Medical Nutrition Therapy

Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA) is the loss of one’s menstrual period. This may be due to over exercise, under nutrition, excessive stress, hormonal changes, or all of the above.

HA is common in athletes and restrictive eating disorders.

Our periods, although an objectively un-fun part of having a uterus, are a dipstick to the overall well-being of our bodies. Not having a period it not normal. Not having a period as an athlete is not normal.

Amenorrhea leads to a cascade of negative changes namely bone degradation which if unmanaged, leads to osteopenia or osteoporosis. Young women are most at risk as we build and reach peak bone mass in our early twenties prior to its natural decline as we age.

PCOS or polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal condition in which many cysts form around the edge of the ovary. A diagnosis from an OBGYN will confirm this and treatments include dietary changes, lifestyle changes, medication, and hormonal birth control.

Although well meaning, PCOS treatment recommendations are often “weight management” and carbohydrate restricted diets which only perpetuate the problem leading to weight cycling, disordered eating behaviors, and elevated blood sugar in the long run.

Approaching PCOS from a weight neutral, behavior based place is imperative for long term management of this condition.

Prediabetes and diabetes are conditions where blood sugar is higher than normal caused by a variety of factors such as insulin resistance, insufficient physical activity, unbalanced diet, stress, and genetics. Lowering and managing blood sugar is done though behavioral modifications, not weight loss. Weight loss may be an outcome of behavior modification but is not the cause of elevated blood sugar.

Carbohydrate restriction and crash diets are not the answer to decrease blood sugar sustainably for the long haul. Reduction in A1C can often happen with behavior modifications alone.

High cholesterol is a condition in which total cholesterol or LDL is elevated increasing risk for heart attack and stroke. You will find your lipid levels on a typical blood test with HDL, LDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides. All of these levels are heavily influenced by our diet and lifestyle factors and most of us are just told to lose weight to manage these numbers.

Unfortunately this will not solve the problem and will only be made worse by weight cycling (the process of losing and gaining weight repeatedly over time) as this is incredibly stressful for our heart and metabolism.

Understanding how our diet can improve our cholesterol levels is one of the most sustainable options we have.

The world of wellness is filled with misinformation. Followers don’t equate to knowledge. Neither does having a podcast.

True wellbeing involves sustainable, realistic changes that fit within your budget, preferences, built environment, and life season.

If you are curious about prevention of chronic disease, nutrition education, or exploration of heath promoting behaviors, I would love to support you in that. As a Registered Dietitian with 7 years of education in the health sciences, I am equipped to help you better understand nutrition science, physiology, weight science, and overall wellbeing from a weight neutral, evidence based lens.