Welcome!
ARE YOU:
Suffering from debilitating fatigue?
Concerned about your weight?
Confused about what dietary advice to believe?
Dealing with chronic stress?
Waking up every morning foggy-headed and in need of a coffee jump-start?
Not sure how to kick the 3pm sugar cravings?
As a Nutrition and Health Counselor my passion is helping my clients live at 100%. No matter what barriers you have to experiencing better health, I can work with you to understand and alleviate them.
FOOD IS MEDICINE. It's really as simple as that. Finding the right foods that work for your body along with making small lifestyle adjustments, can do wonders for your health and vitality, and truly put your life back in your own hands.
I have a passion for what I do, which translates into positive results for my clients. Please read on for more information about my program offerings and what you can expect from working with me.
I believe that support is the key to success. As a counselor I will fully support you in your quest for better health.
I will:
- Help you discover which dietary and lifestyle modifications work for you.
- Give you practical nutrition and lifestyle recommendations that will help both you feel better and that you can easily integrate into your busy schedule.
- Provide ongoing one-on-one counseling and check-in sessions.
- Follow through to see that you accomplish your goals.
- Give you recipes, cookbooks, CDs, DVDs, food samples and a variety of other materials that will provide inspiration and knowledge to help you along your path.
- Lead private cooking classes, health food store tours, pantry clean-outs and other events that will help you integrate what you learn into your daily life.
Please take a moment to read through the testimonials at the end of this page to see previous client's successes!
My Background:
Throughout my studies I have explored all the major dietary theories, from
Eastern-inspired diets like macrobiotics and ayurveda, to Western diets like Atkins and The Zone.
I have learned through this process of exploration that no one diet works for everyone. Therefore my approach is very individualized and I pull from many dietary theories in the work that I do. I provide careful guidance and help my clients to thoughtfully experiment until they find the foods that work best for them.
I also bring to the table knowledge of many important biological properties--how your body metabolizes food, fights off toxins, repairs DNA, and does the many hundreds of other things that are required to sustain life. I will help you gain an understanding of how your specific food and lifestyle choices directly impact these processes, and ways to reverse damage that may have already been done.
Additionally I have a strong background in organic agriculture, having grown up on a small family organic farm, and working at the national level for a couple years on organic and sustainable agriculture and food policy, before switching to a nutrition-specific focus in my work. My lifetime experience in the realm of food, agriculture and nutrition has given me a unique knowledge and skill set that allows me to share with my clients some real specifics when it comes to the best food choices to make for their health and the health of their loved ones. I do not offer a standard by-the-book approach to nutrition. My approach is much more diversified and incorporates the very best of what science currently knows about the body, how we respond to certain foods, and how to bring about true and lasting health.
Getting Started
I offer a discounted initial one-hour health consultation. For only $35 you can discuss your health concerns and goals with me in a supportive and confidential environment and walk out with some specific steps forward. Click here to schedule a consultation with me.
TestimonialsRead what my clients are saying!Ellen is a wonderful teacher and coach. She is more valuable than Google when it comes to information about nutrition! The breath of her knowledge is astonishing. Since I have begun working with Ellen I have gained a new appreciation of the importance of nutrition in my life. Ellen has broadened my thinking with her holistic approach and helped me change behaviors as well.
I have lost 10 pounds by making more healthy eating choices and I am cooking at least 3 meals a week. Ellen helped by bringing new food I had never tried before like quinoa to our session, along with a recipe for how to cook it. She gave me a list of healthy snacks and lunches and I have now stocked my refrigerator at work with these things.
The resources she has made available to me are many, including books on nutrition, DVDs on healthy cooking, and personal assessments to help me understand my own behaviors, the current state of my nutrition, and why my body behaves the way it does.
Ellen helped me prepare for an 8-day hike in Italy which I was uncertain that I would be able to complete. She gave me encouragement and tips on how to keep my goals visible and in reach. I had a wonderful time and came back feeling healthier than ever!
Ellen has a passion for the work that she does. It is obvious that she practices what she preaches, making her advice all the more meaningful. She is patient and caring but also challenges in a gentle way, helping me see possibilities for a healthier me in the future. After going through a six-month program with Ellen, I have signed up again to continue to receive her inspirational coaching and support.
CJL, Takoma Park, MD
About to reach a milestone birthday, with a growing spare tire, Ellen came along at the right time in my life. I knew I needed to make changes, but was uncertain what those changes should be. Ellen methodically takes one through early childhood eating habits and food choices to present day dietary routines.
She is very gentle with her suggestions about new foods, new cooking methods, and different eating habits, like sitting down to eat! I had never eaten kale in my life, and now it is on my weekly grocery list.
I am making better choices, snacking much less, and loosing weight painlessly.
Sleeping through the night and feeling energized when I awake are real results of my sessions with Ellen. She has made such a difference in my life and I feel confidant that I will be able to continue with these changes for the long haul. I know Ellen will be there encouraging and advising me in her wise and gentle way.
JPG, Annapolis, MD
When I turned 29 I had a realization that I was not happy with my
health and wanted to do better for my body. I wanted to better nourish
my body through food and regular exercise. My goal was to be in better
shape and feel better about my life at 30 than at 29. My determination
to make these drastic changes came at a big transition stage of my
life. My husband and I had just moved from Indiana to Maryland, and we
were learning how to live together. I was also learning the trials of
continuing a home-based business in a brand new city not knowing a soul.
When
I started my sessions with Ellen my main goal was to learn to eat
healthy, along with losing weight. I figured instilling these habits in
me would also be a positive influence on my husband and our future
children. I was eating a lot of processed food and sugary foods,
drinking soda every day, and if we cooked at home my husband did the
work.
I actually found through working with Ellen that I had a
sugar addiction and by lessening the intake, my constant cravings for
sugar have decreased dramatically. There are days when I don't crave
sugar at all! Ellen has helped me learn what foods work best for my
body and what foods don't. Now we cook fresh foods at home most nights
and I'm doing the work! Through discussing good food choices, exercise,
and strategies to deal with everyday life, Ellen has helped me toward
balance in my life. The biggest change I've noticed is that I'm excited
about eating nutritious food - who knew kale is the best green ever!
Through
Ellen's focus on living your life at 100%, I worked through many
repressed issues from the move, the stress of "starting over" with my
Mary Kay business and even some stressful moments in my marriage. This
was an unexpected bonus from Ellen's guidance. Ellen is such an easy
person to talk to and has become my confidant through this transition
stage of my life. I have found that even just talking about foods and
stresses with Ellen helps me to realize the right path for me. Thanks,
Ellen!
Shannon Pearson, Annapolis, MD
Please visit the other pages of this website (left-hand sidebar) to learn more about what I offer my clients and to read more testimonials.