What is an Integrative Health Nutrition Coach? They are a supportive mentor who helps their clients reach their health & wellness goals and feel their best through personalized, one-on-one encouragement around finding the foods and lifestyle practices that work best for them and their goals. You many have seen or heard more recently a surge of Nutritional coaches partnering and working alongside Doctors and other medical professionals to help guide their patients through the ins and outs of nutrition and since nutrition instruction is minimal during their time in medical school and diet is a big factor is long term health.
My name is Heather Metoyer and I have been doing this for almost three years now. During my time as a Coach I have been helped over 30 clients (individuals, couples, and families) achieve and surpass their health and wellness goals. Many were battling chronic illness, autoimmune disease, weight gain/loss issues, or just trying to better serve their families and find some nutritional and wellness guidance!
My journey began a little over six years ago when I became very ill around 6 months postpartum with my first daughter, Eloise. I was losing my hair, I had severe debilitating anxiety, I was gaining and then losing excessive amounts of weight without making any changes to diet, I was getting chronic sinus infections, and other co-infections, GI issues, brain fog, heart palpitations, etc. The list is too long to write out but you catch my drift.
After many many doctors appointments of being told I was just sleep deprived and it was postpartum depression, I just knew they were wrong and it was something bigger than me, they finally diagnosed me with Celiac Disease and Hashimotos and Hypothyroid Disease. My world felt like it had crashed around me. I didn’t know how to navigate these diseases and already feeling so sick where was I suppose to start. The Drs. helped the best they could, but many didn’t know how to help me other than to prescribe me meds and tell me to stop eating gluten. I was told my thyroid would eventually fail me completely because it couldn’t heal and that I would be on medicine forever and it would need to be surgically removed. The Dietician really didn’t have any guidance on the Celiac disease diet either. It wasn’t something she saw everyday and handed me a pamphlet she dug out of the bottom of her drawer and said good luck!
So after hours and hours of research and really diving into what could I do to help my body heal, I found a way of eating that would help reduce inflammation, and could help both my gut and thyroid at the same time. After months and months of nutritional changes, and supplementation I was finally hitting my groove and I was so excited that I could see positive results, my drs were shocked at my labs results, and things were progressing in the right direction!
During all of this, Eloise started showing some allergy and gut issues which led to Chronic Dermographic Urticaria (hives) at the age of two. So we saw the allergist and many many drs appts later we discovered she had Celiac Disease as well 15 different foods she couldn’t eat (I wasn’t convinced she was really allergic to some many things but there was more of a gut healing issue that needed to happen). In the meantime, her diet became VERY restrictive and it was hard for me as a mom to see her not be able to have normal kid things. But I dived in again and found creative ways to make those things allergy friendly, and with supplementation and nutritional changes we started seeing positive progress in her. Eventually at the age of 4 the hives stopped and the gut started showing less and less issues. Looking back I am beyond thankful that I had my wild health journey, which still has had its ups and downs even to this day, because if I hadn’t I don’t think I would have been able to help Eloise so quickly or have the knowledge that I did.
While all of this was taking place I told my husband that I just couldn’t let anyone else who was struggling feel this way, the way I did, and they way I know so many are. Not feeling well and having to navigate new ways of eating or supplements or natural remedies at the same time is HARD. So I decided to get my Integrative Health Nutrition Coaching Certification through IIN 4 years ago, so that I could help others to not have to feel the way I did and I could take the guess work and extra stress out of it for them!
I would love to chat with anyone who needs some guidance. I offer 1:1 consultations, hourly guidance sessions, or monthly programs. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and check out my social media handles by clicking on the icons on the top or bottom my page. I am always giving a TON of health tips and tricks on my Instagram and FB pages!
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