About Me
Professional Integrative Nutrition Health Coach in Alexandria, VA
My Story
My own healing journey began as a child as I suffered from depression, food intolerances, sleep disturbances, and constipation from a young age. These symptoms lingered and worsened in high school with debilitating brain fog that made me feel dumb and contributed to my depression. It wasn’t until college when I got more serious about my health and went very strictly gluten and dairy free and starting taking various supplements. The constipation resolved and my energy levels and brain fog improved but I also dealt with an unresolved eating disorder and disordered exercising. After a particularly difficult breakup after college and beginning a Masters in Nutrition, I experienced what I call a full body “crash”. My body just kind of gave up. I lost my period, I developed hypothyroidism, I had severe diarrhea constantly, and I started reacting to SO many foods, even many healthy ones. My moods were all over the place and I was always crying and I just couldn’t stay awake or think straight to save my life. And so, at the age of 26 I had to completely start over (before adult life had really begun) as my whole world had turned upside down. And I did. I completely started over and reinvented how I treated myself, others, and how I viewed the world.
Though It’s been a lifetime of health issues, it’s been 10 plus years of intense healing, of going down the “wrong road”, of countless unhelpful doctors, of several very helpful ones, and many very helpful treatments. I have learned so much about how the body works, how our minds are deeply connected to our bodies, and how we all have an innate ability to heal ourselves. The foundation of my own healing began with healing my microbiome and digestion and continues to be the basis of my work with others.
How will healing my gut help me??
Mental Health
90% of the body’s serotonin, the feel-good hormone, come from the microbes in your gut and more than 30 different neurotransmitters are made there as well. The more balance and friendly bacteria you have in your gut, the better sleep, mood, and improved sex life you can have.
Weight Loss
Did you know that the kind of microbes you have directly influence your body’s ability to maintain it’s healthy weight homoeostasis? Did you know you can influence your weight by feeding your bacteria different foods and never count calories again?
Digestion
Having a happy, healthy, and regular digestive system is the key to ultimate energy and mental clarity. If you suffer from reflux, abdominal discomfort, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, you are not properly assimilating the nutrients from your food which further continues a cycle of more dis-ease.
Brooke C.
“When I first came to Jenny, I was incredibly achy, exhausted, stressed, and having intense stomach distress multiple times a day. Normally very health-conscious, I felt like I had tried everything and came to Jenny desperate to feel better. From our very first session, I was amazed not only by her insightful questions and vast knowledge of nutrition, the gut biome, and hormone patterns but also her ability to make me feel calm, at ease, and assured she would guide me to feel better after weeks of suffering. Jenny was able to identify that many of my issues stemmed from adrenal fatigue and body trauma from leaving a stressful job and birthing my son in the same year. We realized that my schedule, coffee habit, and lack of good fats nourishing me throughout the day was contributing to my inability to feel well no matter how “well” I ate or how much sleep I got.
Together, we built a plan for me to have a more balanced schedule with more time for myself so I could show up better for my son and my business by allowing my tired adrenals to heal. Jenny also encouraged me to switch from coffee to matcha because of the calming and balancing l-theanine and within two days, all of my achiness and inflammation was completely GONE. Lastly, Jenny encouraged me to add more red meat to my diet to better nourish my body and signal to my hormones that I was safe. I had always felt red meat was “bad” and avoided it as much as possible, but once I introduced it to my diet three times a week, I felt more energized and vibrant than I had in months, if not years. Within three months I went from feeling like a lethargic mess to a calm, balanced, and healthy human being thanks to Jenny’s wisdom and knowledge. She is one of the best investments I have ever made in my health, and she will be for you as well.”
Doris P.
“As my personal trainer for almost 9 months, I have found Jenny to be knowledgeable, flexible and friendly. Her workouts vary from week to week but they all address the weaknesses we identified from the beginning. Jenny is able to adapt her workouts to my needs regardless of what kind of day or week I am having. She is confident in dealing with my many medical and physical challenges due to age and illness. I feel I am stronger and have more stamina as a result, and I enjoy being with such a positive and caring person.”
Alejandra B.
“I was excited when I saw Jenny was offering this service. Jenny has introduced me to many great food ideas and combinations I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. Finding good advice about what’s healthy to eat is easy enough if the taste doesn’t matter. Creating wholesome, delicious, practical meals that hit the spot is much more difficult—creating them on the spot without wasting what’s in the fridge and incorporating many other restrictions? That’s Jenny’s magic. That and her non-judgmental nature are key to her success.
She works with you at your own pace and is quick with adaptations, meal ideas, and nutritional info. She’s helped me make my favorite takeout dishes at home, saving money and cutting calories. We started by stocking my pantry, and I’m learning how to whip up a quick, satisfying, and healthy meal. Her method is flexible and helps you to be as well. She suggests tried and true techniques to make healthy eating easy and appetizing. Decision fatigue can set in when I try to adopt a more nutritional diet. But having a friend to walk me through it simplifies my meal planning.”
Education & Credentials
MA in Education
Hunter College
Personal Trainer certified
Holistic Health Practitioner
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach certified
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