My Wellness Plan has changed. Based on feedback I received from my clients, I have modified my Wellness Plan so it is now a packet of three Follow-Up Nutrition Consultations that must be used within 18 months instead of a packet of five Follow-Ups used within 30 months, as it used to be. The change makes it less money to pay upfront for clients who want regular nutrition tune-ups during these still-difficult financial times. But by purchasing the plan and investing in their health, clients on the Wellness Plan get 20 percent off the regular price of three Follow-Up nutrition counseling sessions. Because the new Wellness Plan lasts a shorter time period, it also makes it easier for me to keep track of bookkeeping-wise. If you have had at least one previous consultation with me and are interested in the Wellness Plan, you can learn more about it at my Nutrition Services for Existing Clients page.

(more…)

by Melissa Diane Smith

(Opinion) - Confused about the health care debate? Or have a strong viewpoint on one side or another? Either way, consider this: The health care debate really is a disease care debate because nutrition, the key factor that affects our health and prevents disease, isn’t part of anything that is being discussed.

(more…)

What they say about people burning out from writing a blog is true! It’s even more true when someone writes two blogs, writes a monthly magazine column, speaks, and nutritionally counsels and coaches clients. Because of that, I wanted to let you know about a few changes I have made to two of my services.

(more…)

Cutting back on purchases because of the recession? Most everyone is. But don’t neglect your health. Medications and doctor and hospital bills drain financial resources worse than virtually anything and certainly more than the small investment and preventive care of learning to eat right. When you spend a little upfront to learn the nutrition information and skills that will help you best, you end up reaping the reward of long-term good health and protection from the astounding costs associated with conventional medical care.

(more…)

BREAKING NEWS: Eating a hunter-gatherer-type diet improves a wide range of cardiovascular risk factors – blood pressure, glucose tolerance, insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels – in people who do not exercise in less than two weeks, according to a just-published study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

(more…)

The beginning of a new year is a fitting time to reinforce the idea that you can create a new you at any time. The quickest, healthiest way to do that is to change what you eat.

We don’t really think of it, but the body is constantly at work running every system in the body: the digestive system, immune system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system and many others to keep us healthy. We tend to think of our bodies as static without any change, but that’s not true: the body is constantly breaking down the old and rebuilding new. For example, it replaces the entire skin every six to seven years, gives us all new red blood cells every 120 days, and it actually renews the lining of the entire digestive tract every three to four days.

(more…)

Americans are speaking up about the importance of nutrition and of going against the grain in healthcare.

President-Elect Barack Obama has launched an interactive healthcare site
welcoming comments and ideas from people on what should be done to reform the U.S. healthcare system. There are already fifteen pages of comments, but on the first page alone, the importance of nutrition and some of the issues I raised about corn in previous posts — Corn Fed and Fat: The American Problem that is Spreading to Other Countries and “King Corn” A Must-See Film — have been raised.

(more…)

Yesterday I wrote about scientific research that backs up the effectiveness of the components of my nutrition coaching programs. Today I include testimonials from a few clients who recently completed nutrition coaching programs with me. These clients agree with the science showing that nutrition coaching over the phone is effective for changing longstanding unhealthy eating habits to health-promoting ones!

(more…)

National and international health organizations advise increasing fruit and vegetable intake to prevent and reduce chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. But getting people to change longstanding eating habits that are low in fruits and vegetables is challenging and often ineffective.

Numerous studies show that telephone counseling, especially regular telephone counseling over a concentrated period of several months, is effective at significantly increasing people’s fruit and vegetable intake and improving several health indicators. Ongoing written material and group support also offer positive effects in promoting and sustaining health-promoting eating habits. This research gives scientific justification to the components of my nutrition coaching programs, which have become the fastest-growing and most well-received nutrition services that I offer.

(more…)