Clinical Nutrition

My primary aim is to help my patients by using a holistic approach as opposed to simply treating one singular symptom. One foundational way I use this approach for patients is through clinical nutrition – this means working with patients individually to find the root cause of their symptoms and create a customized dietary plan that will best address their condition and wellbeing. My ultimate goal for each patient is to find a unique, personalized plan that will optimize their health and support good health long after our time working together. Nutrition is a cornerstone of preventative medicine, after all, and essential for conditions like coronary vascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

I first became interested in nutrition after many years of dealing with skin irritation and gastric chaos – the result of a diet lacking in diversity and I was also consuming several kryptonite foods regularly that were causing significant inflammation in my body. By working to identify these inflammatory foods in my diet and through increasing my dietary diversity, I was able to find the most natural way to a healthier life. I have learned that strict elimination diets are not only a drag, but they are often not sustainable and can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Many people don’t realize the huge importance of dietary diversity for their gut and immune health, which in turn affects their overall health. As someone who has had firsthand experience with this, I personally love educating people on easy hacks to optimize their dietary diversity. I enjoy working with patients to identify their food sensitivities and intolerances, and passing on my own acquired knowledge to help them get their systems back on track to avoid years of potential suffering.

When used as medicine, food can be an amazing tool to help people rebuild their body healthier and stronger than before. I like to teach patients how to “biohack” their health, using nutrition to support optimal body function, physiology, or metabolism. By teaching my patients how to optimize their nutrition, I am helping them optimize their intra and extracellular health, which in turn improves the health of their connective tissue matrix – a holistic approach making sure the whole body is communicating and working together at every level.

By working individually with each patient I help them figure out what to eat to feel better and healthier based on their specific body’s needs. So often I have patients read conflicting information about clinical nutrition and tend to fall victim to unhealthy options. The big trending diet right now is the keto diet. In summary, keto is a diet based around the concept of low carbs and high in fat foods that will make the body go into ketosis – the state of burning fat rather than carbohydrates in the body. While this may have clinical utility for some patients, the truth of the matter is that there is no one diet that works for everyone. Fad diets, such as the keto diet, typically are not sustainable or supportive to good health in the long term.

I wrote about the importance of dietary diversity in my Veggie Mash blog, especially in relation to our gut and immune health. As someone who struggled with gut health a lot in early life, I always make sure to emphasize why it is so important and make sure to educate them on what’s going on in their body to make it healthier. For those who are on restricted diets, such as keto, I make sure to work with them to expand their horizons on all their (more healthier) options.

A lot of people look to clinical nutrition and education when trying to lose weight. I personally do not love putting patients on diets for weight loss – I work with them to optimize their diet and bring in health. If weight loss comes along as a result and it is needed or desired by my patient, that is just an added benefit. Too often we, as a society, consider weight as something only based around a number. By shifting our mindset about weight being more than just a number and as a healthy body, we are able to truly live a healthier, happier life!

If you are tired of just dealing with your symptoms and want to experience a holistic approach to your healthcare that recognizes nutrition as foundational to health and primary prevention, then we are a good fit for my naturopathic medicine service. I’d be honored to work with you.