Hi, I’m Christy!
And if you found your way here, there’s a good chance your life looks a little like mine — navigating the kitchen with a new set of rules, trying to keep the people you love healthy, and refusing to let “low sodium” mean low joy.
Welcome. You’re in exactly the right place.
My story
A few years ago, my husband Chris was diagnosed with Advanced Heart Failure. Like most people facing a scary diagnosis, we were handed a list of restrictions and sent home to figure out the rest ourselves. Less sodium. Less of this. Less of that.
What nobody told us was how to still love food.
So I got to work. I dove into the kitchen with one mission: make the comfort foods we’d always loved — the Sunday dinners, the holiday favorites, the “I had a hard day” meals — in a way that worked for Chris’s heart and still made us both happy at the table.
It worked. Better than we ever expected.
At one of Chris’s cardiology appointments, his doctor spun around on his stool, eyes wide.
“Oh my gosh, you look amazing!” — Chris’s cardiologist
He told us he never imagined seeing Chris out of a hospital bed — and encouraged us to share what we were doing with as many people as possible. Millions, he said, could benefit from the changes we’d made.
That moment is why La Vine Living exists.
What you’ll find here
This isn’t just a recipe blog. It’s a resource for anyone learning to live — and live fully — with a low-sodium lifestyle.
A little more about me
I’m a longtime Carol Stream local — I’ve called the western suburbs of Chicago home for over 37 years. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll find me spending time with our kids and grandbabies, hitting the gym, catching live music, or relaxing on the boat.
Chris and I love to travel and we’ve made it our mission to prove that a low-sodium life doesn’t mean staying home or eating plain food. We dine out, we explore, we enjoy a glass of wine — we just do it smarter now.
I’m also a licensed Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty and The Gatti Team here in the western suburbs. If buying, selling, or finding a home that fits your life is on your mind, you can find me over at christylavine.com.
Let’s stay connected
The best way to keep up with everything at La Vine Living is to join my email list — I share new recipes, tips, and personal updates regularly. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, and come hang out in my private Facebook community where thousands of people are navigating this lifestyle together.
I’m so glad you’re here. Now let’s eat well and live fully — together.
— Christy