LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE.

Hi, I'm Ellen. Food, nutrition, and health have been my passions since I stopped eating fast food when I was 17. I wasn't too fond of that heavy feeling after eating those ultra-processed foods several times a week. I craved a healthier lifestyle and decided I wouldn't be an unwell kid.
 
As one of six siblings, I enjoyed taking dinner into my hands and introducing colorful ingredients that added an "exotic" flair to my Irish family's go-to meat and potatoes menu.

My mother encouraged my passion for cooking, and I
poured myself into anything I could find on nutrition.
Word got out, and I became known as the healthy chef.
 
A top NBA star recruited me as his private chef for my first culinary job! He wanted delicious meals to fuel his body for elite performance. Since then, I've worked as an exclusive chef for countless families.
 
Throughout my 30 years in the industry, the secret ingredient that connected me to my clients wasn't just the food. It was that I crafted my meals like "medicine" and listened when their needs/goals changed. Whether my clients were dealing with acne or autoimmune issues, my health-minded recipes would nourish more than their hunger.
 
Food is one piece of the pie to managing health symptoms. I've always emphasized the importance of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains as part of my services. I also educate my clients on how to read labels and select the most beneficial convenience items.

 

I hold an honors culinary degree from the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Boulder, Colorado. 
 
Still, I knew that the missing piece to get to the root of an issue required a 360 approach, and my desire to go deeper led me to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I became a certified holistic health educator specializing in digestive and hormonal health.
 
In this process, I realized I needed to be in sync. Caring for others and not putting self-care at the top of your list can do that to you. At just 51 years old, I was told I had the bones of an 80-year-old! I ignored and normalized the signs and symptoms that escalated this prognosis. I needed to navigate my health journey and get to the root of it. Through lifestyle shifts, I committed to my health in ways beyond food and exercise. Changing my mindset and taking inventory to build better self-care habits led to sustainable measures to nurture my body, mind, and spirit.

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Osteoporosis is an autoimmune disease that typically goes hand-in-hand with several root cause issues. Therefore, I dove into figuring out the source of my predicament, starting by advocating for my best health and finding an excellent team of professionals to support my goals. Your finest health is not a quick fix; still, I triumphed by zeroing in on stress reduction, sleep, hormonal symmetry, and the desire not to succumb to this debilitating diagnosis. Especially the expectation of long-term meds. And guess what? With lifestyle medicine practices, I regained 4 percent of my bone loss in just one year! With a concise round of conventional medicine, more gains were made in the following two years, and happily, I am drug-free to this day. 
 
I've experienced first-hand how your digestive system directly impacts your life, and it changed the old "You are what you eat" mentality to a mindset focused on "You are what you can digest."
 
My mission is to help you improve your gut health so you feel your healthiest – mind, body, and spirit. In my latest book, Gut Driven, and my 3-week Reset 90/10 program, I break it down and give you the road map to heal your body, achieve balance, and reset your relationship with food. The reality is that no two specific bodies are alike, so let's create a starting point together and create actionable steps for the affirmative change you desire.