Featured Friday – Jen’s Story

My name is Jen Fisch, but I am better known as @ketointhecity_ on Instagram. I am a 39 year old single mom, an autoimmune warrior, a ketogenic food blogger, a Creative Director, and most recently a published cookbook author.

My Ketogenic journey began in January of 2016, but my experimentation with various ways of eating began much earlier. I was diagnosed with Psoriasis when I was 18 and Psoriatic Arthritis when I was 19. It wasn’t until about a decade later that I started correlating inflammation in my body with food. You can read more about that very long medical journey on my blog, but the last 2 years of my experience with the ketogenic diet have really been transformative for me.

I discovered keto by doing research for anti-inflammatory ways of eating. I had done an Atkins-style low carb eating before, but I loved that keto was more focused on healing healthy fats, moderate protein and super low carbs. I felt like the high levels of healthy fats would be sustainable for me and I was looking for a way of eating that I could do for the rest of my life, not just as a temporary “diet”.

I started my Instagram page about a month into my keto journey. I am not a professional chef or a nutritionist, I’m just a determined mom who loves to cook. Also, I knew my friends wouldn’t want to see photos of everything I ate, so I started a keto focused page, and @ketointhecity_ was born. On my page I focused on making super easy and super yummy low carb / high fat creations with the highest quality ingredients. I also like to show how easy it is to eat out on keto. Easy is a huge word for me because as a single, working mom of a very busy 13-year-old daughter, I do not have a lot of time to spare. So, when I wrote my cookbook, The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook. I loved getting to show people that 5 simple ingredients could create an amazing dish.

A lot of people start keto to lose weight and I have lost 30lbs, but for me battling inflammation was my #1 objective. It seems like more and more people are struggling with medical issues at such young ages these days and I truly believe that what you put in your body can play a huge role. I’m not suggesting that keto is the right choice for everyone, but I am suggesting that if you are struggling with medical issues or even common issues like brain fog, sluggishness, etc, that you look at your diet and see how you can improve the quality of your life and your family’s life through real, nourishing food. It has certainly been a game changer for me!

Like all moms, I want to provide the best life possible for my daughter and me being healthy plays a huge role in that. I also like to show her that anything is possible if you work hard enough and if you approach everything you do with an intense passion. For me @ketointhecity_ is an expression of that passion and allows me to stay accountable, connect with like-minded foodies, and it provides me with an incredible creative outlet. I never imagined so many people would want to look at my keto friendly food, but I am beyond thankful that a personal journey of healing has become something that other people can connect with. I learn so much from the keto and autoimmune communities and I am inspired every day by people I come across, I can only hope to provide a small amount of that inspiration to other people.

Background

Jen lives in Hermosa Beach, CA with her 13-year-old daughter Kaia. She works full time as an Executive Creative Director for some of the coolest brands in the world. She is also a single mom and the founder of Keto In The City, a food blog focused on low carb / high fat eating. Her first cookbook, The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook, is now available on Amazon.

Social handles:

IG: @ketointhecity_

TW: @ketointhecity

YT: /ketointhecity

Blog: ketointhecity.com/

Book images courtesy of Rockridge Press

Photos by Suzanne Strong Photography