Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. While most people know that diet and lifestyle play a major role in preventing and managing heart disease, the sheer volume of conflicting information can make it hard to know where to start—or what will actually work for your unique case.
That’s where I come in.
I offer a personalized, science-based approach to improving your cardiovascular health. Together, we’ll work on optimizing your blood lipids, blood pressure, weight, physical activity, stress response, and sleep—all of which contribute to heart health in powerful and interconnected ways.
Did you know your gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria living in your digestive tract—can play a major role in cardiovascular health? An imbalanced microbiome can increase inflammation and produce compounds that contribute to arterial plaque and high blood pressure, while a healthy, diverse microbiome can help reduce inflammation, improve cholesterol metabolism, and support overall heart function. In our work together, we’ll incorporate strategies to nourish and balance your microbiome with fiber-rich, colorful, plant-forward foods that promote heart-protective pathways.
I go far beyond generic advice like “eat less fat” or “exercise more” to help you build a sustainable, step-by-step plan based on whole foods, nutrient density, and anti-inflammatory choices that support your unique biology and cardiovascular system.
With practical coaching and a focus on long-term change, you’ll gain the tools and confidence to take care of your heart—one day at a time.
DIABETES, PREDIABETES and INSULIN RESISTANCE
If you are living with Type 2 Diabetes or are navigating a recent diagnosis of Prediabetes you are not alone and do not have to figure it out by yourself. With the right tools and support sustainable metabolic health is absolutely within reach!
At JHN Nutrition I specialize in helping individuals lower and stabilize their blood glucose levels and feel more confident in their ability to manage their health through personalized, evidence based nutrition and lifestyle strategies. Together we’ll build a realistic and sustainable food and exercise plan that your supports your goals and fits into your daily life. My approach is grounded in the latest research, focusing on how dietary patterns, meal timing, movement, sleep and stress reduction all influence metabolic health.
As a practitioner trained in working with Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) technology, I can help you better understand how your body responds to specific foods, meals and habits. I can guide you in obtaining a CGM that records your blood sugar data along with your eating patterns and then links your data to my secure portal so we can work with real time insights. This allows us to make highly targeted changes to your diet and lifestyle-changes that informed, measurable, personalized to you.
Whether you are newly diagnosed or looking to break through a plateau in the management of your blood sugar I am here to partner with you. Small consistent steps can make a big difference in how you feel and how your body functions, especially when it comes to blood sugar. Lets create a plan that’s clear, achievable,and build around your unique needs!
MENOPAUSAL HEALTH
Did you know that there are over 60 possible symptoms during the menopausal transition?
As estrogen declines we often see changes in metabolism, our ability to easily process carbohydrate, gastro-intestinal motility, and ability to maintain muscle and bone. Our ability to manage stress may feel compromised, along with sleep and mood regulation. These symptoms and more can be a normal part of menopause for many women. Body image issues often accompany many of these challenging changes at this time of life.
Although we may have many symptoms in common, every woman’s menopausal journey is unique. Whether you decide to utilize Hormone Replacement Therapy or not there is a growing body of knowledge about how to move through the transition of menopause more smoothly and healthfully. I would love to help you see how you can utilize up to date strategies including optimal personalized nutrition, microbiome health, exercise, sleep and stress management to help you move through your unique menopausal transition with more strength, optimal health and vitality!
GERD, CELIAC AND GLUTEN SENSITIVITY
A healthy gut is your inside tract to optimal wellness yet so many struggle with these and other digestive disorders that wreak havock not only on our intestines but in other systems as well. Conventional medicine so often doesn’t offer enough to truly heal these disorders and prevent other systems from becoming involved. Functional nutrition is a systems approach where we often can draw connections from gut disorders to problems in other systems such as immune, neurological, and skin to name a few. I can help you with a comprehensive plan including dietary changes, lifestyle modification and botanical recommendations that can help you on your journey to healing your intestinal problems and getting back on track to optimal health.
MENTAL AND COGNITIVE HEALTH
Depression and anxiety along with cognitive health concerns are incredibly common—and deeply personal—experiences. Many of us have faced these challenges ourselves or watched loved ones struggle. While these conditions can feel isolating, it’s important to know that help is available, and healing is possible.
The foundation of any effective treatment plan includes building a trusted team of professionals who offer evidence-based, compassionate care. For many people, therapy and conventional medications provide significant relief. Others may seek alternative or complementary approaches—something to support their recovery, reduce reliance on medications, or address symptoms that persist despite treatment.
As a functional dietitian with a great deal of experience in the mental health space, I work with individuals who are curious about how nutrition can support their sense of well-being, both emotionally and cognitively. Emerging research continues to show that our brains and bodies are deeply connected—and one of the most exciting frontiers in this area is the gut-brain axis.
Your Gut and Your Mood: What the Science Says
Over 90% of the body’s serotonin—a neurotransmitter that influences mood, sleep, and anxiety—is produced in the gut. This is one reason why the health of your gut microbiome (the trillions of bacteria living in your digestive system) matters so much to your emotional health. A diverse, balanced microbiome helps regulate inflammation, supports neurotransmitter production, and plays a key role in how we respond to stress.
Recent studies suggest that diets rich in whole, minimally processed foods can positively influence mental health outcomes. I can help you integrate an eating plan with an abundance of foods that nourish beneficial gut bacteria and help reduce systemic inflammation, which has been linked to depression and anxiety as well as cognitive health concerns. Food can be an incredibly powerful tool in your recovery and resilience!
How I Can Help
Together, we can explore realistic changes to your eating habits that not only support your physical health but also nourish your mental well-being. I’ll help you build a sustainable, personalized nutrition plan that balances your blood sugar, supports your microbiome, and aligns with your goals for improved mental and cognitive health. Food isn’t a magic cure—but it can be a vital part of the journey back to feeling like yourself again.
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
New to my work in weight management is a Functional and Integrative Nutrition approach. Here we recognize that food is information and the emphasis is on reducing inflammation and stopping and/or preventing insulin resistance. These conditions may play a heavy hand in your weight gain and may further complicate successful and sustainable weight loss. Evidence in support of weight management through an Integrative and Functional Nutrition approach is quickly evolving and is thought to be the wave of the future as we learn more about how important the microbiome, attention to the gut-brain axis and cessation of high levels of inflammation are to physical and mental health and vitality.
My approach to weight management is also heavily influenced by my nearly 40 years of experience working with all forms of disordered eating. Instead of restrictive weight loss diets I work to help clients establish a healthy and less conflicted relationship with food and their bodies integrating a model heavily influenced by but not limited to the concepts of Intuitive and Mindful Eating. I integrate my background in supporting metabolic, cardiovascular, mental and gut health into my work with weight management. I support Health at Every Size (HAES).
With these holistically combined approaches you can look forward to learning to eat mindfully while exploring a diet filled with a variety of delicious, easy to prepare, anti-inflammatory, blood sugar stabilizing and microbiome enhancing foods. Your program will be tailored to your unique individual likes/dislikes and needs. I will also support you in finding a pattern of physical activity that you fully enjoy engaging in along with lifestyle strategies to help you tie all of this together. This highly integrated approach is designed positively impact your weight and health from the inside out.
PCOS
Up to 10% of the female population is struggling with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Women who have PCOS often become insulin resistant which results in hyperinsulinemia and abnormalities in testosterone production. The symptoms that are caused by this cycle often include weight gain, acne, hirsutism, hair loss, menstrual irregularity, infertility, and depression. Binge eating problems can often result from a PCOS diagnosis that is not followed up by evidence based and supportive dietary advise.
If you are struggling with PCOS I can assist you by creating an eating, movement, stress management and supplementation plan that can support a decrease in symptoms along with a lessening of food cravings. Long term adherence to a specialized eating plan specifically for PCOS can support you metabolically and help decrease PCOS symptoms along with the risk for binge eating. Individualized nutrition counseling, along with consistent medical follow up has incredible potential to make a positive difference in living with PCOS!
EATING DISORDERS
Eating disorders are on the rise in many populations including men and middle-aged women. I have extensive experience working with eating disorders as they manifest in both men and women and throughout the life cycle. I will meet you where you are with your eating disorder and help guide you to a more holistic and internally centered place with food and your body. I can help replace rigid, restrictive or chaotic eating with a structured meal plan that can gradually evolve into a more internally led pattern of eating that is intuitive, healthful, mindful, and ultimately free of the prison of your eating disorder. Additionally I can help in creating balance in the other aspects of your lifestyle, including exercise and stress management, which will support you in your recovery.
My goal is to work with your therapist and/or physician to create a unified approach that is best for you. My practice is LGBTQ friendly!