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Mattingly Shares Her Journey From Hospitalized To Healthy

Ashlee Mattingly poses in front of Daily Flavors.

By MARIAHA DOZA

ste. genevieve herald

Weighing over 350 pounds, suffering from Fibromyalgia and Lupus, and on 10 medications and five pain pills everyday, Ashlee Mattingly knew she had to do something different.

After talking to several doctors and spending ten days hospitalized, it was discovered that Ashlee had gut health issues and needed to make a choice. So, was it going to be staying on the path she was on or making a change?

I sat down with Ashlee at her treasured store, Daily Flavors, located at 21551 Hwy. 32 in Ste. Genevieve. Laughing, Ashlee admitted that she is “what they [the doctors] refer to as eight years clean.”

She added that “by changing my diet, I got off of all my medicine.” She also said that “just by changing what they [people] eat, it would affect their whole life.” I would say that Ashlee is a living, breathing example of how self-care and better eating can truly change your life.

Ashlee’s husband, now employed through Mississippi Lime, worked at Whole Foods (a health food supermarket) for 14 years. Two years ago, Ashlee and her family moved to Ste. Genevieve and she realized there was a lack of health food stores in the area. Ashlee wanted to incorporate some of her big city ways into her now small town life. That is when she had a great idea.

Daily Flavors has options for everyone… and, as a vegan, I mean everyone. This amazing store offers vegan, vegetarian, low-carb, diabetic-friendly, fresh items without preservatives, nutrition facts for every meal and dessert, gluten-free, and dairy-free creations. Her latest concoction is gluten-free noodles which arrived just in time for Small Business Saturday. Here, she offers desserts, meals, snacks, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and family meals.

She also supports the locals! “Meat and produce are bought locally to support the town while providing for business means,” Ashlee explained. Her beef, chicken, and pork are from the farms of Eckenfels and Oberle. Her honey, maple syrup, and produce are also from local families. Depending on the season and availability, she tries to keep as much of her business locally as possible.