Sharon Palmer

Published on August 16, 2017

Updated on October 13, 2020

Welcome Leah Porche, RDN, LDN, to my Plant Chat! Leah earned her bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from Nicholls State University, followed by a 10-month dietetic internship at Southern University and A&M College. She has since obtained her Adult Weight Management Certification.

Although Leah took her first yoga class about 16 years ago, her spark for it was really ignited when she took her first power yoga class in 2014. Since then, she has been practicing regularly and completed a 100-hour Baptiste Power Yoga teacher training last August, School Yoga Rocks (training to teach yoga to children), and Art of Assisting training. Leah intends to be in the first Root2Rise 200-hour teacher training coming in 2017!

In 2015 Leah partnered with Shantelle Abshire to create Root2Rise, a yoga studio with a juice bar and café. In addition to managing the business, mostly the café and juice bar, and teaching yoga classes, Leah also offers nutrition consulting and plan to expand their nutrition education outreach. Continue reading to learn more about this fabulous concept and get inspired to include more yoga in your life!

What is your personal nutrition philosophy?

My personal nutrition policy aligns with the Real Food concept and the Reducitarian approach. I believe that we should focus on eating whole, single ingredient, plant based foods that come from the nearest possible source, raised with consciousness, compassion, and the health of the planet in mind. I also believe in people sharing in the process of eating, from gardening to cooking, we should be cultivating awareness and appreciation for food, especially in our children.

How does being a RD tie into your yoga practice?

I am always looking for the science behind everything, and yoga is full of it! Of course there is the anatomy and physiology, but there is also the breath work, sequencing, and much more. On a more personal level, yoga has created a new level of consciousness for me, I am more mindful with my words, thoughts, and actions, which carries over in my dietetics practice.

Your cafe looks fabulous! What are some of your favorite, most popular items on the menu?

Thank you so much! My favorites definitely match with our community, the Kale Storm is my favorite bowl, it has these amazing roasted beets and toasted white beans! The PB&J is my favorite smoothie; it literally tastes like a PB&J with a sneaky serving of spinach. I love our pie bars as an afternoon treat, we flavor them according to the season and I can’t wait for fresh figs to come back into season this summer!

How does Root2Rise inspire people in your local community to get more involved in nutrition, health, and wellness?

Our essential mission at Root2Rise is to feel good, from ourselves, to our employees, and our community, whatever that looks like for each individual. We do our best to offer opportunities to find success on the personal journey to wellness with a mindfully crafted menu, an assortment of physical movement classes, interesting and empowering workshops, and most essentially a space to simply feel good!

Are you finding that more people are interested in eating a more plant-based diet?

I do believe more people are interested, however I also believe many see it as difficult, or impossible. We want to offer our community the opportunity to ease into it, rather than an “all-or-nothing” approach. The goal of our menu is to show our community that a plant-based diet is not only practical and possible, but it can be simple and delicious too.