We all have our starting points in life.
Born a joyous baby girl or baby boy, our newborn eyes are opened wide to the
new terroir in which we see, hear, smell, and feel. As the days, months, and
years go by, we as individuals grow into ourselves, develop likes, dislikes, a
personality, and characteristic traits. We establish relationships amongst
those we are closest to, discover new concepts and ideas, and are exposed to a
variety of elements- sights, sounds, tastes, emotions, experiences, etc. While
we all have had different journeys leading us to where we are today, there is
one thing that we all have in common, and that is the innate ability to adapt,
overcome, and heal.
DEVELOPING A LOVE:
Growing
up, I was always a highly curious and imaginative child. I can recall spending
hours on end entertaining myself with the simplest of things I foraged from my
backyard. From grass clippings, dead leaves, and those sulfurous strands of
onion grass, I would compile a slew of “ingredients” to create and develop dishes
I deemed “masterpieces,” all whilst enthusiastically explaining the process to
my invisible “audience.”
Food-
whether it being the inedible dandelion, clover, and dirt salads I concocted as
a young child, my moms homemade spaghetti and Sunday sauce, or the weekend
ritual of dominos pizza + breadsticks at my best friends house-has always been
prevalent in my life. Whenever a stressful situation arose, the incorporation
or involvement of food somehow brought back the status quo- at least for a
short period of time. Food was my friend; my vice, my escape; it was my
invisible audience that allowed me to take without having to give. It placed no
judgment, provided no harsh words, elicited no fear; it made me feel happy,
accepted, and safe.
FILLING THE VOID:
As I grew older, my love of food and
childhood “best-friend,” never left me. Dealing with family turmoil and peer
ridicule, food provided a safe haven, an outlet for me to submerse my emotions,
a space to drown out reality. Seeking acceptance, peace, and happiness, I
stuffed myself full of all the “real food” I could easily get my hands on. From
sleeves of chips ahoy, Whopper Jr. meals, bags of Lays potato chips, or ½
gallons of mint chocolate chip ice cream, I would stuff myself full to fill a
void I couldn’t explain, to numb the pain I couldn’t pin-point.
This routine became habitual, a
daily occurrence that placed me on a downward spiral of loneliness and
self-hate. In my senior year of high school, I found myself weighing in at
nearly 250 pounds, avoidant of my own reflection, inadvertently becoming a
recluse, and literally crawling in my own skin. I had built up walls throughout
most of my life, which falsely made me believe that I was okay. The walls I
built in an effort to protect myself were inadvertently hindering me from truly
living. At 18 years old, I found myself sick and tired of feeling sick and
tired and decided to make a pact with myself to stop the downward spiral once
and for all.
BREAKING FREE & FINDING FREEDOM:
With a goal in mind (drop from size 20
pant size to 16!) I began to slowly reduce the amount of processed foods that I
consumed. Eliminating soda- my beverage of choice- was the first step. With
results showing up a few weeks after removing the carbonated stuff, I gained
hope and confidence to continue on. While the ridicule from my peers remained,
as well as some non-supportive feedback from those closest to me (“Oh honey, you’re
just meant to be fat, it’s in your genes”) a dwindling flame that had been
burning inside of me all of my life was- slowly-
regaining its brilliance.
Not
truly knowing what I was doing, I began submersing myself in nutrition books,
watching as many re-runs of Dr. Andrew Weil on Oprah that I could, and spending
most of my free time in the “Health & Wellness” section at Barnes and
Noble. I didn’t make the connection then, but a holistic approach towards
health has always been with me. Prescription for Nutritional Healing is an
encyclopedia of a book that I became enamored with. Finding outlets to learn
became my newest hobby, and the hunger I once fed with Kandykakes and Doritos
was instead a hunger that would only be satisfied with knowledge. My tastes
changed, I began to crave lighter, brighter foods, and the cravings for
processed junk and sugary delights slowly dwindled. The relationship I began to
rebuild with food became one of consciousness and awareness- I began connecting
the dots of how and why the food I decided to put into my mouth had a direct
impact on my health.
After
about a year and a half, I had surprised both myself, and those closest to me
with my results. Initially hoping to drop a few pant sizes, I had managed to
drop nearly half of my body weight. No surgery, no prescriptions, no magic pills,
or extreme exercise regimens. A focused mind, an open heart, and the power of
real food, true food, whole food, powered my journey and continues to do so to
this day. The walls I had built in an effort to shield myself from the harsh
reality of life were beginning to break down, a confidence I had never felt
before exuded from my bones, and for the first time in my life, I truly felt
like I began to live.
FINDING MY PATH & CONTINUING THE
JOURNEY:
I wholeheartedly believe that we are
placed on this earth for specific reasons, given weights to bear and situations
to overcome to grow as individuals and to put us onto the path of our life’s
work. My early struggles and healing journey have allowed me to not only better
appreciate the depth at which emotions and food can play on ones health, but it
has also made clear my life’s purpose: helping others on their personal
journeys towards #truewellness.
While people often associate those
in the health and nutrition field with living lives filled with rigidity and
extremism, this is not always the case. I for one am not perfect (nobody is)
and while the answer for my #truewellness was based upon what I described
above; the tactics and needs will differ from person to person. There is no one
cut/dry answer, or cure-all for obtaining true health, and that is why it is so
incredibly important to focus on the journey, not the destination. Obstacles
and struggles will never disappear, and obtaining the support and resources you
need to help you overcome these is vital. This is where both myself, and the
crew at True Wellness can assist
you.
HOW I CAN HELP:
Now that you know a bit more about
me, I want to get to know more about YOU! Tackling health goals and diagnoses’
can be overwhelming to say the least; and tacking on a hectic work life, insufficient
food/culinary skills and knowledge, or even just lacking emotional support can
divert people from taking the first steps on the road to recovery. That is why
I have developed specific services and programs to offer comprehensive
nutrition-support in various approachable formats for any age, health state,
and end-goals.
■ INITIAL CONSULTATION: 60 minutes
An in-depth one-on-one session where I dig
deep into your past and current health history, review primary health concerns
and goals and current True Wellness protocols. Utilizing our time together and
the completed nutrition questionnaire and diet-log, I will develop an
individualized plan-of-action using a root-cause approach to get you started on
your path towards true wellness.
■ FOLLOW UPS & CHECK INS: 15 or 30 minutes
Staying focused and on track can be
difficult when life begins to throw you curveballs. In these short sessions, I
will review current health status, diet, obstacles or difficulties you may be
facing, and supplement/treatment regimen. From this information, we will work
together to develop a streamlined and approachable action-plan to get you back
on the right foot.
■ PERSONAL MEAL PLANS: (initial consult required)
a.
WEEK: A personalized seven-day (Breakfasts,
Lunches, and Dinners) meal packet with recipes, shopping lists, and snack
recommendations.
b.
MONTH: Four-weeks of breakfast/lunch/dinner
recipes, including weekly shopping lists and recipes (20 total.) Snack
recommendations and CLEAN EATING product guide included.
c.
NUTRITIONAL THERAPY DIETS: Have an underlying diagnosis you are
looking to heal? From thyroid issues, adrenal dysfunction, to Lymes/EBV,
ADHD/Autism, or diabetes, I will develop three or five day recipe packs to get
you started.
BUT WAIT, THERES MORE!
From purging your pantry,
personalized one-on-one grocery shopping, family/group store tours, corporate
nutrition education/lunch & learns, personal/group cooking classes,
culinary nutrition classes and in-depth workshops, recipe development, healthy
catering, and more- you can find a whole list of my services and pricing HERE.
Want to find out additional information as
to what each service includes? Email me at Genevieve@biologicalhealth.com so
I can clarify your questions/concerns, recommend what services would best be
suited for your needs, and schedule a time when we can work together!
**So now that you
know about my personal journey, I would love to hear about yours! Share in the
comments below for a chance to receive a FREE 20 minute nutrition assessment
with yours truly!
To your health,
your heart, your healing journey,
Genevieve – “G”
Certified Plant Based Nutritionist | CHHC|
Culinary Nutritionist
True Wellness Biological Health
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