About Me

Hi There!

I’m Jane Fox, the creator of Serendipity Jane. I’d like to invite you on my journey to healthful living. We’ll explore healthy and delicious food, which just happens to also be vegan and gluten free!

Serendipity means fortunate happenstance. It may seem odd, but for me, some of the best things that have happened to me, either came to me by accident, by divine intervention, or by adversity, hence the name of my blog: Serendipity Jane.

Over the years, because of a series of annoying health issues, I’ve slowly changed my diet and lifestyle. Searching for a cure, I began by cutting out red meat and pork, then alcohol, in order to alkalize my body.  I took up meditation, I began using natural cleaners in my home and removed the chemical toxins from my environment. I then embraced a vegan diet.  Each change, brought more improvement, but my skin issues, lack of energy, and body aches persisted.  I was recently diagnosed with gluten intolerance, and that seems to be the culprit behind everything!  In an attempt to rid itself of the poison gluten, my body was not absorbing vitamins!  I look at this diagnosis as a blessing that tied up all of my health issues with a big red bow!

It’s not easy eating gluten free and eating vegan. Now that I know that my problem was the gluten all along, I could easily go back to eating meat, eggs, and dairy. But how do I forget everything I’ve learned about factory farming, the cruel treatment of animals, and the effects on our environment? I can’t. I’ve discovered that I can easily make delicious nutritious gluten free meals from plant sources and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything!

I live in northern California, in the town I grew up in. I enjoy hiking and swimming and I’m passionate about cooking and experimenting with new flavor combinations and ingredients.  My education is in Interior Design.  I spent several years as a designer, and quite a few more in sales and marketing in the commercial furnishings industry. Most recently, I worked in advertising sales for a local newspaper.   I am a Mom of a grown son, Andrew, who I raised as I traveled along my health journey. He has gone from a wild child with ADHD to a polished young man with a Masters in Economics!  I’m so proud of the amazing, sensitive, and caring person that he has become.  I love it that he is so supportive. My mother is 89 years old and needs my help. She is frail, forgetful, and not interested in change. She doesn’t want to eat “weird” food and will put down her fork upon hearing the word “tofu.”  I often have to make compromises to ensure that she eats anything at all!  So next Thanksgiving, if you see me at the grocery store with a turkey in my cart, I hope you will understand why.  I am not a militant vegan. My belief is that we are all on our own journeys, and we need to meet people where they are and be respectful of their choices, just like we ask them to respect ours.

Two years ago, I almost drowned at nearby Folsom Lake. On July 3^rd, I took a day off work with the plan to relax and enjoy the holiday weekend. While swimming, a little too far away from the lifeguards, and in water about thirty feet deep, I could not catch my breath!  I knew I was in big trouble as I struggled. I just knew I was going to die in the lake that day.  But, halfway back to shore, when every breath was a herculean effort, and made a sickening wheezing sound, a young blond lifeguard paddled up and took me to shore.

My breathing didn’t recover, and my heart continued to race so I was whisked away to the hospital.  A glitch with my heart had effected my breathing, and I know now that it was all tied to my gluten problem!

That night laying in the hospital bed, I wondered “Why did I live?” “Why didn’t God take me?” These were questions that I couldn’t stop thinking about. At the time, there was no one depending on me.  “Why did I live?” My conclusion was that I must still have something that I’m supposed to do. I know now that my purpose is to spread the knowledge I’ve learned on my journey.  I was diagnosed with Gluten Intolerance in January of this year and now that I have healed my body, it is time to fulfill my purpose of sharing my journey with others with the launch of my blog, Serendipity Jane.   I’m so glad you are here!