What are the top three most common issues you help clients address?
The top three issues would definitely be:
1) Low Energy. It seems like everyone can always use more energy, and it’s incredible what nutrition can do to help with that.
2) Weight Loss or Body Composition transformations.
3) Digestive Health. Digestive Health can have a huge impact on sleep, energy, weight, and overall quality of life. Tackling these issues has significant impact on how people feel day to day.
If you could give everyone one piece of advice with regards to nutrition what would it be?
Pay attention! That would be my advice. We all live very busy lives, and we can all admit that we become preoccupied with factors often beyond our control each and every day. Nutrition, food, how we feed our bodies, it’s so important – but we don’t pay enough attention to how the presence of certain foods, or lack of certain foods, make us feel. I help my patients bring awareness to their mind and body and become experts of their own body and learn to ask themselves the right questions. By getting the proper support, guidance, and education, you become keenly present and in tune with what’s going on – and that awareness is priceless.
What is the most common diet misconception you encounter?
Hmmm…that’s a tough one! Probably that it starts and ends with what we put into our mouth! The effects of our diet on our body is just one piece of the often very complicated story of the body. Before we can even get to the chapter on diet, we have to read the chapters that lead us to it – which tend to begin with childhood. Taking the time and having the patience to discover what got you to where you are in your health journey is half the battle – and once we can determine that, diet can be a remarkable game changer. However, to say that it just begins with “don’t eat this” and “only eat this” is a misconception I see far too often.
What is new and exciting on the nutrition horizon for this spring?
Spring Cleaning! Spring is always a great time to revamp your routine, including nutrition, and begin to explore different ways of eating to improve energy and get ready for the summer season. Detoxes become more common around this time of year – I’m not a huge fan of the term “detox”, but I do love helping my patients “declutter” their diets in what I like to call the Spring Challenge. It’s incredible what a few key changes to meals can do for your overall energy.
What strategies do you use to help a client improve their diet?
I like to instill a level of confidence in my patients, because I personally believe that everyone has it in them to make a difference in the way they feel. Some of us just need a nudge. I work with my patients on setting attainable goals, making measurable improvements and changes in their daily diets, and improving multiple systems in the body such as digestion, mental well being, sleep, and stress. We work together to develop strategies to address each area of the body, one by one, that plays a role in how they feel – and create nutrition-related goals that are in line with improving these systems. I keep my patients accountable by having them track their food intake, water intake, digestion, and energy. My favorite part of this strategy is seeing my patients progress and providing them the tools to feel and see the difference their nutrition has made on their health.
What can someone expect an initial appointment with you to look like?
An Initial Assessment is an opportunity for me and a new patient to get to know each other and ensure that we are a good fit to get him/her where they want to be. My goal is to develop a foundation of trust, and to be able to put into clear, concise wording what your short-term and long-term goals are. Within the initial assessment, we will discuss a multitude of factors that may be affecting your health and wellbeing. This typically includes: energy, sleep, stress, digestion, physical activity, diet and supplementation. We will then begin to put together a strategy using nutrition and diet, with all factors discussed taken into consideration. Patients will always leave with dietary recommendations to begin their journey, and a sense of comfort in knowing that they have made the first step in the right direction to feeling better than they did when they first walked in! My goal, above anything else, is to help my patients feel their best – and the initial assessment is step one in the process. I encourage my patients to remember that for many of them, this is just that – a process – and it will take time for them to see and feel the difference their diet makes. But I assure everyone that they will have my support and encouragement throughout the journey!