Your diet and your relationship to food impact your physical, emotional and mental health. Depression, anxiety, blood sugar imbalances, hormonal imbalances, allergies, inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease and many other health problems are directly related to diet.

Your nutritional and lifestyle patterns nourish your spirit as well as your body; how we care for ourselves is as important as what we eat. Any food eaten with love and gratitude, in a peaceful setting will always be more healing than the most stringent, politically correct diet.

There are so many diets, and so many people saying that their way is the only way to eat. I have found that the most helpful approach is to look at people as individuals; taking into consideration their lifestyle and beliefs, as well as their biology and genetics. In my studies of nutrition, I been most influenced by the Paleolithic diet concept. Human bodies evolved in very different environments than we live in now, and with very different food sources than we have in our modern world. It seems common sense to me, that millions of years of evolution might have a difficult time processing thousands of chemicals and digesting Twinkies and non-dairy creamer!

My general approach to nutrition is to focus on what our ancient bodies can recognize as food; natural, whole foods. Vegetables, fruits, lean animal proteins, nuts and seeds were the only foods available until very recent history. Dairy products and grains, whole or otherwise, did not exist until the beginning of agriculture, about 10,000 years ago. Many of us have a difficult time digesting and processing grains and dairy, especially when they are heavily processed.

Dr. Loren Cordain, author of “The Paleo Diet” says: “We can give credit to the agricultural revolution for bringing us much of the chronic disease and obesity that are epidemic in our modern world. The foods that agriculture brought us (cereals, dairy products, fatty meats, salted foods, and refined sugars and oils) are disastrous for our Stone Age bodies – bodies that are ideally adapted to a fare of lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies… agriculture brought with it a boatload of nutritionally related diseases that were unknown to hunter-gatherers.”

And yet, we are all individuals… My Nutritional Counseling helps you find the ideal diet for you; one that takes into account your lifestyle and your genetics and also gives you a sense of satisfaction and pleasure in nourishing yourself. Moderation and balance, with a little dark chocolate is the healthiest approach!

I believe that in our modern environment, with its chemicals, pollution and pervasive stress, it is essential to use nutritional supplements. Our bodies and our metabolisms were never designed for this environment, and careful supplementation helps our ancient organisms cope with the assaults of modern life. In addition to general Nutritional Counseling, I offer targeted Supplement Counseling to review your supplements and help you determine what is right for you.