicals and preservatives which has
the benefit of boosting your energy
and improving your mood.”
Her enthusiasm and passion for
healthy living is not only an inspiration
to others, but she also is inspired by
the people who follow her.“I love that
people really like what I’m doing and
that I’m helping them. My mom and
dad are both vegan now and it’s fun
to see this lifestyle through their eyes.
Watching them do it is really fun and
inspiring. I’ve never been a preachy
vegan. I did it for my personal health,
this is how I eat, but not everybody
eats this way, and that’s OK. My angle
has always been casting a wide net,
not alienating anyone. I rarely even
use the word vegan, that’s why I’m call
myself the HealthyVoyager. I feel like
I have a method that is good for the
mainstream and by being a resource,
and not being judgmental, I feel I
inspire people to be better.”
In addition to a healthy diet, Scott-
Hamilton exercises, gets plenty of
sleep and consciously finds a balance
between work and play, something
she admits isn’t easy. “Support and
your lifestyle has a lot to do with it”
she allows.“If you have a crazy work
schedule or if you have a spouse or
kids who aren’t willing to follow the
same eating plan, it can be hard.Take
baby-steps. It’s not about deprivation.
It’s better to add things to your diet
first, then take out the stuff that
doesn’t work. Figure out alternatives
and what works for you and your
lifestyle so you live your life in the
healthiest way possible. Don’t worry
about perfection. Do what works
for you, what works for your family
and your lifestyle and be happy and
do it in the best way that you can
because that is all we can be.”
You can find more information
about Carolyn Scott-Hamilton and the
Healthy Voyager at www.HealthyVoyager.
com. The Healthy Voyager’s Global
Kitchen cookbook can be found at
inspirehealthmag.com/shop. 
ILOVETHATPEOPLE
REALLYLIKEWHATI’M
DOING AND THATI’M
HELPING THEM
YOURSOUL
As an innovative alternative to messy baggies
and bulky containers, the GoStak provides
a simple, mess-free way to carry protein
powders, meal replacement ingredients,
vitamins, supplements, and much more. The
inclusion of a removable carrying handle
makes healthy eating incredibly portable. Go to
inspirehealthmag.com/shop
Use code
INSPIRE15
for 15% off!