In early 2019, my dad’s health began to decline.

At first, it was unclear what was happening. By March 11, he had been diagnosed with cancer; tumours throughout his body, initially identified as bone cancer and later lung cancer. By May 1, he had passed.

It all happened so quickly. There was very little time to understand what was happening, let alone how to respond to it.

In that window where everything felt uncertain, I turned to food.

It felt like one of the only areas where I could offer some form of support. I began researching what he should eat, what to avoid, and how nutrition might complement his care. What I expected to be a straightforward process quickly became something else entirely.

The information was fragmented and often contradictory. Foods were recommended in one place and discouraged in another. There was no clear framework, no reliable way to filter what was relevant and what was not. Instead, there was an overwhelming volume of content with little consistency.

What made it more frustrating was that I had everything I needed to figure it out.

I had the time to research. I knew how to navigate information online. I enjoyed cooking and had a foundational understanding of nutrition. Even with those advantages, the process felt unnecessarily difficult.

That realization stayed with me.

If it was this difficult to navigate with the right tools and time, it would be significantly more challenging for someone without them, someone balancing work, family responsibilities, stress, or limited access to reliable information.

At the same time, I was trying to translate that research into something practical.

Like many in his generation, my dad resisted the idea of a “diet”. To him, it implied restriction, and he had already experienced significant weight loss. Framing food in those terms created tension rather than support.

Instead, I focused on preparing meals that felt familiar. Simple combinations, fresh vegetables, proteins like salmon; meals that aligned with what I had learned but did not feel clinical or limiting. Over time, that approach became more accepted. The goal was not to impose a system, but to integrate something supportive into what already felt normal.

During this period, I began organizing what I was learning into something more structured. I created lists, ingredients to prioritize, ingredients to limit, and started building meals around those guidelines. What began as a personal system gradually became something more intentional.

I considered different directions for what this could become, including a platform focused on navigating the healthcare system. Ultimately, I returned to food. It was universal, not tied to a specific location, and it was something individuals could act on directly.

Rily was incorporated in July 2019, two months after my dad passed.

The early stages were focused on building the foundation. By September, a development team was in place. In 2020, we expanded into building the data infrastructure and assembling a broader team. The platform officially launched on November 26, 2020.

Since then, Rily has evolved into a resource designed to simplify access to nutrition-based information.

The goal is not to add to the volume of content that already exists, but to organize it in a way that is friendly, accessible, and meaningful. The platform allows users to filter recipes and information based on diets, conditions, and ingredients, without requiring advanced research skills or time-intensive searching. It is intentionally designed to be free of pop-ups, distractions, or competing priorities.

This approach responds to a broader issue within nutrition.

For some, the concept of a “diet” remains closely tied to weight loss. For others, particularly younger audiences, the challenge is navigating an ongoing cycle of trends and conflicting messaging. Across both groups, there are consistent barriers, time, cost, stress, and access to clear information.

Rily is built to address those gaps by offering one place where that information is consolidated and easier to navigate.

But what really stands out most, is the team behind it.

Rily has been shaped by individuals who are deeply invested in the work. Nutritionists, practitioners, and contributors who approach the platform with care and intention. There is a shared focus on clarity, accessibility, and creating something that is genuinely useful.

There's still more to build.

The scope of food, health, and nutrition is constantly evolving. There are additional conditions to cover, more recipes to develop, and new ways to support users as their needs change.

But the underlying purpose remains the same.

Rily was built during a time when information felt overwhelming and difficult to trust. It continues to exist to make that process more manageable for anyone trying to make informed decisions about their health, even when everything else feels uncertain.

And if you’ve found your way here in one of those moments, I’m really glad you did.