Blog - LIFTT

LIFTT is seeking a Finance/HR Manager!

Join our dynamic team!

LIFTT current has an opening in our Billings Montana office for a Finance & Human Resources Manager

As a member of the LIFTT Administrative Team, the FHRM primarily supports the following areas: financial, human resources, digital, and physical infrastructure. This position will report directly to the Executive Director. The FHRM is responsible for promoting consumer-directed services to persons with disabilities within LIFTT’s eighteen (18) county service area and shall focus their work on the spirit and intent of the independent living philosophy.

View the complete job description: Word, or PDF & Apply on Indeed.com

LIFTT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Persons with disabilities, veterans, women, and minorities are encouraged to apply.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Flash Tattoo Fundraiser for LIFTT April 12 to May 1

Hey Tattoo Lovers and Supporters of LIFTT!

LIFTT and Legendary Tattoo Studio and Art Gallery of Billings are teaming up to host a “Flash Fundraiser” for LIFTT between Saturday, April 12, and Thursday, May 1!

Together, we’ve created a powerful series of empowerment tattoos that honor and represent the journey of those living with disabilities—whether physical, mental, or emotional.

These unique designs are part of a Tattoo Flash Sale Fundraiser, and every inked piece will directly support LIFTT’s mission to help disabled and elderly individuals live more independent and empowered lives.

WHEN: April 12 to May 1

COST: Starting at just $100 per tattoo

TO SCHEDULE: Call Legendary Tattoo Studio at 406-534-8760 or stop by Legendary at 1126 16th Street W in the Alpine Village Plaza.

Come get inked for a cause. Show your support through art. Help us make a lasting impact!

Join us, spread the word, and let’s raise awareness—one tattoo at a time.

Here are some of the samples of empowering Tattoo designs that will be available during the LIFTT Flash Tattoo fundraiser April 12 through May 1 at Legendary Tattoo in BIllings.
More samples of empowering Tattoo designs that will be available during the LIFTT Flash Tattoo fundraiser April 12 through May 1 at Legendary Tattoo in BIllings.
More samples of empowering Tattoo designs that will be available during the LIFTT Flash Tattoo fundraiser April 12 through May 1 at Legendary Tattoo in BIllings.
More samples of empowering Tattoo designs that will be available during the LIFTT Flash Tattoo fundraiser April 12 through May 1 at Legendary Tattoo in BIllings.
More samples of empowering Tattoo designs that will be available during the LIFTT Flash Tattoo fundraiser April 12 through May 1 at Legendary Tattoo in BIllings.

Disclaimer: This is a voluntary event, and participation is at your own discretion. Choosing to get a tattoo is entirely your decision. Getting the LIFTT logo tattooed is not permitted.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Montana’s Disability History Demands your Attention

A group of disabled children in Billings Montana in the early portion of the 20th century

In this photo from the Western Heritage Center collection a group of children most of whom are using artificial limbs, crutches and/or wheelchairs and were part of a community based program set up at St. Vincent hospital in the early 20th century pose with their caregivers/teachers who are nuns from Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.

Equally Different, Unequally Remembered

Let’s be honest.

Disability is everywhere, yet historically, it’s been almost nowhere. Not in the textbooks, not in the museum wings, not in the official timelines of “how we got here.” Until now. From March to December 2025, the Western Heritage Center in Billings is hosting a groundbreaking exhibition: “Equally Different: Uncovering the History of Disability in Montana.” And no, this isn’t your average stroll through sepia-toned nostalgia.

This is about truth-telling. About visibility. About refusing to disappear.

Why This Exhibition Hits Different

This isn’t a story about charity or pity. It’s a story about power. It’s about how people with disabilities in Montana survived, organized, and dared to demand more—even when society told them to stay quiet, stay hidden, or stay institutionalized. t’s about the State School at Boulder. It’s about forced silence. It’s about resistance. It’s about how disability, though always part of our collective story, was edited out — until now. And if you think this is just “history,” think again. This is now.

DEI Isn’t Complete Without the “D” That Everyone Forgets

Do you want to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion? Let’s talk about how disability is almost always the last guest invited to the table — if invited at all. “Equally Different” forces the conversation wide open. It doesn’t just fit into DEI — it expands it. It disrupts the idea that DEI is about marketing slogans and training modules. It says:

Where were disabled voices in your civil rights curriculum?
Why do your hiring policies celebrate diversity but exclude accessibility?
What happens when inclusion doesn’t include everyone?

This exhibition isn’t polite. It’s necessary, and it gives us all a choice: keep doing surface-level work, or go deeper.

LIFTT’s Role: We’re Not Observers, We’re Participants

At LIFTT, we don’t see history as a spectator sport. We’re part of this ongoing narrative. We honor this exhibition because it names what was hidden. It tells the stories of people who fought for ramps, rights, respect, and are still fighting. It also reminds us that independent living was never handed out like a gift. It was won. So no, we’re not just encouraging you to visit the exhibition.
We’re asking you to let it change you.

Go.

Walk through it. Sit with it.

Let it make you uncomfortable.

Let it open something up.

And when you leave, don’t say, “Wow, I didn’t know.”

Say, “Now that I do — what will I do next?”

History is only powerful when it moves us, and the fight for equity is only real when disability is not an afterthought — but a starting point. Let’s stop rewriting history to exclude. Let’s start living it equally different, and unapologetically whole.

The Western Heritage Center is located at 2822 Montana Avenue in downtown Billings and is open Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults. $3 students & seniors, and free for children under age six. The buliding, which at one time was home to the Billings Public Library, has an ADA accessible elevator and an accessible entry is located at ground level to the right of the main entry staircase. The museum also provides what is known as a “Social Story” as a guide to help potential visitors with concerns about social interaction and public spaces learn what to expect when they come to the museum. For more information about the Western Heritage Center visit ywhc.org or call (406) 256-6809.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Outnumbered: an interactive art protest to save Section 504!

Over 5000 pencils, one for each Montana student with a 504 accommodation plan, are being sharpened at Disability Rights Montana as an artistic protest of Attorney General Austen Knudsen’s participation in a lawsuit seeking to strip the right of people with disabilities to receive accommodations to participate in federally funded programs and services.

What do 5,401 pencils and a civil rights law passed in 1973 have in common? They’re both being slowly ground down in Montana.

Disability Rights Montana has launched a bold, creative protest in response to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s participation in a lawsuit seeking to gut Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This law prohibits discrimination based on disability in federally funded programs. If successful, this lawsuit would deprive thousands of individuals of legal protection, including the 5,401 Montana students in grades K-12 currently supported by 504 accommodation plans.

To resist, DRM is inviting the public to help sharpen 5,401 pencils to the nub — each one representing a student whose rights are on the line. It’s tactile, symbolic, and open to all.

When? April 10, noon to 7 PM
Where? 1022 Chestnut Street, Helena (fully accessible)
Can I attend remotely? Livestream at disabilityrightsmt.org
Use hashtag #ArtForRightsMT

LIFTT proudly supports Disability Rights Montana in defending Section 504 and opposing the Attorney General’s actions. We believe access is a right, not a debate.

Want to join the movement or bring this mobile protest to your town? Reach out to Kona Franks-Ongoy at (406) 441-4810 or kona@dr-mt.org.

Section 504 has always been about visibility, equity, and basic human dignity. Let’s not let anyone sharpen it out of existence.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Empty Shelves, Louder Voices

What Happens When Food Security Becomes a Footnote?

Let’s name the silence.

Montana’s food banks are hurting. Not metaphorically. Not bureaucratically. But tangibly — like empty shelves where there used to be fresh produce, like waiting rooms that once had warmth and now only echo. Recently, the federal rug was pulled from under two essential food programs: the Local Food for Schools Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. Long names. Quiet supports. Gone now.Together, these programs injected over a billion dollars into local economies, nourishing bodies, sustaining farmers, and holding fragile systems together. And just like that, it was deleted from the ledger. Montana’s most vulnerable communities, already navigating scarcity, now stand in even longer lines, only to receive less. Less food. Less dignity. Less care.

The Anatomy of a Cut

The programs did more than fund logistics. They curated relationships: between food and community, between rural producers and urban hunger, between local abundance and collective survival. Now that the relationship has been severed, already stretched food banks in Montana are scaling back. Volunteers are turning away people they used to welcome. Once proud contributors to community health, small farmers are left with surplus they can’t distribute and dreams they can’t afford.

And none of this feels accidental.

Where Does LIFTT Stand?

We are a Center for Independent Living, yes. But we are also a center for humanity. And food insecurity is not a side issue — it’s central. You can’t fight for civil rights on an empty stomach. You can’t access public transit if you’re faint from skipping meals. Independence without nourishment is a contradiction.

So we say: this matters.

To everyone who once depended on a food box to stretch their month: we see you. To the food banks trying to hold the line: we stand with you To the growers who now wonder if justice and agriculture can still coexist: we thank you.

This Is Not the End of the Story

Postmodernism, if it teaches us anything, tells us not to trust the old narratives. That power often speaks in the passive voice. That erasure begins with a policy memo. And yet — every system can be rewritten. Every absence can become an invitation.

So, what do we do?

We listen louder to those on the ground, those in the grocery lines, and those who lost access overnight.
We connect the dots because hunger doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it intersects with disability, poverty, race, geography, and dignity.
We create anyway: gardens, co-ops, community kitchens, mutual aid networks. We remember that we’ve always found ways to nourish each other, with or without permission.

LIFTT will continue to advocate, to amplify, and to resist the narrative that says, “There’s nothing we can do.” Because there is always something.

And if the shelves are empty, we’ll fill them with our voices.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Thank you for supporting LIFTT in March!

Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT) would like to thank all of the people who showed up and donated at the two fundraising events we held during March. Your generosity made the Cheesecake Luncheon in Glendive and the Pizza Ranch Night in Billings successful!

Special kudos go to the LIFTT team members who pulled together to do the planning, promotion, baking, cooking, decorating, soup serving, table bussing, and the myriad of other tasks these events require without missing a beat on their “day jobs,” empowering our consumers. Finally, a shout-out to our event hosts, Black Sheep Market in Glendive and Billings West Pizza Ranch, We appreciate you letting us come into your business.

In this time where so much uncertainty surrounds our traditional sources of funding, LIFTT will be embarking on more public facing fundraising so keep your eyes out for more events in the near future. If you don’t want to wait until our next fundraiser to give you can visit liftt.org/donate or send your contributions to: LIFTT 1241 Crawford Drive Billings, MT 59102. All money donated goes right back to serving the aging and disabled community in southeastern and southcentral Montana.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

LIFTT & Apex Fitness to hold workshop April 28

Join us at LIFTT’s Billings office (1241 Crawford Drive) on Monday, April 28, for an empowering and informative event with Luke McLaughlin, co-owner and personal trainer at Apex Fitness and Personal Training! Luke will share his expertise on the importance of strength training as we age, along with practical tips and simple exercises to help you build strength, improve mobility, and boost overall wellness—no matter your fitness level.

Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or looking to stay strong and independent as you age, this is a great opportunity to learn from a pro and get moving in a supportive environment.

The workshop will be beginner-friendly, featuring live demonstrations and an open question & answer period.

For more information about the Apex Fitness strength training workshop and the rest of LIFTT’s health and wellness offerings, including our regular Monday Strength Training Class and Tai Chi Tuesdays, contact our nutritional health coaches, Anya Pullis, (406) 606-1766, anyap@liftt.org or Eileen Rodriguez, (406) 294-5185, eileenr@liftt.org

Don’t miss out—mark your calendar for Monday, April 28, at 4 p.m. and bring a friend!

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

No More Exceptions: Rethinking Work, Worth, and Wages

Editor’s Note: Last Month, We published a post explaining some basics about the subminimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, how and why it came into being and remains in force, subjecting hundreds of thousands, if not millions of disabled Americans to extreme poverty and segregated employment, and how that practice needs to end (Read that post here). Here, LIFTT IL Program Manager Pamela Ramirez writes about conducting career counseling with subminimum wage workers through Section 511 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act. A required yearly Section 511 counseling is often the only time such workers learn about alternatives to their situation. While not every subminimum wage worker will choose to pursue the independent living and vocational rehabilitation services offered, a seed of independence is planted through these visits.

Who Belongs in the Workforce?

Let’s talk about something that often gets lost in the polite language of policy: work, value, and who gets to belong in the workforce.

Section 511 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was never meant to be a silver bullet, but it is a disruption—a much-needed one. It says that before someone with a disability can be placed in a job that pays below minimum wage (yes, that’s still legal under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act), they must be offered career counseling, job exploration, and access to competitive employment pathways.

Translation: The days of automatically steering people into low-wage, low-opportunity jobs because of a disability are over. Or at least, they should be.

A Visit to Special K Ranch: Counseling Meets Community

Recently, LIFTT visited Special K Ranch, a unique community along the Yellowstone River where 35 lifelong residents live, work, and thrive in a rural, agricultural setting. There’s a greenhouse, livestock, vocational programs, and space to dream bigger.

We came not to lecture but to listen and share—to offer Section 511 Career Counseling and invite folks to imagine a different kind of work future. One where a person’s value isn’t measured against an able-bodied benchmark but recognized for what it is—real, human, and worthy of fair pay.

Deconstructing the Old Script

Here’s the truth: many people with disabilities grow up in systems that whisper, “this is your lane — stay in it.” Sheltered workshops. Segregated environments. Always less than. But Section 511 throws a wrench into that narrative. It says: you have options. You can pursue competitive, integrated employment. You deserve access to information, support, and pathways to your own version of success. For many, that shift — from “I can’t” to “Why not me?” — is revolutionary.

Sub-Minimum Wages: The Price of Exclusion

Let’s name it: paying someone less solely because they’re disabled is not a workaround — it’s discrimination.

The argument has always been productivity. It is as if the only measure of someone’s worth is how many widgets they can produce per hour. But when you reduce humans to output, you lose everything they bring — tenacity, creativity, loyalty, diversity of thought.

States that have ended using sub-minimum wages haven’t collapsed—quite the opposite. When workers with disabilities are provided job coaching, inclusive supports, and opportunities, they don’t just meet expectations — they rewrite them. Inclusive hiring isn’t charity. It’s smart economics. And more importantly, it’s justice.

Beyond Section 511: The Work Ahead

Section 511 is a beginning, not an end. It’s the crack in the wall, not the teardown.

We still have Section 14(c) on the books. We still have structural ableism in defining “work” and “worthiness.” But there’s momentum. There are movements. And there are people — like those at Special K Ranch — ready to live lives that defy every tired assumption.

A New Lens on Labor

Eliminating sub-minimum wages isn’t just about paychecks. It’s about dignity, autonomy, and self-worth. It’s about dismantling the idea that only certain people are “employable” in meaningful ways. And it’s about building a workforce where every person has the right to expect fair compensation for real work.

We’re not there yet. But thanks to WIOA, Section 511, and the courage of those who believe in something better, we’re on the way.

Disability Resource Fairs set for Eastern Montana

The Montana Statewide Independent Living Council (MTSILC) is partnering with community organizations, including LIFTT, to hold “Disability Resource Fairs” in three Eastern Montana communities this May. The fairs will allow people with disabilities, families, caregivers, and interested community members to connect with LIFTT and other regional service providers to learn more about the programs and assistance offered.

The three events scheduled are:

Tuesday, May 6, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Event Center Addition @ the Richland County Fairgrounds, Sidney
Wednesday, May 7, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Miles Community College, Miles City
Thursday, May 8, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Big Horn Center (200 N. Mitchell Ave.), Hardin

Admission to the Disability Resource Fairs in each community is free. Service providers wishing to table at the events can register for free until April 25. To register or for more information about the Eastern Montana Disability Resource Fairs, contact Julia Arnold, MTSLIC program manager, at (406) 202-8064 or Julia.Arnold@mt.gov.

We look forward to seeing everyone May 6, 7 & 8!

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Carlos: From Fatigue to Flourishing

examples of some high potassium foods recommended to Carlos by our nutritional health coaches, including avocado, cucumber and tomatoes

A selection of high potassium foods recommended to Carlos by our nutritional health coaches, including avocado, cucumber, tomato, and garlic.

Editor’s Note: LIFTT’s overall success is measured in large part by the success of consumers and peers in achieving their individual goals. When a consumer or peer successfully completes a goal, their IL Specialist, Nutritional Health Coach, PCA facilitator, or Peer Program Coordinator writes up a “success story.” It is our privilege and pleasure to share some of them with you from time to time. This story features LIFTT’s Executive Director, Carlos Ramalho, who recently became a consumer of our nutritional health coaches due to a potassium deficiency.

It all started with a simple routine blood test. Carlos Ramalho, Executive Director of LIFTT, wasn’t expecting any surprises — until his doctor called with the results. His potassium levels were dangerously low.

The Silent Struggle of Low Potassium

Most people don’t think much about potassium, but this essential mineral plays a vital role in muscle function, heart health, and nerve signaling. When levels drop too low, the body sends out distress signals in the form of:

Muscle weakness and cramps
Fatigue and sluggishness
Irregular heartbeat or palpitations
Tingling or numbness
Dizziness and fainting spells
Mood changes, including irritability or depression

Looking back, Carlos realized that he had been feeling awful for weeks. He often struggled to get through meetings, felt exhausted even after a full night’s sleep, and had moments of dizziness that made simple tasks feel overwhelming. He dismissed the symptoms as stress, but now he knew better.

A Different Path: Food as Medicine

When his doctor suggested potassium supplements, Carlos hesitated. He didn’t want to rely on pills or synthetic solutions if there was a natural way to heal. That’s when he turned to LIFTT’s Nutritional Health Coaches, Anya Pulis, and Eileen Rodriguez, who introduced him to the idea of Food as Medicine.

They explained that low potassium is often linked to a diet lacking in potassium-rich foods and that, instead of medication, he could restore his levels by eating the right kinds of foods. They recommended that he incorporate nutrient-dense, potassium-packed foods into his daily meals.

The Power of Potassium-Rich Foods

With their guidance, Carlos built a new diet around potassium-rich foods such as:

Avocados
Tomatoes
Garlic
Cucumbers
Sweet potatoes
Spinach and kale
Bananas
Oranges
Coconut water
Beans and lentils
Yogurt and dairy products
Salmon and other fatty fish

Cooking Up a Healthier Life

Excited about this natural approach, Carlos and his family turned their kitchen into a culinary lab, experimenting with potassium-rich recipes. For over a month, their meals centered around fresh, whole foods designed to restore Carlos’s body’s balance.

Here are some of their go-to meals:

Breakfast:

Avocado toast with whole-grain bread and tomato slices
Greek yogurt with bananas and a sprinkle of nuts
Smoothie with spinach, coconut water, and oranges

Lunch:

Spinach and lentil salad with garlic vinaigrette
Baked sweet potato with grilled salmon and steamed kale
Guacamole with whole-grain crackers

Dinner:

Tomato-based stew with beans and lean chicken
Cucumber, avocado, and garlic salad
Grilled fish with roasted vegetables

And instead of plain water, Carlos drank gallons of coconut water, a natural electrolyte powerhouse that helped hydrate and replenish his system.

A Transformative Result

After committing to this diet for a month, Carlos returned for new bloodwork. The results? His potassium levels had not only climbed back to normal — they were now 20% above the minimum!

He was pleasantly surprised and deeply satisfied with the outcome. What seemed like a health setback became a journey of empowerment and discovery.

A Firm Believer in Food as Medicine

Today, Carlos feels more energetic, stronger, and motivated in his daily life. He has also become a firm believer in the power of Food as Medicine. He is now immersing himself in learning how nutrition can prevent and heal illnesses—not just for himself but for the entire LIFTT community.

“I had no idea how much the right foods could completely transform the way I feel,” Carlos shares. “Now, I want to help others understand the power of nutrition and how they can take charge of their health — one meal at a time.”

At LIFTT, we believe that food is more than just fuel — it’s a tool for healing, strength, and vitality. If you’re interested in learning how food can improve your health, reach out to LIFTT’s Nutritional Health Coaches Anya Pulis, (406) 606-1761 or anyap@liftt.org, and Eileen Rodriguez, (406) 294-5185 or eileenr@liftt.org and explore how simple changes to your diet can make a world of difference!