Take the Best and Leave the Rest: Meet Kelley Marvin the author of Food Runs Deep

By LaCrystele Brown
FWIS Contributing Writer

Every day we get so wrapped up in the things we can’t control but one woman’s saying could be the thing that gets us all past that little funk we feel in those times. “Take the best and leave the rest,” is the saying that I personally plan to adopt from this amazing and knowledgeable woman known as Kelley Marvin. Who is she? Let me tell you! Kelley Marvin is a Holistic Nutritionist, and the founder of Inspired Nutrition by Kelley established in 2012. Kelley has a degree in computer science with integrative and functional medicine. Marvin’s studies, her belief that food is medicine, and her will to help others are some of the things that lead her to this very moment.

Some people have a light about themselves that engulfs those around them and fills them with a sense of peace, love, and hope. Kelley Marvin is one of those people. When speaking with her you would never know that she didn’t have the best childhood or that she went through so much trauma in her life. As a mother of two daughters and grandmother of two grandsons, family is a huge part of Marvin’s life, so when health issues tried to interrupt her life, Marvin decided to take a different approach to healing. Instead of putting all her faith into pharmaceuticals alone, Marvin decided to learn about the ways that food and the body itself can also heal us. The wisdom that Marvin gained along with encouragement and help from her mentor and friend John Dortch inspired her to write Food Runs Deep.

Food Runs Deep is a 94-page book filled with some amazing health tips and benefits from Marvin that are easy to fit into your everyday life. The book breaks down ways to combat over 20 health issues ranging from common cold to sickle cell. Each chapter features vitamins, minerals, foods, botanicals, holistic practices, and a recipe that can help with healing the specific health issue. The back of the book includes a special treat for readers, a list of essential oil blends to help with things such as arthritis, gut health, heart disease, diabetes, and more.

I asked Marvin what advice she had for people who are just starting to want to live a healthier life, and her answer was short, sweet, and simple. Water, intaking more whole natural foods rather than processed foods, and sleep. Marvin informed me that for many of us it starts with dehydration, eliminating processed foods, and sleep deprivation. Marvin also suggested taking a walk and clearing your head. These simple things are the first steps you can take to becoming a happier, healthier version of yourself.

Food Runs Deep is such a perfect title for the knowledge that Marvin has packed into her book. I was curious to know what inspired Marvin to choose this title. She let me know that her biggest hope is that the title will bring awareness to the fact that food is key in healing. Marvin hopes that the Food Runs Deep can be a gem in homes that can be pulled out to find a recipe when you're having those killer cramps or that annoying headache.

Writing a book isn’t an easy task, but Marvin did an amazing job crafting Food Runs Deep. I wondered if she had any moments that felt rewarding. I was both happy and moved by her shyness when she told me the most rewarding part is having people come up and ask her to sign their book. Marvin lit up when expressing that its always so unexpected, but it makes her heart warm in that same moment because she realizes that her book is having an impact on someone's life and that's the goal. Marvin also touched on how it’s rewarding to know that she is serving our creator and that none of this is coming from her but through her, so she never really feels any grandiosity, but she is grateful to play a part in helping herself and others.

Marvin is not a writer, but she is really passionate about what she does like so many others out there. I wanted to know what advice she may have for those who aren’t writers but would like to write a book about their work or passion. Marvin's answer was find someone or people to hold you accountable. Without Dortch, Marvin doesn’t know that she would have gotten it done. She described him as the rock stabilizing her kite when it came to getting the work done.

Marvin would like Food Runs Deep readers to finish the book knowing that we have agency over ourselves and a great ability to participate in our healing.

Marvin is currently working on her second book Inspired Journey. This book will take a dive into Marvin’s life! We will get to learn more about Marvin, her holistic practices, steps she takes to learn what her body does and doesn’t need and her battles with health issues. Marvin hosts a cooking class two Thursdays a month at the Jonnie Mae Farm Kitchen and she is also starting women retreats that will be available in 2025. For more information on Marvin’s next book release, cooking classes, retreats, online classes, programs, health advice, and more visit Kelley’s website inspirednutritionbykelley.com. You can also use the contact feature on the website to contact Kelley.