The Real Food Nutritionist

If you've been sold the lie that pharmaceuticals are the only way to reduce high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar - here's proof that they're not. 👇🏻

If you've been led to believe that being exhausted and overweight are an inevitable part of middle age - here's proof that you can change it. 👇🏻

This is just a small sample of what my clients accomplished in just 15 weeks inside The Fasting Fix Program....

👏🏻 Kelly lost 20lbs and no longer has prediabetes.

😲 Laura put an autoimmune thyroid condition into full remission and lowered her cholesterol 54 points.

⚡ Bruce lowered his cholesterol 32 points and lowered inflammation levels by 200%.

💜 Suzi lowered her blood pressure from the high risk category down to perfectly normal.

⭐ Elinor dropped more than a full pant size and now fits into the clothes she hasn't worn in over a decade.

⚖️ Gabriel lost 23 pounds and lowered his total cholesterol by 54 points.

These kinds of results are possible for you too! Reply to this post or message me if you'd like to learn how.

Ready to feel your BEST this summer?! ☀️ 👙 🏖️

Join me for a Fasting Reset June 17th-26th to drop some extra pounds, feel lighter, younger and more vibrant.

Fasting works quickly to reset your hunger and appetite, lower inflammation, reboot your immune system, and turn on anti-aging and repair systems that have you feeling younger and more energized in just a few days.

All without actually fasting!

I'll provide you with the exact meal plan to follow to mimic fasting for 5 days - even though you're still eating 3 delicious nourishing meals each day.

You'll have an amazing community to support you, step-by-step guidance from me, 3 live coaching calls, and everything you need to feel great while quickly and powerfully rebooting your health.

Sign up now! Comment "Reset" and I'll send you the link.

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Are you nailing breakfast with 30+g protein and 10+g fiber?! If not, you gotta start. It'll change your life - better energy, fewer cravings, less hunger, more stable blood sugar, lower stress hormones.

This cottage cheese breakfast bowl is an easy and delicious way to get started on your new healthy habit.

1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp honey
1 tsp ground flax
1 tsp chia or h**p seeds

Then add your favorite high fiber fixin's -

🍎 Apple, walnut, cinnamon
🍓 Berries with cacao nibs
🍑 Peaches, pecans, cinnamon and nutmeg

So many ways to make it your own!

Fasting is one of the most powerful tools for boosting your health, slowing down aging, boosting your energy, regulating your appetite, promoting fat loss, reversing poor metabolic health and all the 'feeling like garbage' that comes with it.

Yet...you also hear people caution against fasting, so how do you know if fasting is right for you?

Do you struggle with excess weight, overeating, food cravings?

✔️ Fasting will change your appetite, reset your hunger hormones and reduce cravings so you finally feel in control.

Do you bounce around trying this diet or that diet, gaining and losing the same 20lbs?

✔️ Fasting will help you lose weight and keep it off by addressing the underlying metabolic issues that keep you stuck in the weight loss hamster wheel.

Do you have lab markers for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, prediabetes, Type II Diabetes, or autoimmune disease?

✔️ Fasting is one of the MOST powerful tools for quickly and dramatically improving these markers. It works quickly to turn these issues around.

Do you want to age healthfully, stay active and disease-free as you get older?

✔️ Fasting activates repair and regeneration pathways, boosts detoxification, increases stem cells production, activates DNA repair, and is the second most powerful anti-aging tool we have (exercise is #1).

If you're looking for 1 simple tool that can get you dozens of health benefits at once, fasting is that tool.

One thing people always get confused about when it comes to fasting is that MOST of the really cool health benefits only come from prolonged fasting (more than 48 hours). 😵‍💫🥴

The anti-aging benefits, immune benefits, gut health benefits, metabolic benefits, etc - actually take DAYS of fasting to really take effect. 🤯

Multi-day fasts are not only extremely unrealistic for most people, they also come with safety concerns, and some significant drawbacks like fatigue, electrolyte imbalances, headaches, and of course - hunger.

A MODIFIED FAST is different.

You follow a carefully designed meal plan that has just the right calories and macronutrients to MIMIC fasting, without actually having to fast!!! 🥳

This allows you to fast for several days so you can tap into the incredible regenerative, anti-aging, and anti-disease benefits that only prolonged fasting can get you.

👀 After doing just 3 of these modified fasts...

👉🏻 Most clients lose anywhere from 5-20lbs
👉🏻 They feel more vibrant and energized!
👉🏻 High cholesterol levels come down 20-50 points
👉🏻 Blood pressure gets better
👉🏻 Joint pain and body aches are gone
👉🏻 Food and sugar cravings are a distant memory

If you're looking to lose weight while feeling more vibrant, energized, youthful and pain-free - then book a call with me to see if this type of fasting might be a good fit for you.

Circa 2014. I'd just passed my certification exam for the Nutritional Therapy Association. I was full of hope and excitement! It was the start of my career in nutrition and functional medicine.

I knew right away that I'd be going back to school and getting a more advanced degree.

I was endlessly fascinated and deeply passionate about nutrition and wanted nothing more than to learn all I could to be able to help more people.

People like me.

People with mysterious illnesses and perplexing symptoms, chronic fatigue, intractable joint pain, and terrible GI issues.

People who try REALLY HARD but can't seem to find any real solutions, or answers.

People whose doctors look at them sideways, unsure how to help, or worse, tell them they're making it up.

I was tired of suffering and tired of seeing others suffer.

5 years later (2019) I graduated summa cm laude with a Master's in Nutrition from The University of Bridgeport.

6 months later I passed my CNS exam and got my license as a clinical nutritionist.

This April marks my 4th official year of being a CNS and licensed dietitian, but in reality this work started decades ago when I developed chronic fatigue and acquired a small handful of autoimmune diseases.

For anyone who's struggling with their health. I see you. I see you trying, educating yourself, searching endlessly for answers.

I want you to know you're not alone.

Please reach out if you're looking for help and don't give up looking for answers.

Hey there! I see a lot of new faces here, so I wanted to share a quick intro.

I'm Deena.

💃🏻I love to dance (Latin Ballroom, Brazilian Samba, Cuban Salsa are my fav). I fell in love with dance in middle school, danced competitively in college, and then got terribly sick and wasn't able to dance again for about 7 years due to chronic fatigue and undiagnosed autoimmunity.

🤢 Getting terribly sick is what launched me into a career in nutrition and functional medicine. I'm super passionate about the work I do bc I've experienced first hand the misery of debilitating illness and the immense joy of recovering my health.

🍋 Farmers markets are my happy place. I love trying new foods, new ingredients and supporting farmers.

🥳 Fun and adventure are my love languages. Dance with me, cook with me, travel with me, hike with me, laugh with me. I'm always up for an adventure and love trying new things.

🤓 I love to learn. I've been known to buy myself textbooks for my birthday. I'm a podcast addict, audiobook lover, and need 20 more lives to learn everything I'm interested in.

📚 I go deep on topics I love and pay little mind to everything else - which means I can talk for hours about gut health, compound interest, and cool travel destinations....but I'm completely useless in a conversation about pop culture, celebrity gossip, or politics.

🧐 I love helping people! Nothing makes me happier than messages from my clients telling me they are finally pooping regularly 💩, waking up energized, fitting into their favorite jeans again, no longer experiencing bloating after meals, or that their joint pain is gone!

3 Ways I Can Help YOU!

⭐ Join my Fasting Fix Program to reboot your metabolism so you can lose weight, cut inflammation levels in half and feel 10 years younger with modified fasting.

⭐ Check out The 15-Min Breakfast Advantage - this is the perfect place to start if you wanna feel more energized, lose weight the easy way, and eliminate sugar cravings.

⭐ Book a free private call with me if you're feeling stuck and confused about your health issues.

Links are all in my bio above! Or DM me and let's chat

Your metabolic transformation is right around the corner!

Join me for a Fasting Reset Jan 18th-26th and feel like a whole new person in less than a week! Shed excess body fat, reset your appetite, reduce aches and pains and boost your energy is just a matter of days.

Will fasting work for you? Let's find out!

I'll be the first to say that fasting isn't right for everyone, BUT too many people throw the baby out with the bath water on this one.

When the right people get their hands on the incredible tool of fasting I can honestly say that nothing works faster (pun intended 😉).

⭐ Fasting is an incredible tool for fat loss.

⭐ Fasting works quicker than anything else to restore insulin sensitivity so that you can keep losing weight when you're not fasting.

⭐ Fasting resets and reboots your immune system.

⭐ Fasting resets and reboots your gut too!

⭐ Fasting improves blood sugar control for better energy and fewer food cravings.

⭐ Fasting resets your appetite and hunger hormones, so you feel more in-control over your food choices.

In addition to all the immediate benefits you feel, you also get long-term health benefits like better heart health, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and a wide range of anti-cancer benefits.

The BEST PART is that you can get all the benefits of fasting without actually fasting! It's called modified fasting and you get to eat 3 meals a day all while putting your body into a fasted state and reaping all the health benefits.

Wanna learn how?! Join me for The Fasting Reset where I walk you through your first modified fast - providing you with the exact fasting meal plan and everything you need to be successful.

This is a LIVE program with coaching calls over zoom, group chat support, and expert guidance every step of the way.

Starts Jan 18th! Can't wait to see you there. DM me the word FASTING and I'll send you the sign up link!

Fasting Reset 2024 is on its way! I can't wait for you to experience what all these wonderful folks experienced in just 5 days.

The best part is that this kind of fasting is delicious! You eat 3 meals a day, but still get all the benefits of fasting.

Link to sign up is in my bio! Message me if you've got questions or want me to send you the link directly.

Hello there friend! Tell me:

⭐ What's one thing you wish you were really good at?

Leave a comment or a DM. I can't wait to hear from you!

I need to remind you of something...

beef uses mostly rain water 😮

You're probably shocked because the graphics that tell you that your hamburger takes up 10 bathtubs of water don't specify what KIND of water.

94% of the water “used” to make typical (feed lot finished) US beef and 97% of the water used to make grass-finished beef is naturally occurring rainfall (aka rain that would have fallen whether or not that animal was located on that land).

A life cycle assessment showed it takes only 280 gallons to produce a pound of beef. Some estimates put water usage for the production of grass-finished beef between 50 to 100 gallons per pound.

A pound of rice requires about 410 gallons to produce. Avocados, walnuts, and sugar boast similar water requirements. And the nutrition profile of those foods pale in comparison to beef.

Properly managed cattle can actually increase the water holding capacity of the land. With the help of large ruminants like cattle, whose grazing, hoof activity, and manure all act in concert to improve the soil, our land can actually improve water cycles.

Share this post to spread the truth on water use and beef!

And here's where you'll find me for the next 5 months 🥶

Coming to the end of another fantastic 10-Day Reset with an amazing group of people!

It's been such a joy reading feedback forms and hearing people share how much better they feel after just one week! 🥳

My clients keep me going on this wild, often lonely, and unpredictable ride of building my own nutrition practice.

It's your stories and your goals and your dreams that help fuel my own.

I feel honored to play a role in helping you feel better and more energized.

It's a joy to watch you become more hopeful and optimistic about your health.

When you tell me you're feeling a little lighter and brighter, less bloated and achy, more focused and clear-headed...it makes my heart ❤️ sing 🎶

Thank you for joining me on this 10-Day Reset. 😘

What are those markers? 👇

1. High fasting blood sugar
2. High triglycerides
3. Abdominal obesity
4. High blood pressure
5. Low HDL Cholesterol

88% of us have at least one of these going on - and we might not know it because there's only ONE marker on that list ( #3) that you'd notice without a lab test.

Poor metabolic shortens lifespan, and increases the risk of developing expensive $$$ and life altering diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer, and dementia.

The real kicker is just how slowly metabolic disease develops, often taking years or even decades before you know something is up.

But that's actually the good news!

The upside of a slow 🦥 progression is that you've got time to turn it around, especially if you catch it early!

This is my passion! It's what I do every day with my clients.

If you're curious how your own metabolic health stacks up, book a free call with me.

I can help you do a complete metabolic health assessment, so you know exactly where your metabolic health stands (knowledge is power ✊) and then we'll put together a plan of action to turn things around in just 3-4 months.

If you're interested, book a call! Link in Bio.

Better energy, fewer cravings, targeted fat loss, and fewer aches and pains - all in just 10 days with results that last 3-4 months!

Last chance! Registration closes at midnight (MST).

Time to reboot that metabolism!

How do you know if you have a healthy metabolism? Here's what to look for 👇

1. You wake up energized and have good, steady energy throughout the day. (Assuming you're not chronically sleep deprived)

2. You have a good appetite! You're hungry in the morning and hungry at regular intervals throughout the day.

3. You have little to no food cravings. You go long stretches (3-5 hours) without feeling hungry or thinking about food.

4. You are warm, and can regulate your body temperature well. (If you run cold all the time, or always have cold hands and feet - even when it's warm out - that's a sign your metabolism needs help)

Most people struggle to checkmark even just one of these, let alone ALL of them.

If you're someone who has 20+ lbs to lose and is struggling with food cravings, appetite, mysterious aches & pains or low energy - then join me for the 10- Day Reset.

It's the fastest way to reboot your metabolism, promote fat loss, lower inflammation, and reset your appetite and hunger hormones.

Only 2 days left to register. Go to the link in my bio to learn more and sign up!

Cravings running the show? Belly fat showing up out of nowhere? Where did all your energy go?!

It's time for a Reset!

Joined me inside the 10-Day Reset Sept 11-20th.

2 days of prep
5 days of modified fasting
3 days of replenishing

All spelled out for you with a delicious meal plan, so you don't have to make any decisions, just follow along!

Modified Fasting is the secret to getting quick results like fat loss, more energy and fewer aches and pains.

A modified fast puts your body into a fasted state even though you're still eating.

This activates repair and anti-aging systems in your body, lowers inflammation quickly for fewer aches and pains, and reboots your metabolism for easier fat loss.

Click the link in my bio and check out The 10-Day Reset to learn more.

🌠 Wish your gut felt better, and you weren't so gassy and bloated?

🌠 Wish you didn't need a snooze button and woke up feeling rested?

🌠 Wish your sweet tooth and food cravings would go away?

🌠 Wish you could drop a few pounds quickly, and reset your metabolism in a healthy way?

Join me for a 10-Day Reset!

It's time to reboot, reset, and rejuvenate. It's possible to feel a whole lot better in just 10 days.

Click the link in my bio to learn more!

I'm SO excited about my upcoming Fasting Fix Program, registration opens up on Monday!

Let's reboot that metabolism for easier fat loss, better energy, few cravings, less inflammation, and some serious anti-aging power!

The program includes:

⭐ 2 x month live coaching calls.

⭐ On-demand videos so you can learn when it fits with your schedule.

⭐ 3 fully guided modified fasts, one each month.

⭐ 10 fasting meal plans to choose from, all carefully designed to mimic fasting with real food.

⭐ Access to before and after lab testing at wholesale cost.

⭐ 2 x 90 min before and after lab review sessions where we make sense of your lab results and build a custom action plan for you!

⭐ My Metabolic Blueprint so you know what to eat outside of fasting for continued weight loss and added health benefits.

⭐ Amazing community of like-minded people on the same journey as you.

⭐ Group chat messaging so you can always get the support you need.

⭐ 6 month membership so you have plenty of time to complete all 3 fasts and the before and after lab work, even with travel and unexpected life events.

I'm so stoked! Comment STOKED below if you're as excited as I am!

Have you heard of a modified fast before?

It's a specialized meal plan that's been carefully formulated to mimic fasting even though you're still eating 3 meals a day.

You get all the amazing health benefits of a prolonged fast, without giving up the food!!!

Fasting is one of the quickest and most powerful ways to reboot your metabolism, restore insulin sensitivity, lower inflammation and target fat loss.

In my Fasting Fix Program I guide you through one 5-day modified fast each month, and provide 10 delicious fasting meals plans for you to choose from, plus all my tips and tricks for feeling great while fasting.

You don't have to take time off work, or stop exercising during this type of fast so it's easier to fit into your busy schedule.

If you're interested, comment FASTING down below and I'll send you more details.

Registration for The Fasting Fix Program opens up on Monday, so stay tuned!

There's no denying it, you're pretty special, and so is your metabolism!

Two people can eat the exact same meal and have WILDLY 😜 different responses.

One person's blood sugar may soar, while another's might crash.

One person's gut might digest milk with ease, while another's goes into violent convulsions. 💩

You might have scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast and then feel tired and lethargic all morning.

Meanwhile your spouse eats the same breakfast and feels energized and clear-headed. What gives?

Metabolism is sophisticated and complex. Anyone who tells you otherwise probably didn't sit through 4 semesters of nutritional biochemistry 🤓

The fact is, there will never be a "right" diet or path to vibrant health that works for everyone.

You've got to learn to listen👂to your own body, and honor what it tells you.

That's the hard part. At least for me. 🙋‍♀️ I don't love rules and restrictions.

But.... if I'm being honest, there are certain foods and lifestyle choices that make me feel like total garbage.

Sorry CrossFit, alcohol 🍷, caffeine ☕, staying up past 10pm, juice "cleanses," eating out at almost any restaurant.

If I eat and live like I see so many other people do, I crash. They seem fine, but I feel horrible.

This used to make me angry 😤 and jealous (ok, it still does sometimes), but I've learned to accept the body I've got and to try to listen to it. I feel SO much better when I do.

What's something you see other people "getting away with," but doesn't work for you? Lmk in the comments 👇

Rates of nutrient deficiency in the U.S. are alarming 😳🤯 and worrisome.

Signs and symptoms are often very vague - like low energy, dry skin, poor sleep, low mood, or irritability.

These symptoms can be caused by a myriad of other things, so it's hard to pin down and sort out the real culprit.

Furthermore, most docs and healthcare providers don't test for nutrient deficiency (except for maybe iron or vitamin D). Testing is also difficult and complicated to interpret.

In my work with clients, testing and assessing for nutrient deficiencies is a big piece of the puzzle and key to getting great results.

Clients are always amazed at how much better they feel and how resilient their health is when nutrient deficiencies are addressed.

If you're feeling run down, tired, or like your body is falling apart - it might be related to nutrient deficiency.

Working with a nutritionist like myself who can test and assess for them can make a big difference.

I've got a few openings in my schedule this month, so check out the link in my bio and book a free call with me.

Hot off the press! I had such a great conversation about fasting with Ashlene from who specializes in helping people with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).

This episode was all about fasting, who it's right for and how to get started the right way so you actually feel great doing it!

We dive into some frequently asked questions and topics like:

❓ How long should your fast be?

❓ How often should you fast?

❓ Who should and shouldn't fast?

❓ Do men and women need to approach fasting differently? And why?

❓ Some key signs that fasting is NOT working for you.

❓ How does fasting effect hormones?

And lots more!

Check out The PCOS Repair Podcast episode 61 on your favorite podcast player or send it to a friend.

Visceral fat is fat that develops in and around your vital organs - think fatty liver, fat in your muscles and fat inside your abdominal cavity. It's NOT good stuff.

It's highly correlated with increased risk for several diseases.

You can be thin, normal weight or even underweight and still have too much visceral fat.

You can be overweight and have very little visceral fat with excellent metabolic health.

Body size isn't what determines how much visceral fat a person has.

We can't really see 👀 visceral fat when we look in the mirror because it's fat that's INSIDE your organs and between them.

The only way to really know how much visceral fat you have is with a DXA scan.

However, there are some solid clues on routine lab work and a simple at home measurement you can do called waist circumference that offer great insight.

Some clues you may be accumulating visceral fat are ....

Elevated triglycerides (over 100) on fasting blood test.

Elevated glucose (over 95) on fasting blood test.

Elevated insulin (over 10) on fasting blood test.

Waist circumference over 40" for men and over 35" for non-pregnant women.

We test for ALL these markers inside the Fasting Fix Program and do a complete health assessment at the beginning and end of the program.

Then we use modified fasting to help target visceral fat, lower blood pressure and inflammation and boost overall health.

The next round of this program starts in September!!! Are you with me?!

So excited to announce The Fasting Fix Program 2023 is on its way!!!

Registration opens up next month and I've got some exciting early-bird specials coming your way, so stay tuned!

Autophagy (aw-tawh-fuh-gee) translates to "self-eating," but it's not as gruesome as it sounds.

Autophagy is a really cool recycling system inside your cells. It helps keep cells free of debris, build-up, and waste.

This helps keep the cell healthy, functioning properly, and youthful.

Without autophagy, waste would build up and interfere with the cell functioning.

Imagine if you never took out the trash at home? Never cleaned? Never tidied up?😳

It would get ugly real fast.

The trash and junk would just pile up, spilling into the hallways and making your home a miserable, unsafe and unusable place. And terribly smelly.🤢

I don't think our cells get smelly, but you can imagine how important the process of Autophagy is for a cell.

Autophagy tends to slow down as we age.

As a result, more and more junk accumulates inside your cells and interferes with them working properly. This accelerates the aging process and contributes to poor health in a myriad of ways.

One of the best ways to stimulate autophagy is through fasting!

Fasting acts very much like a spring cleaning for your cells, clearing out large amounts of waste and debris that have accumulated over time.

Pretty cool, eh?!

Have you heard of autophagy before? What questions do you have about it? Let me know in the comments!

Me in my happy place at the farmers market! Figs and cherries are in season only for a couple months, so I stock up. What's one of your favorite summer ?

Fasting (esp prolonged fasting) activates autophagy on a deep level.

This allows your cells to break down old, worn-out, decrepit proteins.

These "j***y" proteins get broken down, cleared away and recycled.

It's like a fantastic spring cleaning for your cells!

It takes about 3 days of fasting to fully activate autophagy, which is why I'm such a fan of modified fasting.

A modified fast allows you to fast safely and relatively easily for 5-7 days, taking advantage of this amazing spring cleaning mode to the fullest.

This results in less inflammation, more youthful cells, and even more youthful looking skin! It's a head-to-toe, inside and outside, rejuvenation process.

If this sounds interesting to you, I teach this amazing method of fasting inside my Fasting Fix Program which starts up this fall.

Stay tuned. Sign ups open up in August!