Food As Nourishment Holistic Health Counseling
My work combines my skills as an Integrated Clinical Nutrition Therapist, herbalist, and Intuitive Counselor. The focus of our first session is your health history and your goals for our work together. From there, I recommend manageable dietary and lifestyle changes and offer support for you to reach those goals. Education is important. I believe you need to understand why you’re making a particular change or taking a supplement and how it will help you to feel better.
I provide support in many different forms, most often health assessment and education, food sensitivity and other lab testing, meal plans, recipes and cooking tips. I also address the mental and emotional barriers that may stand in the way of your success through intuitive counseling, guided imagery and belief work. My clients appreciate my knowledge and the way I clearly and simply explain even complex physiologic processes.
Your Health Concerns:
As a Nutrition Therapist, I can help you to optimize your good health or remedy any of the following conditions and symptoms:
- fatigue or low energy, including chronic energy issues
- digestive symptoms of any kind
- symptoms related to eating unspecific foods
- blood sugar imbalances
- overweight or underweight
- hormonal imbalances: men & women
- auto-immune conditions
- sleep issues
- depression, anxiety and stress
- pre-diabetes and cardiovascular disease
- seasonal allergies and chemical sensitivities
- injury and surgery recovery
- age-related decline
- varied, unspecific and unresolved symptoms
Food Sensitivities/Allergies & Auto-Immunity
I specialize in supporting people with chronic health conditions related to food sensitivities, allergies, and intolerances: Celiac disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s disease, GERD, IBS and other digestive issues, Interstitial Cystitis, migraines, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, ADD/ADHD, eczema, sinusitis, ear infections and others. For these clients I may recommend the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or GAPS Diet or grain-free diets like the Paleo Diet.
Auto-immune conditions are increasing greatly as one in 12 Americans—and one in 9 women—will develop auto-immunity. Heart disease, our #1 killer, only occurs in one out of every 20 Americans. Scientists and doctors agree that the increase in environmental toxins and chemicals are to blame for this increase. But the conditions themselves are often misunderstood, leaving the newly diagnosed with little choice other than pharmaceutical drugs. I can help those with auto-immune conditions better understand their condition and present a plan for what to do to relieve symptoms, one that complements and supports standard healthcare plans.
“All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.”
“Healing is an art. It takes time, it takes practice. It takes love. ”
Individualized Recommendations & Recipes
Because I believe that each of us is an individual with our own biochemical make-up, my recommendations are designed to meet the specific needs of you and your family. I have the recipes! Regardless of what you eat or do not, I can support you to feed yourself and your family delicious, nourishing meals! In order to help you regain balance, strength and vitality I may also make recommendations that rely upon my knowledge of herbs and supplemental nutrients. My philosophy of health has been greatly influenced by the principles of Functional Medicine and Nutrition, which addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. You can find out more about these principles at https://www.functionalmedicine.org/
Diet, Genetics, Lifestyle & Environment
Holistic Health Counseling addresses the whole person; diet, lifestyle, genetics and cultural heredity, and environment. I begin with your history (the story of who you are), then taking all symptoms into consideration, we work together to help you reach your goals for physical health and mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. While my guiding principle is to use food as medicine, I may also incorporate lifestyle coaching, metabolic testing, body-centered techniques, imagery and/or intuitive counseling into our sessions.
Health Education
I love teaching my clients and the general public about what it means to nourish ourselves in order to be healthy. Frequently, I hear how surprised people are to discover how little they know about their bodies and how to support them. Without much health education in schools, the biggest source of most Americans’ nutrition education is from TV, and sadly that is from TV commercials. With all of the misinformation available it can be difficult to know what to eat or not to eat, how to eat or if what tastes good is supporting or sabotaging us. Let me share science-based information that doesn’t just feed your head, but feels right. I’m a fan of experiential nutrition; meaning, that once our body is healthy and we know how to listen to its signals, it can help guide us in making healthy choices.
Yes, it can be feel daunting to change eating habits, our daily diet, cooking routines and lifestyle choices, so let me make recommendations that save you time, energy and effort. Do you want to easily feed yourself and your family healthy food that tastes good? You’ve come to the right place.