Amanda Young is a certified Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor, with a BA in Psychology from Sarah Lawrence College, graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.
My Story:
My passion for health and nutrition was ignited while struggling with my own health as an actress and painter in New York in my early 20s. While I had always been a healthy child, I started to experience frequent recurring infections, slowed metabolism, exhaustion, mood swings, and depression. I was surviving but certainly not thriving. I knew there must be a better way.
Slowly I began to heal myself through the study of yoga, nutrition and herbs. The results I achieved were astounding! I started to love my body, have boundless energy and love my life! I was so excited by the power of nutrition and yoga to heal in my own life, that I knew that it was my calling to share this with others.
I decided to get some formal education to prepare myself to work as a healing conduit for others. I received my training and certification to practice Health Counseling at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the only nutrition school integrating all the different dietary theories—combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies with modern concepts like the USDA food pyramid, the glycemic index, the Zone and raw foods.
There I learned how to take my passion and make a difference in the lives of others. Today I have my health counseling and nutrition practice in a yoga studio in the Soho/Noho area where I daily have the great priviledge of seeing exciting transformations and healing in the lives of my clients.
I also have my own chocolate company which specializes in raw, organic healthy chocolate truffles. This chocolate is the perfect embodiment of my philosophy that healthy eating does not need to be about discipline and deprivation but can include truly indulging your senses. For more information about my chocolate please go to : http://www.urbangoddesschocolate.com
For more information about my education, please go to www.integrativenutrition.com.
(I would be happy to answer any questions about the program. I am a huge advocate of what they do!)
Testimonials
"Thank you from the deepest place in my heart for being such a wonderful, insightful, lovely person. Working with you is truly a gift and I am so grateful for being the recipient of your wisdom."
-B. Garber
"I have so enjoyed my six months with you! I'm so glad I made the decision to work with you. You are fabulous and have led me on the path I wanted to be on all along... Looking back at my food diet from a year ago, I've really changed my eating patterns. Increased consciousness is a HUGE part of it! Thank you for all of your notes, they are helpful when I reflect on what each session was about... I've also loved all of your ideas and all of the goodies you've given me along the way! In essence, I've really achieved all of the things I've wanted to! My 6 month goal will be to check in and make sure I am still in the right place. " -B Horton
"Hey Amanda, Hope you are well. I must have sent you at least 1000 thank yous this entire last weekend. I made kale and shiitake, the smoothie, started my vitamins, green juice and feel 100% better! In fact I even made the smoothie 3 times. God bless you and bless you. I already lost some weight and feel a lot more energized. YOU ARE AMAZING!!"
-A Khemke
"I first began Amanda's nutrition... well actually, nourishment program with intentions to lose weight, and finally come to terms with my OCD- governed eating disorders. But little did I know how much I'd be changing my relationship with food entirely. Through 3 sessions each month for 6 months, Amanda guided me to regard food as something to embrace , as opposed to something to fear. I now look at a meal and try to see beyond the calories and ingredients, focusing instead on the beautiful energy it provides....Food is is so much more than just what is visible, tangible, and measurable; it is also the thoughts we feed ourselves with when eating it...
I absolutely love Amanda's program! Her books and recipes are stimulating (the recipes, especially fun to try); her exercises are meaningful (I still write in my gratitude journal these days); her quotes are inspiring; and the goal sheets are great for making ideas concrete and keeping on track. Best of all she is able to see beyond the food as well, for an issue in nutrition often really indicates an issue in something else. Thanks Amanda for being so intuitive and perceptive. Thanks for all your love and guidance! I see food with new eyes now. So thank you for a wonderful program."
-A Dispenziere
"Amanda was an amazing advocate for my health and personal goals. She didn't impose her vision on me. Instead she was really sensitive and creative in finding ways to empower me to actualize my own vision, in ways that worked for me. My work with her has minimized my PMS symptoms, greatly improved my eating habits, cleared my skin, and most importantly cleared my head. I am really grateful and I recommend her highly. She is smart, lovely to be around, and a great partner in creating a healthier and happier life."
-S. Lutz
"Amanda has an amazing ability to merge nutrition with intuition and understand the ways food and emotion interact in your daily life, giving you the tools you nedd, in real life situations, to change habits and work towards a healthier life. Her library of recipes and her constant encouragement has prompted me to go back to cooking at home, allowing me to take greater control over my nutrition. But most of all, her caring , involved, empathic personality made my sessions with her a pleasure and allowed me to approach a healthy life style comfortably and with excitement."
-N. Alexander
"When we did the detox a world opened up before me that i didn't know. The amount of clarity, the colors, the flowers, the smells, the sensations I became aware of. it all changed... I was perceiving life from a different place.
-J Stuhlbach
"Amanda embodies a spirit of inspiration and enthusiasm as a holistic counselor and nutritionist. During your first session with her, she will ask you to create a goal list for a given period of time and from there begins your journey. Amanda listens with objectivity and mirrors back your words with clarity, helping you visualize and clearly define personal truths and ego-less desires. She expands the concept of nutrition to more than a science within the body, but also nourishment that feeds the soul.
I came out of our 6 month session with a nutritional education and a higher sense of awareness and confidence ... Amanda has taught me that if you quietly listen, your body has a wealth of information to give. It was an introduction to a heightened outlook on health which will forever ripple a positive effect in my life! :)"
J- Yu
"It's difficult to fit everything I got from working with Amanda into 1-2 paragraphs! I was lucky enough to meet this amazing lady through a mutual friend about a year ago when I was very confused about what's healthy and what's not amongst all the fad diets and false information out there about nutrition. Amanda helped me understand that no specific diet is right for everyone and my needs are very personal. She explained various types of nutritional philosophies and drew from them to help me carve out a healthy and satisfying eating plan for myself. My understanding of nutrition is much greater but even more importantly, my awareness of how to listen to my body is what I really got from the whole experience.
Amanda lent me her books which were great resources for healthy cooking. She also held a few hands-on cooking classes which were really fun and so delicious! I became more confident about trying different recipes at home in my own kitchen. She would read me passages from inspirational writers. She had me keep a food diary which helped me pay attention to eating patterns I was stuck in. From there she analyzed how to change those patterns and create healthy habits through diet, exercise and other activities that feed my soul. She paid very close attention to me and my individuality and helped me tailor a good program for myself, while being able to change it at any given moment as my requirements change over time. |
Such a peaceful sacred space was created and special care taken to get me into the present moment, no matter how hectic my life was at any given time. I looked forward to being in that beautiful space, it's quite apparent Amanda enjoys her work very deeply and cares about her clients. She would serve tea, light a candle or just be her radiant self. She not only focused on nutrition but weaved holistic philosophy connecting the mind, body and spirit. She was able to pinpoint aspects of my life I needed to pay more attention on, while keeping in mind my personal goals. These shifted into more authentic intentions over the course of a year. She was extremely attentive, encouraging and supportive with all my personal growth.
I found my time were Amanda extremely refreshing and educational and knowing her has been one of the best things that ever happened to me. Nutrition is a building block to improve one's overall quality of life and mine has vastly improved. Her energy is amazing and I'd leave our sessions feeling happy and more enlightened. I still rave about her to my friends and family. If I could recommend anyone or do it all over again, I would choose Amanda hands-down."
-B. Schack, New York City