Specialties

Digestive wellness

IBS/IBD/Celiac disease

Food allergies & intolerance

Healthy cooking / meal planning

Heart health

Diabetes

Weight management

Sports nutrition

My name is Jody and I have been working as a registered dietitian for the past 15 years in a variety of roles. I spent the past 10 years working in private practice focused on digestive health. Through my own struggles with digestion, I found myself wanting to work with others who had similar issues. The world of digestive health has really evolved since I was first diagnosed with IBS 30 years ago! In those days, there wasn’t much research to guide us in terms of managing the condition. We now have good evidence-based strategies that can help manage the symptoms of IBS and other digestive health conditions, such as a low-FODMAP diet.

My journey over the past couple years has been interesting and mind changing for me. I recently completed my doctorate in health science after spending three years evaluating research in the area of the gut microbiome and the relationship to improving gut health. I expected to come out of the experience with an evidence-based protocol for creating a healthy gut microbiome for those struggling with digestive conditions. Although the research in this area is evolving fast, there is still much we need to learn. My main takeaway is that we need to foster a healthy microbiome by using a holistic approach that addresses many factors including: diet, how we live, our environment, our mind/body connections, and movement. Although a low FODMAP diet has been shown to improve symptoms for those with digestive conditions, it doesn’t always take into consideration the quality of our food and the processing of it.

I have been transitioning my guidance and teaching away from restrictive types of diets and encouraging the use of whole food, plant heavy eating patterns that are not specific to any one type of diet. I have noticed that there are many people discussing vegan/vegetarian diets, paleo and keto type diets, and how these extremes are beneficial to our health. There is ample research to honestly support both sides—eating only plant-based or eating a diet including plenty of animal-based protein—for improving health and digestion. While each person has a unique gut microbiome, we all need to eat a tailored diet that fits our preferences and use our intuition to eat foods that make us feel good and nourished. For some people, that might be more plant-based, and for others, including animal products might make them feel better.

My vision is to contribute to advancing integrative strategies for improving digestive health. This website aims to provide guidance and resources to foster a healthy gut microbiome. I plan to offer a wide range of topics since our microbiome is impacted by many factors, not just what we eat. My husband and I are avid gardeners and base many of our meals on what we grow throughout the season. We tend to eat based on what is in season and try to use the freshest ingredients we can source. I will be sharing many of the recipes I use weekly to make whole-food meals for my family that help encourage a healthy microbiome!