It’s January, and you’re probably inundated with plenty of ads on social media urging you to “stick to your resolutions!” or “lose weight now with this amazing plan/program/product/insert magic pill here!”. Not surprisingly, January has tended to show a bit of an uptick in inquiries for my private cheffing and nutritional consulting services (in NYC and virtually, respectively), and although I’m always excited to hear from someone who I think would be an ideal client, something I try to really hone in on is the “why” behind it all. Figuring our someone’s motivation is THE KEY to the nutritionist/client relationship. One big motivation lots of people glom onto is because they want to lose weight, which isn’t something that I promote (more on this in an upcoming blog). We need to dig deeper beyond society’s expectations of beauty, which are informed by racism and colonialism, and used by companies to fuel consumerism and constantly whisper “You’re not good enough.”
There are a lot of people who can articulate the problems with diet culture a lot better than myself, and I recommend you give them a follow on instagram (Virginia Sole-Smith, Aubrey Gordon, Jameela Jamil).
So now that we’ve gotten the reason I don’t love to work with a nutritional consultant out of the way, here are my top three reasons to work with me.
1) Your stomach hurts, you’ve got chronic or occasional acid reflux, you are self-conscious about your breath or bathroom habits. All of these symptoms point to problems with your digestion. If these aren’t super severe and you go to your doctor, they will most likely just write you a prescription for an antacid (despite their contribution to kidney disease), tell you to take probiotics, eat more/less fiber, use mouthwash, or take some Lactaid. Your doctor may be more tuned into nutrition and tell you to do an elimination diet to figure out if you have any allergies or intolerances, but at the end of your appointment you’re left with a temporary solution, and no resources to help you get to the root of your problems or how to deal with your intolerances in the future. Thats where I come in. As a nutritional consultant, I do a full intake on your health issues, likes/dislikes, lifestyle, and meet with you on a regular basis so that we can take things step by step and troubleshoot as things come up.
2) You have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, feeling awake in the morning, or rely on caffeine to make it through the day. Besides timing of meals and recommending specific foods to eat or avoid, a holistic nutritionist can help you reset your circadian rhythm.) Poor sleep habits can lead to memory issues, are associated with gut-bacteria imbalances, and a contribute to a lowered immune system. I can help you create new habits to support your sleep, through both food and lifestyle changes.
3) You experience a mood disorder like anxiety or depression. Studies are finally showing what we have known for a long time; food is information your body reads and nutritional deficiencies contribute significantly to mental health. I am trained to work with your therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, and/or general practitioner/doctor to make sure we are all on the same page. I will never advocate stopping/changing prescriptions in favor of only dietary changes/supplements without working with a licensed mental health professional or doctor. We all have different areas of expertise and can work together; it’s not an either/or situation.
There you have it! There are a lot more reasons that I’ll cover in future blogs, so stay tuned.
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