Hi, I’m Jody Ortiz.
I’ve been passionate about plant-based vegan nutrition since I healed my rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Sjogren’s symptoms by giving up animal products and processed food. I started this journey in May of 2013 when I took my last bite of meat and I’ve never looked back.
When my daughter became bedridden and quit walking in March of 2016, I knew that I could also help to heal her with food. And I did. After 5 1/2 years of being in a wheelchair, today she is walking. She still has her struggles because her conditions are incurable, but she faces them with a positive attitude and inner strength.
I wanted to make sure that I gave her the proper vegan nutrition, so in 2017, I became certified in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University’s online platform. That same year I completed the Forks over Knives plant-based cooking course and then went on to train as a professional plant-based chef. At that time, I started my Sprouted Vegan journey to help others learn how to feed their bodies in the most nutritious way.
In 2021 I spent almost a full year training under Marianne Williamson and became certified as a Miracle-Minded Coach to treat the body, mind, and spirit. Since then, I became a certified Health Coach and a certified Life Coach through Health Coach Institute, and I completed training to become a Method Practitioner in the Real Healing Method.
All of my experiences and training have taught me that leading a life filled with positivity and gratitude and feeding your body healthy plant-based foods leads to better health and daily mindset.
My two books, Sprouted Vegan: Your Guide to Plant-Based Health and Five-Minute Gratitude are created from years of mindful practice and learning to lead a healthy lifestyle.
If you've ever thought about going plant-based vegan or are vegan curious, this book is for you.
Using peer-reviewed studies and her own experience with illness, Jody Ortiz guides you through the research that explains how eating a plant-based vegan diet is the healthy and natural solution.
You'll learn how the author went from being unable to move from arthritis pain to being active and pain-free, and how her daughter spent over five years bedridden and in a wheelchair, and today, she's walking and able to do most of her daily care. These transitions could not have occurred without switching to a whole food plant-based diet.
She then takes you step-by-step through how to implement a plant-based vegan diet into your individual lifestyle and she explains what to eat for optimum nutrition. Included is a one-week plan to get you started with recipes and a shopping list.
You'll learn chef secrets and have access to over 60 recipes that cover every meal, plus snacks and dessert.
This book provides all the information you need to make the decision to switch for your own health and it gives you the confidence to create delicious and nutritious meals that are filling and satisfying.
Five-Minute Gratitude
Find peace, presence, and purpose in just five minutes a day.
Five-Minute Gratitude is a gentle guide to slowing down, reflecting deeply, and rediscovering the good that already surrounds you. Through 50 beautifully crafted mindfulness exercises, heartfelt reflections, and journaling prompts, you'll learn to turn everyday moments into opportunities for peace, healing, and growth.
Each entry begins with an inspiring quote from great thinkers like Maya Angelou, Pema Chödrön, and Helen Keller followed by a personal reflection and a simple five-minute practice. Together, they invite you to pause, breathe, and reconnect with yourself and the world around you.
This book meets you exactly where you are, whether you find your faith in God, the universe, Mother Nature, or simply in the strength of your own heart. Five-Minute Gratitude honors every path and reminds you that gratitude itself can be your spiritual practice.
Filled with compassion, hope, and hard-earned wisdom, this book will help you:
Cultivate calm amid uncertainty.
Transform challenges into lessons.
Reconnect with your sense of purpose and presence.
Rediscover beauty in the ordinary.
Even on the hardest days, five minutes is enough to begin again.
Coming in 2027, More Five-Minute Gratitude