Out of
necessity, I have been interested in nutrition for as long as I can remember.
My mom didn’t really cook so it was fast food and processed foods for most
meals growing up. Although I didn’t make the connection back then (I thought it
was my lack of willpower), this diet combined with my inherited slow metabolism,
caused me to be pudgy from about age 8.
I remember being on my first diet in 3rd or 4th
grade and was pretty much on a diet off and on until after my daughter was born
over 20 years later.
Usually my
diet corresponded with whatever fad was going around – low fat (remember Snackwells
and Olean chips?), weight watchers, calorie counting, low carb, no carb – you name
it I tried it. Of course along with this
came even more damage to my metabolism along with mental anguish and an
unhealthy dose of self-loathing.
When I
became pregnant with my daughter several years ago, I stopped my dieting and
ate (pretty much) whatever I wanted. Mostly, because I was highly addicted to
sugar, this meant ice cream every night. My waist-band was now elastic and I was
able to convince myself that the 3 chins I’d gained was just the baby stealing
my beauty (this happens with baby girls, right?). After the baby was born, the
breastfeeding would burn the weight off….or so I let myself believe.
Five months
after she was born, at my heaviest ever, I had an epiphany that would change my
life forever and the lives of my family. I had decided that I wanted to make
her baby food (still a bit “forward thinking” back in ’09) and I was given a
wonderful book called Super Baby Foods that explained
exactly what I should feed her to make sure she was getting all of the
nutrients that her growing body needed. It made me so happy to make her these
“super porridges” - chock full of veggies, whole grains, and super foods. One
day, as I was discussing this “enlightened” way of feeding my daughter with my
sister, she said something so simple but so powerful: “I’m sure we should be
eating the same way too.”
Somehow, I
had never considered this before. Eat to give
my body what it needed on the inside? Always before I had eaten with what
the food would do to the outside of my body in mind. Would it make me gain or
lose weight? I had never considered that my body needed nutrients from my food.
From that day forward a passion was born in me to discover what my body needed
and the foods I could eat to provide for it. I discovered vegetables and how
amazing and unique each one can taste after you break your taste buds of the
sugar, fat and salt they crave from a processed foods diet.
Meanwhile,
as a side benefit, my energy was soaring, my skin glowed, my mood improved and
weight began to effortlessly fall off. It was like I had learned this huge
secret that set me free from the dieting chains and I wanted to share it with
everyone. Books began to pile up on my bedside table with titles like ‘The Real
Food Detox Diet’ and ‘In Defense of Food.’ It was all so simple but why did the
common person not know about this “new way of eating”?
A few years
into this new way of life, I knew that I had to make a change in my
professional career and follow my newfound passion to help others discover how
great they can feel going back to the basics and eating real foods. At that time I had been in IT as a business
analyst for over a decade and it had never been a good fit. The cubicle I sat
in day in and day out felt more like a torture chamber for my soul, but I
didn’t have the courage to make a switch and I didn’t know exactly how I could
best use this passion of mine. In 2012 I could put it off no longer and I began
taking classes at the local community college. I didn’t think a traditional
nutritionist or registered dietician was where my calling was, but I knew very
little about other careers in the wellness industry. One fateful day in early
June of that year, I met a health coach and after he explained what a health
coach does, it was like the Heavens parted and I knew that was the exact path I
was designed for. The following month I signed up at the Institute for
Integrative Nutrition and quickly realized this was one of the best decisions I
had ever made. In 2013 I launched my company, Nutritious in the City, and quit
my corporate job shortly after. My journey over the last year and a half has
been hard but amazing. Finally being in line with my purpose and passion and
able to help hundreds of people on their healthy journey has been worth the
struggles and insecurities I continue to conquer as a small business
owner. I have a vision of a world where
people feel good and energized by the foods they eat, processed or fast foods
are not the norm, and families gather around the kitchen island to cook
together, laugh together and inspire one another. I adore the coaching
profession where I get to come alongside my clients and not only teach them how
simple healthy eating and cooking can be, but also encourage and support them
as they embark on their own transformation.
If any of
this resonates with you, please reach out to me at jen@nutritiousinthecity.com. I would love the opportunity to hear about
your health goals and how I might be able to help you reach your full
potential.
If my career
path intrigues you or inspires you, I would be honored to give you more
information about my school and my new career path. With preventable diseases
reaching pandemic proportions in America, we need all the wellness
professionals we can get. Thank you for sharing in my story!
