In the buzzword-saturated world of wellness, “detox” is a term so overused it often loses its meaning. Yet for one practitioner in Charleston, South Carolina, it’s a powerful lifestyle tool—one that has been instrumental in healing her body and reconnecting her with the past.
WiBi Ashley’s path to raw foods was shaped by two pivotal moments in her life: her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis twenty-five years ago and her own harrowing car accident in 2013. At the time of her mother’s diagnosis, Ashley was a recent graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, grappling with the news that would change her perspective on health forever.
“My mom was relatively young, in her forties—healthy, never drank or smoked, and wasn’t overweight. She was the first in our family ever to be diagnosed with cancer,” Ashley says. “I remember thinking, how did this disease find its way into her body?”
Determined to uncover answers, Ashley dove into researching cancer’s potential causes. “I discovered that diet and environmental factors played a significant role,” she says. “While I couldn’t change her environment, I thought I might be able to inspire my mom to embark on a vegetarian journey.”
Although her mother made some lifestyle adjustments, she didn’t fully transition to vegetarianism, but today is cancer-free. For Ashley, however, the exploration into diet and wellness marked the beginning of her own transformation—a path to which she credits her very survival following a horrific car accident in 2013 when she was returning to her childhood home in North Carolina and fell asleep at the wheel.
“I sustained multiple fractures and traumatic injuries to my face, my shoulder, and my ankle,” Ashley says. A titanium plate was installed to save her right eye. And doctors placed twelve rods and screws in her right ankle. “The doctors told me I would likely lose my sight in that eye and permanently walk with a limp.”
Once again, Ashley’s stubborn faith in the healing powers of food prevailed. Unable to chew due to her face being partially paralyzed, Ashley turned to a liquid diet. “I started juicing for three months straight to put the nutrients I needed back in my body,” she says. Blending everything she could get her hands on, Ashley also began to look back to her African ancestors for answers, adding potlikker and nut milks made from sesame seeds into her regime, as they once did. “My parents thought I’d lost my mind,” she remembers. The doctors, however, were impressed with her recovery as she regained movement in her face and leg.
Once Ashley was cleared to travel, she packed up her Greensboro, North Carolina, apartment and moved to Panama for two and a half years to study under master raw food chef Dr. Aris LaTham. Ever since, she’s been preaching the power of the raw movement through her business, Art and Remedies Wellness.
Now a dedicated vegan, Ashley avoids all meat, dairy, and alcohol. She channels her energy into working with clients and sharing her journey with the community, inspiring others to adopt healthier, more mindful lifestyles. Grounded in ancestral traditions, Ashley sources ingredients from local farms, including Johns Island’s Joseph Fields Farm.
“The way I eat reflects the way our ancestors ate—yours, mine, our forefathers,” she explains. “We ate naturally, in harmony with the rhythm of life and the seasons.”
Bottles of juice.
For the vegan-curious among us, Ashley notes that her approach is not an all-or-nothing proposition. She says the best way to get started is by simple elimination: Nix processed foods, then try going meat-free. “Take your time, and if you fall off the wagon, don’t beat yourself up,” she says.
“People are tired of being sick and tired. My approach is to be mindful, eat in moderation, and remember that food is medicine. If I can do it as a Southern Black woman from a small North Carolina town, we all can do it.”
She shares two of her favorite juice recipes below.
