We’ve all been told over the years of the association between our health and the foods we consume. In our attempts to overcome a number of health related challenges many of us have turned to dieting as a means to lose weight, manage diabetes, improve our cardiovascular health or add a little vitality to our daily lives. We’ve cut out fat or restricted calories, we’ve tallied points and calculated the amount of calories consumed to the amount burned at the gym or during our jog around the neighborhood. Many of us have turned to vegetarian or vegan diets, started a juice cleanse or ditched all carbohydrates and have gone "gluten free" in an effort to improve our health. And a vast number of us (yes, myself included) have, at one point or another, failed to meet our own goals.

The common thread through all of these diet trends is the idea of “calories in-calories out”. The idea that the number of calories we consume from fat, carbohydrates or protein—the macronutrients—determine the status of our health and that the less we consume the healthier we will be.  And while it is true, to an extent, that overconsuming calories can lead to weight gain or other complications, the one thing many diets fail to address is the quality of the calories we consume. Indeed, macronutrients are important—they provide fuel for energy production, are broken down into their component parts and used to build our cells and tissues, and are used to manufacture the biochemical constituents that make life possible. Without macronutrients we would not survive! 

But, just as important as the macronutrients we’ve become so accustom to fretting over are the micronutrients—the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients—that are packaged within those foods. Without these essential nutrients the biochemical processes that regulate life cannot occur normally and our metabolic processes become dysfunctional and imbalanced. The manifestations of this disruption in our system are what we call symptoms and when we have developed enough symptoms we can label them a condition or disease.

I must first say that in no way is Nutritional Therapy intended to diagnose or treat any disease. This is entirely the responsibility of  your licensed health care practitioner. Instead, as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner I work with clients and their medical care providers to offer nutritional support to promote optimal metabolic function. Together, we work to improve the body’s ability to regulate and repair itself and to promote a state of health and wellbeing. 

The overwhelming variety of diets being promoted today is evidence that there really is no “one size fits all” approach to obtaining optimal health and wellness. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. However, by utilizing a number of tools and techniques to assess the nutritional sufficiency of each individual, along with identifying potential sensitivities and re-balancing macronutrient ratios, recommendations can be made on an individual basis to address the personal goals of each client.   

As Nutritional Therapy Practitioner I work with both an understanding of evolutionary biology and human biochemistry, along with the wisdom of ancestral cultures and their dietary customs to incorporate properly prepared, nutrient dense whole foods that promote health while also acknowledging the demands of modern, day to day life. By re-balancing the diet and implementing lifestyle changes to address stress and improve sleep, and by working to balance both macronutrients and micronutrients we can work together to improve your health and vitality.

As someone who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 9, I take a special interest in working with Blood Sugar Regulation and Endocrine health. Whether you simply want to clean up your diet and start incorporating healthier foods into your meals or you’re looking to begin a more intense healing process, I’m here to help.  As your Nutritional Therapy Practitioner my mission is to help you get Better by the Bite!