Meet Your Dietitian
It's important to get to know me and see if my life experiences, values and beliefs match what you are looking for in a Dietitian
Becoming a Fat Positive Dietitian
I've been a registered dietitian now for 20 years (wow how time flies)! In the last years my work has informed by the evidenced-based practice of Intuitive Eating and is set on a foundation of the Health at Every Size (TM) approach.
When I first started in nutrition, I came into the profession thinking I needed to help people improve their nutrition and eat healthier by educating them about what and how to eat. Was I ever wrong!!!
This mindset lead me into a career path where most individuals seeking my help wanted to lose weight. I would help them using the "traditional" approaches such as calorie counting, label reading and meal plans but I could feel that this approach wasn't for me and it wasn't for my clients either. I felt an extreme disconnect between my values to help improve overall wellness and counseling clients on weight loss.
At the same time when I was counseling my clients to lose weight I was also trying to use these same methods to keep my weight "in check." I never would have considered myself to be on a diet however I was absolutely restricting food, counting calories and exercising as a means to suppress my weight which are all dieting behaviors.
I was pretty miserable....spending hours meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking. I would also spend hours going to exercise classes and took up half-marathon running. All of these behaviors distracted me from the real work that needed to happen to bring joy, peace and ease to my life around food and my body. It was over the next 8 years that I decided to leave my own business on the shelf until I could feel more in alignment in my own life.
And it was a slow process without any support and not heading anywhere positive. It wasn't until I found Intuitive Eating and the Health at Every Size approach that I was finally able to gain the information and
skills to start to heal my own relationship with food.
While I was training in Intuitive Eating, I was also doing my own work healing my relationship with food and learning from Evelyn Tribole how to support myself and my clients in this process.
Now, I am able to guide others towards developing a positive relationship with food. I work with all folks including non-binary individuals, trans men and women, and other gender non-conforming individuals. I am an ally to individuals who identify as 2SLBGTQIA+ and it is important to me to serve this community in a meaningful way.
In 2019, I became a certified in Intuitive Eating and continue to grow in my skills in the area of body image, mindful eating and to strive to serve individuals in the best way possible. Part of my recent self-work has been around understanding the intersections between racism, white supremacy and chronic dieting/ disordered eating. In my work I highly value cultural and traditional foods and encourage these foods instead of conforming to the "kale and quinoa" food recommendations. In my work I value your life experiences as the center of all of our discussions.
I also work closely with psychologists and regularly discuss the benefits with my clients of having a psychologist as part of their treatment team. I have connected with many local (Calgary) and virtual psychologists and have recommendations I can provide for you if this is an area of need.
Interested in learning more?
Qualifications
Registered Dietitian - registered with the College of Dietitians of Alberta (registration number 1531) since 2004.
Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor - access the counselor registry list here.
Completed 1 year Eating Disorders Training for Dietitians in 2021.
Completed Marci Evans Body Image Course for Dietitians in 2020.
Certified Yoga Teacher - 200h training completed in 2009.