The initial consult is 90-minutes and follow-up sessions are 45-minutes.

The initial consult allows ample time to review your intake forms together and for me to get to know you; while I review the intake forms ahead of time, I find there is a lot of value in hearing someone’s story in their own words, which this session creates the space for.

After we meet, I’ll research your case and create personalized recommendations according to your preferences and what’s realistic and achievable for you. Within a week of your initial consult, we’ll have a 30-minute call to review the recommendations and you’ll receive a copy of the full protocol through my HIPAA-compliant EHR software - Practice Better.

The 45-minute follow-up sessions are typically about every 3-4 weeks and will be to review progress, challenges, and anything else that comes up during the time between sessions.

I will also be available via email and Practice Better Chat for any questions that may arise.

This will differ for every person, but generally speaking, nutritional and lifestyle shifts can take time to see results - usually a minimum of 3-4 months.

Sessions are typically booked 3-4 weeks apart, so it’s safe to anticipate working together for at least 3-6 months, depending on your individual needs; more complex cases can require more time.

At the time, I currently do not take insurance. However, I can put together a super bill for you, for you to submit to your insurance provider.

Nutrition is the study and science of nutrients in food and how those nutrients fuel the cells in our body. Integrative nutrition looks beyond just how food fuels our body and goes deeper than simply making changes to your diet alone. “Integrative” incorporates the “whole-person” approach to health and wellness - including mind, body, and spirit - and understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

For example, I could provide you dietary shifts to help reduce inflammation, but what if your stress levels are significantly high and the foods I suggest aren’t easily accessible to you? Most likely the dietary shifts won’t be enough, unless we address the other aspects of your life too. That is essentially what I do as an Integrative Nutritionist - I consider all aspects of your life and work with you beyond just your symptoms using evidence-based scientific research to come up with a plan customized to your individual need(s).

As a non-diet Heath at Every Size (HAES) practitioner, I do not work with intentional weight loss or dieting. I have strong, heartfelt respect and compassion for folks who feel like they need to lose weight for “health reasons” or to feel better about themselves…because this is what diet culture - and society, in general - tell us.

Unfortunately, diets and intentional weight loss don’t work long-term for most people…and what’s worse…diet culture/dieting makes people blame themselves when they can’t lose weight or can’t keep it off. (Interesting Fact: It’s not your fault and has nothing to do with you willpower, motivation, determination, etc.)

By not working with intentional weight loss, I help you break that cycle and instead establish a healthy relationship with food and your body by promoting intuitive eating principles.

See the next question below for further context!

This is one of my favorite questions! Being non-diet means being part of a movement that promotes overall well-being rather than “size reduction”; it rejects diet culture and anti-fat bias, advocating to remove the systemic stigma and oppression around weight and body size. For more insight on this topic, click here.

Health-at-Every-Size (HAES) is a movement and an approach to nutrition and health where we don’t focus on the number on the scale as a marker of health. We don’t use diets or food restrictions, we don’t label foods as “good” or “bad”, nor do we focus on intentional weight loss.

Instead, we support people in choosing health behaviors that are sustainable and improve their quality of life, regardless of the number on the scale, or your current level of health.

Health is multifaceted and includes physical, social, spiritual, occupational, emotional, and intellectual aspects. Our physical health isn’t shaped by diet and lifestyle factors alone - it includes our genetics and early childhood development, as well as our socioeconomic status.

My HAES approach encompasses the above, taking the focus off of weight and placing it on behaviors that have been shown to benefit health, independently. I promote eating in a way which balances individual nutritional needs, hunger, satiety, appetite, and pleasure - also known as “intuitive eating”.

I also help you find a healthy relationship with movement, your body, as well as addressing any life stressors - because all of that matters just as much as nutrition - if not more, if I’m being honest. My primary focus is to improve your overall well-being as a whole person.

Interested in learning more? Just ask me in our discovery conversation and we can dive deeper into this!

The gut microbiome is our own personal community of microorganisms that reside in our gut. This includes bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi (the majority being bacteria). There are literally trillions of microbes that reside in our gut, ultimately weighing in at about 2-5 pounds of microbes per person!

FUN FACT: There are more bacterial cells in your body than human cells, so we are actually more bacteria than human.

(If you’re thinking “whoa!”, I’m with you!)

Our gut microbiome is determined by a wealth of factors. There are conflicting studies as to whether the gut microbiome begins developing in utero or beginning right at birth, but the point is, it starts in our very earliest stages of life!

Maternal diet, mode of birth (vaginal vs. C-section), breastfed vs. formula-fed, first foods and overall diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors (including our geography), in addition to medications and antibiotics, all strongly influence the makeup of our gut microbiome, which is constantly evolving based on those same factors.

Our gut microbiome impacts fundamental parts of our everyday life, such as digestion/gut health, immune function, cognitive and mental health functions, metabolic function, bone health, and more!

An imbalanced gut microbiome can contribute to compromised digestion/absorption, GI issues and intestinal permeability, immune-related diseases, and chronic inflammation, amongst other things.

Think of our gut bacteria like soldiers - we want to have more “good soldiers” in our gut to protect us from other microbes which can lead to infection, inflammation, and a general feeling of being “unwell”. The more “good soldiers” we have, the stronger our overall health is poised to be!

FUN FACT: Serotonin (known as one of the “happy” hormones) helps regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory. Why is this relevant? Over 90% of serotonin is produced in your gut. Yep!

Our gut and our brain communicate directly, sending messages back and forth to each other; our gut is actually referred to as our “second brain”. 80% of that communication is from our gut to our brain!

Our gut bacteria play a big role in balancing neurotransmitters important for brain and mood health. An imbalance of gut bacteria can disrupt this signaling or send signals of “danger” to your body, versus signals of “safety” and “calm”.

Certain gut bacteria also stimulate our “relaxation” nerve - the vagus nerve - connecting our digestive system to our central nervous system, which also happens to stimulate our “rest and digest” mode. If the balance of bacteria gets disrupted, this also disrupts our ability to tap into our relaxation mode.

When inflammation is present in the gut, less energy is available to the brain and body (resulting in lower energy) and heightened awareness of the “wear and tear” it’s having altogether. This “wear and tear” can add additional strain to your emotional ability to cope with the circumstances around you.

These are just a few of the ways our gut microbiome is connected to mental health.

We can dive in further as to how this specifically relates to you in a session together!