Hi, I'm Hannah,
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
and Autoimmune Warrior
I’ve been where you are. It’s what brought me to where I am now.
Are you sick and tired of hearing “labs are normal” or that your symptoms are “normal.” Have you ever gone to the doctor for blood work and hoped that it was abnormal, or that they would discover a new disease? Or did you receive a diagnosis and be told that there is “nothing that you can do” but live with it, or at least live with it until it gets bad enough to be prescribed a little pill for the rest of your life- that comes with its very own set of symptoms. Maybe you have tried to DIY your health, ate all the kale, tried all gym equipment (at least once), but nothing changes. Yeah, me too!! That was me 5 years ago. Chasing down the answer to “WHY the hell do I feel like sh!t all the damn time”.
My story may sound like yours. In pain all day e’ry day– even my eyeballs hurt. I couldn’t shower without needing to take a nap after. Climbing my stairs to say goodnight to my kids felt like I was trying to reach the summit of Mount Everest. I was a foodie that could no longer enjoy food- I swear it was trying to kill me, even water. The fatigue and brain fog had me feeling like an actual zombie. I was barely surviving.
After seeing so many doctors and not getting any answers to my symptoms for almost 30 years –yeah, that’s pretty much my whole life– I was burnt out, stressed out, and feeling like my rock bottom was it- this was how the rest of my life was going to be.
BUT I wasn’t ready to admit defeat. Five years ago, I decided to take control of my health. I stopped listening to doctors telling me I was fine because I sure as hell didn’t feel fine, and I wasn’t about to just deal with these symptoms and just survive the rest of my life. I wanted to enjoy life, I wanted to thrive!
I typed #autoimmunedisease into the Instagram search bar. That led to a community of people using food as medicine, leveling up their lifestyle game, and kicking their autoimmune diseases into remission!! Most of them were using AIP –nutrition and lifestyle– to manage symptoms. So I thought “what’s the worst that could happen, I eat healthier and maybe just maybe feel like a human again?!”.
I dove into AIP and sure enough I started to reduce pain, reduce brain fog, regain energy, I wasn’t getting bloated after every meal. I started to get my life back. My symptoms were dropping like flies. And believe it or not, I even started liking foods that I never thought I would –I see you liver and beets.
I had to dig deeper into how to overcome autoimmune disease and food as medicine. I found Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, Dr. Terry Walhs, Dr. Tom O’Bryan, Robb Wolf, Chris Kresser, and more. I listened to podcasts about how to thrive with autoimmune diseases. I found amazing, food blogging autoimmune warriors making the most delicious AIP meals that made eating a restrictive diet enjoyable and yummy AF. I became a compounder of my own medicine by cooking these delicious nutrient-dense meals, managing stress and sleep, cleaning up my environment, and getting in some of the best movement– DANCING.
I want everyone with autoimmune diseases, chronic illnesses, and those with symptoms that just won’t go away to know that you can take control of your health, you can achieve optimal wellness, you can stop just getting by and surviving and actually thrive!
Enter the amazing Nutritional Therapy Association. Through that same search I found NTPs and this incredible program that helped me level up my healing AND now I get to help others do the exact same with Nutritional Therapy. I became a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner to help people who are going through what I went through- without having to do all the years of guesswork and research.
Your symptoms may be common, but they are not normal and no you don’t just have to live with them! I’ve been where you are! I know what it’s like to be barely surviving– to be in robot mode. I see you, I hear you, and I believe that you have it in you to take back your health and start living a life filled with joy, good food, and energy!!- to THRIVE!
#loveyourguts
My Philosophy
I believe that with a deep foundational and bio-individual tailored approach to functional, holistic nutrition everyone has the ability to achieve optimal health and wellness. There is no one size fits all approach to nutrition and lifestyle, and maintaining a bio-individual approach to each person will help them achieve their very unique health goals. Our bodies have an amazing super power, the innate ability to heal and by supporting the Foundations of Health and our bodies with nutrient-dense, whole food, and health supportive lifestyle choices we can tap into that super power. I believe that food is medicine. Eating nutrient-dense, nourishing foods is an act of self-love. I believe what we eat is a reflection of that also. Food is one of the biggest connections we can make from the earth to our ancestors, from our family to our friends to co-workers at the lunch table. Food is a connecting force. I believe that everyone has the right to be educated on the power of food as medicine, and supporting lifestyle factors that impact our wellness. I believe that everyone has the right to be respected when it comes to their health, how they feel in their body, and their unique health goals. Everyone has the right to take back their health and achieve optimal wellness. Healing your relationship with your body. Healing your relationship with food. There is empowerment in healing. Love yourself. Love your guts!
Live Well Nourished
To live well means to be full of life, energy, joy, free of pain and not having symptoms that hold you back from LIVING! Being able to do the things you enjoy, that bring you joy with a present and full heart. It’s “I never thought I would be able to do that again”. It is imagining your best life without symptoms and achieving and living that. To live well is to THRIVE!
To be well is not being overloaded with symptoms. Being free from “illness” and in good health. Being satisfied or pleased with your health and your life. Having an abundance of health, joy, energy, life. To be well is to THRIVE!
Well nourished mind, body, and soul. What nourishes your heart, your mind, your body? What fills you up? Nutrient dense foods. The sound of rain on the rooftop. A big hug from a loved one. Dancing it out in the kitchen while cooking. Doing something kind for someone. Keeping a gratitude journal. A nice warm bath. Find the things in life that nourish you, that bring you joy, peace, that fill you up. That is the key to live a well nourished life!
What is Nutritional Therapy?
Well, the super short version- tapping into the body’s innate ability to heal. What does a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) do ?
NTPs use a deep foundational and bio-individual- tailored to your body’s specific needs- approach to functional, holistic nutrition to balance body chemistry and achieve optimal wellness. NTP’s collect a lot of info- I mean like A LOT of info- from clients. We use a 300+ symptom analysis questionnaire, a food and mood journal, and a health, lifestyle, and family history form to find out as much as we possibly can about you and your body’s unique needs.
This helps to pinpoint the root cause of your symptoms and find out WHY you are experiencing them- no band-aids slapped over symptoms. All this info helps paint the picture of what is going on in your body and what your body’s specific foundational needs are. From there, together we build a super powered bio-individual, just-for-you plan to get you feeling your best and THRIVING!
NTPs are equipped to support the body’s innate ability to heal by addressing the importance of nutrient-dense food, and lifestyle choices. As an NTP, I use nutrients- aka real food- and health-supportive lifestyle changes, to help you kick-start your body’s innate healing ability. Getting you feeling better faster!! I approach health concerns and goals with food-first, but there are times that targeted nutrient supplementation is helpful. Good news though, no guessing games, no medicine cabinets filled with useless supplements, I am trained to help you get exactly what your body needs to support its amazing healing abilities!
Why will Nutritional Therapy work when nothing else has?
Nutritional Therapy works because NTPs are trained to support optimal function of the body by assessing and addressing the 6 Foundations of Health, and lifestyle factors that impact them like sleep, stress, movement, and environment. Nutritional therapists continue to re-evaluate and make changes to your plan as the body needs, we don’t just hand you a to-do or don’t list and wish you the best. We do extensive research, dig deep, consult with colleagues, and do everything within our scope and ability to get to the root cause of symptoms and get you the answers you deserve. We are always learning. Another key factor in Nutritional Therapy is that NTPs take a totally bio-individual approach. No two people are exactly alike. Two people can both have constipation, but the WHY- the root cause– and the approach to eliminating this obnoxious, painful symptom can be two totally different things. We don’t just band-aid it with Miralax.
What are the 6 Foundations of Health?
Nutrition– Real food=Real health! Consuming a diet rich in nutrient-dense, properly-prepared whole foods is one of the biggest things you can do to achieve optimal wellness. Many of today’s health problems are brought on by poor nutrition. Where our food comes from matters, as Michael Pollan said, “we are what we eat eats”– be it the grass the cows graze on or the corn they are fed, the organic soil our veggies grow in or the glyphosate they are sprayed with.
Digestion and Elimination– You are what you absorb! You can eat all the nutrient-dense whole
foods, but if your body can’t absorb those nutrients, then your body can’t do all of it’s jobs optimally- enter dysfunction, symptoms, disease. Your gut is like the motherboard of all your body, if it malfunctions you will crash– eventually. Elimination- well, you have to have a really good poop at least once daily– exit toxins and waste- or it will be reabsorbed into the body, causing even more dysfunction.
Blood Sugar Regulation– Think of a roller coaster versus rolling hills on a Sunday drive. You want the latter. Blood sugar regulation keeps energy levels, metabolism, and stress in check. I mean seriously, who doesn’t want more energy, less stress, and better sleep?! Balance those macronutrients- fats, carbs, and proteins with every meal!
Fatty Acid Balance– Fats are your friend! Healthy fats make us feel fuller faster and longer. They are a source of sustainable energy– the fattest, slowest burning log on the fire. You need healthy fats for optimal brain function. They are the building blocks of our hormones. On the other hand, consuming low fat foods, bad oils- *cough *cough* canola oil and margarine- cause damage in the body right down to your DNA. So, forget what you’ve been told- you need MORE fat in your diet, not less! Bonus they are yummy AF and make our foods taste even yummier!
Mineral Balance– Love, love, love me some minerals!! These tiny little things keep you alive and running– they are the spark plugs of the body! These sexy little buggers are responsible for so many processes in the body like building bone, assisting in building hormones, thyroid function, digestion, stress, sleep- I mean seriously I could go on forever! Minerals are key players in achieving optimal wellness and they can be the missing puzzle piece in getting there.
Hydration– Water is life. Life is water! It is the greatest nutrient! Every organ, every process in the body requires water for optimal function– from digestion to detoxification to breathing! You cannot live without water– and if you are dehydrated you might just feel like, even look like a fish out of water! Hydration is much more than just drinking water- that’s a Ted Talk for another day though!