Telma Fjelltveit
Plant-Based Nutrition Expert
Regenerative Detox Specialist
Pilates Instructor
Hello, I´m Telma, and I´m the founder of Plants from Now On.
Plants From Now On is the product of self-discovery, a love letter to myself, the world and the people around me. Born from a personal interest and a deep passion for health and wellbeing, I want to help other women find their better selves, fall in love with their bodies again and make meaningful changes towards a more healthy, happy and energised lifestyle.
It all started when I discovered the power of plants for a healthier lifestyle and decided to take responsibility for my own health and wellbeing. I had to stop and look back at my story, understanding the way I grew up, and more importantly, my relationship with food. My story has, as too many women’s stories do, a dependence on the diet culture, some emotional eating in the mix, sprinkled with a good deal of body shaming, and a side of letting others have the power to make tough decisions for me - while having a desire to attain the perfect weight, body, image and lifestyle.
It all started when I discovered the power of plants for a healthier lifestyle and decided to take responsibility for my own health and wellbeing.
It all began in Luanda, Angola, where I grew up surrounded by food. Big family lunches on the weekends, sweet pastries when visiting someone, and treating myself whenever I was sad or happy. For a long time, food was my main source of comfort whenever emotions came into play. As my relationship with food changed, so did my body. I was a bit overweight, disliked several things about myself, compared myself to others and didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin. Watching my mother and other women dieting constantly, it only seemed normal to me to repeat that same behaviour. From my teen years to my young adult life, my weight would go up and down, and how I look dictated how I felt.
I was stuck in a vicious cycle of dissatisfaction, lacking self-esteem, confidence, and I was starving! Because let me assure you, there’s nothing sustainable about a restrictive diet. When I moved to Norway, I started getting terrible back pain that worsened over the years. I was unable to sleep, I also got terrible digestive problems, which didn’t make my life easier. I visited many doctors, specialists in all areas. I believed they could give me a reason, an answer! Why was I in so much pain? I was diagnosed with herniated discs, minor scoliosis, unlevelled hips and arthritis on my left hip. The specialist was as surprised as I was and didn’t know why I had it at such a young age.
I felt tired all the time, for many years, I was unable to sleep more than five hours a night, I was in constant severe pain, and I felt miserable. I remember crying and crying, clueless about what was wrong with me
On the one hand, I was relieved that I got a diagnosis. However, on the other, I was still puzzled as to why I had it and what I could do to make it better, to improve my quality of life. I felt tired all the time, for many years, I was unable to sleep more than five hours a night, I was in constant severe pain, and I felt miserable. I remember crying and crying, clueless about what was wrong with me. My breakthrough only happened three years ago, when I reached a point in which I thought I couldn’t take it anymore. At that moment, I decided that real change needed to happen. I was prescribed strong painkillers for the rest of my life, and even if I lost a bit of weight to ease the physical pain, I was still stuck with those pills. On a trip to Angola to visit my family, I watched a documentary on the impact meat has on the environment and began to question everything that I was taught about needing meat to grow strong and healthy.
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I questioned my beliefs, and because I had nothing to lose, I decided to change my eating habits and try a diet more focused on plant foods.
I had stopped eating dairy products, as I noticed they make my stomach ache. The next step was to remove red meat, then poultry, fish and finally eggs. It was the first time I altered my diet for a reason other than my weight, and it felt great!
It impacted my body, my image, but also my emotional health and other aspects of my life. I felt stronger, more energetic, my sleep improved, and driven by intellectual curiosity to understand more about what was happening to me, and why no one had suggested that before.
It was the first time I altered my diet for a reason other than my weight, and it felt great!
March 2016 - 87 kg tired and in pain
April 2021 - 71 kg full of muscles & energy
I had changed. My body changed. I lost 20 kg while eating more than ever before on a “diet”. My mood, skin and energy were great. The pain was gone, and I couldn’t believe the massive impact food had on my health. No more pain, just strength, energy and joy! My husband noticed my transformation, and jumped on board, always supporting me through this journey. I shared my results with friends and family, inspiring them to take a step further, to gain self-knowledge, to understand better their bodies through the food they ate.
Plants From Now On is my way to share this knowledge and my journey with you. Yes, you! You who are where I once was. You who keep looking at ways to improve your wellbeing, you who have been battling with the mirror image for far too long, you who want to be more and better for yourself and the ones you love.
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Take my hand and together, let’s take the next step towards real transformation.
Telma Fjelltveit
Professional Bio
Telma Fjelltveit is a passionate, creative entrepreneur, holistic coach specialised in plant-based nutrition and founder of Plants From Now On, a business focused on helping people cultivate healthier eating and improve their lifestyle habits, to transform themselves, their bodies and their relationships with others and themselves. Her approach combines physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, towards a routine of self-care, self-love and joy.
Telma has a National Diploma in Analytical Chemistry from Cape Peninsula University of Cape Town, in South Africa. She is also a certified massage therapist in Applied Reflexology, Indian-head Massage and Hot-Stone Massage from Healing hands Institute in Cape Town. Her interest for wellness is not new, as in 2008 she started her own spa, Eucalyptus by Christy in Luanda, Angola.
It was in September 2018, after moving to Norway, and changing her eating habits and lifestyle by adopting a raw plant-based diet, that Telma acquired a certification in Plant-Based Nutrition through T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell. She continued her studies and in November of 2019 became a Detoxification Specialist through the International School of Detoxification, Port Charlotte, FL, USA. She is also certified Pilates Instructor Mat 1 & Mat 2 through Balanced Body, in Sacramento, California, USA.
Telma’s goal is to help people transform their lifestyles through food - raw plant-based nutrition, exercise - she is an active runner and a pilates practitioner, and general wellbeing - by understanding their bodies better, and how to use natural medicine (food and herbs) to support their bodies natural processes.
At the moment, Telma is also writing her first book, to share the joys and challenges she faced in this journey, as well as some of her favourite recipes.