Intuitive Eating Consultations
After over 25 years of working with clients on healthy eating and sport nutrition, i've expanded my focus to include several unique elements: mindfulness, self-compassion, body awareness and getting to know the parts of you that impact your eating. I am also an IFS Informed Dietitian. Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a model in psychology that helps us understand thought patterns and emotions that may be getting in the way of reaching our goals.
Whether you are looking to make changes to your weight, get the most out of your workouts or simply looking to take better care of your health, my approach is centered around honouring our bodies, our thoughts and our emotions... rather than simply following a set of "Healthy Eating Rules". This approach of better understanding body signals and your relationship to food is sometimes called "Intuitive Eating" or "Mindful Eating" or in the IFS world, it's called "SELF led eating". Whatever you call it, the end result is to feel energized, to enjoy your food and to be a peace with the thoughts and emotions around food and your body. You can find more about Intuitive eating in my article: “Are You an Intuitive Eater. Take this Quiz”
Who can benefit from this approach? Everyone. I welcome all different types of consultations: Nutrition check-up, increasing body awareness, incorporation of mindfulness for reduced stress/anxiety/depression, increasing energy, improving digestion, meal planning, changes in weight/body composition, managing emotional eating, understanding blocks to motivation, improving self-care, disordered eating, improving exercise performance, finding balance for plant based eating, nutrition education for families/teens, pre-post natal nutrition, nutrition for menopause, nutrient deficiencies (ie: iron, calcium, B12) etc….
If you have questions before booking your consultation, feel free to fill out the CONTACT form below.
I am passionate about helping people reconnect with their bodies and understand their relationship to food as a way toward better health. In other words, exploring our daily patterns and experimenting with new habits that respond to the messages our bodies are sending (ie: hunger, fullness, fatigue, stress and emotion). Some people are simply looking for a 'food plan' to follow. I certainly provide education, meal timing suggestions and lots of food ideas, however, I believe one of my most valuable services is helping my clients get back in touch with body messages and thought patterns that can have a powerful impact our eating. Putting it all together, my goal is to help you make the best choices for YOUR body by finding a balance between external nutrition recommendations (Carbs/Protein/Fat/Meal timing etc…) and internal body signals (hunger/fullness/stress/emotion). This is especially important for our youth who are growing and changing daily, including body composition, emotions and hormone levels. If they try to follow a strict set of rules, they will miss the important skill of responding to body signals when they need it most. I find this combination of examining WHAT, WHEN, HOW and WHY we eat very helpful toward making big shifts in health (Not to mention setting an excellent example of healthy living and self care for our children)
Non-Judgement and Compassion
The 2 wings of mindfulness have been described as: Observation without judgement and Compassion. These 2 principles are the foundations of my approach to nutrition. Our food choices can feel very personal and in today’s society you’ll find all kinds of judgements about not eating ‘junk food’, ‘eating clean’ and trying to control our ‘urges’. I don’t believe long term lifestyle change can happen through ‘shoulding’, shaming and strict rules. Instead we’ll approach your current habits with curiosity and compassion. Many times, our habits have emerged as a way to cope with challenging life situations. By bringing forward a compassionate awareness we can accept where we are starting, uncover the roots of our behaviours and continually adjust and strengthen habits that make us feel great. This approach is summarized beautifully by the best selling author Mary O’Malley who wrote the book “What’s in the Way is the Way”. See her quote below. To learn more about Heidi, her training and how she developed this approach click ABOUT
“To some degree, we are all compulsive. Our struggles range from over worrying, to overworking to overeating to over drinking. Our primary reaction has been to try and control our behaviour but when we try to control our compulsions they control us. If we do manage to stop one, another always takes its place. There is another way of healing that is more about responding rather than reacting. Our compulsions thrive in reaction and heal in response. They won’t let go until they teach us how to engage with them. We can give them the attention and compassion they need to heal. In the light of our compassionate attention, not only do they lose their power over us, but they become the doorway to healing that we have longed for’.”
APPOINTMENT LOGISTICS
The first session we will discuss your goals, your challenges, your health history and what you hope to get out of our work together. The follow-up sessions are usually booked every 1-4 weeks depending on your goals. The first few meetings will review "what/when/how much you are eating" and we’ll begin to develop a compassionate, non-judgemental awareness of your habits and your body. The following sessions we continue to fine tune body awareness (hunger, fullness, stress...), mindfulness practices, capitalizing on your strengths and understanding emotion to honour what your body needs each day. If your focus is sport nutrition, we will also look at how the food you eat is fuelling your mind and body.
Throughout all your sessions we will look at obstacles and patterns and parts of you that may be preventing you from reaching your health goals. For those interested we may also explore visualizations, self-compassion practices, mindfulness meditations, getting to know your parts, SoulCollage®, journaling activities and even dream analysis as a way to better understand your unconscious habits and blocks. These practices can be very effective for raising your awareness and empowering you to release old patterns that may have been preventing your success. All of our goals will be habit focused. I believe the first goal is to honour our bodies and to better understand our thought patterns and emotions around food and health. Once we can take a compassionate approach to our blocks, we can begin building healthy habits that leave us feeling nourished and energized.
Time/Location: My appointment times are typically offered between 8:30am-4:30pm Monday to Friday, Eastern Standard Time. Currently most of my consultations are done online or over the phone, which can be very effective and convenient. I use the Jane APP platform for our video consultations which is private, secure and encrypted. All data storage is compliant with the Canadian Personal Health Information Protection Act. If you prefer an ‘in person’ appointment, I have availability on alternating monday’s beginning in December 2024. To book an “In-Person” appointment please email Heidi directly at heidismithvitality@gmail.com or fill out the contact form below. In person appointments will be at the Orchard Park Offices on the grounds of the Ignatias Centre, 5420 Hwy 6, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
NEW* - Tuesdays are now available for booking through my partner clinic Guelph Women’s Health Associates (GWHA). You can book an individual online session with Heidi under the umbrella of the GWHA team. This clinic has the added benefit of a collaborative team including pelvic physiotherapy, occupational therapy and counselling services. Simply click this link to access the GWHA booking site if you would like to book on a Tuesday with Heidi. To book on any other day of the week, click on the “book your individual session” button below.
Fees: Each 50 minute appointment is $175 Canadian (CDN) payable through e-transfer, Credit Card through the Jane App or Paypal. You will receive a paid receipt that can be claimed through benefits if you have coverage for Registered Dietitian. If you do not have extended benefits, your receipts can be saved as a health expense on your year end taxes. For a limited time we will be offering free 20 minute “Meet and Greet” appointments online. If you would like to meet Heidi and see if her approach fits with your needs, you’ll also be able to book this free visit through the Book button below.
If this approach resonates with you, I would be honoured to work with you. Simply click the “BOOK” appointment button and you will be directed to the JANE APP to book your first appointment. You’ll also have an opportunity to fill out a health history form which has a section to share your goals for our work together. If you have any other questions, feel free to send me an email by filling out the CONTACT form below or by emailing heidismithvitality@gmail.com. I look forward to the opportunity to work together.
Other Programs: I also offer creative workshops through the year that combine collage, mindfulness and body awareness. I find the fun process of connecting to our intuition through mindfulness and collage very helpful for uncovering sources of emotional eating and underlying stress. In addition, I have group programs offered in person and Online called "Radical Self Care" which can be an economical and effective way to begin building better habits. Click here for information on group programs
CONTACT HEIDI if you have any questions. If you prefer to email, you can reach Heidi directly at heidismithvitality@gmail.com