Meet Cindy

Like you, I wear many hats: mom (2 girls and my adorable puppy), wife (happily married for over 20 years), daughter, and small business owner. The majority of my career was spent as a nurse in various settings. Working in health care, I realized the significant impact diet and lifestyle had on health and vitality. I saw how individuals who relied solely on medications to control their high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and blood sugar, required close monitoring for the side effects of pharmaceuticals. Those who chose to change their diet and lifestyle as well, were able to escape the revolving door of the health care system. Even those who have a strong genetic predisposition for heart disease (like me) or cancer can stack the cards in their favor.

As an impressionable young woman (who had accumulated an extra 25 pounds through unhealthy habits during nursing school), I realized to avoid a lifetime of medications or hospitalizations, I needed to lose the additional weight. However, I didn’t totally understand the true meaning of “healthy food”. Yes, I did lose the excess weight, but it was certainly not the best way. I bought into the fat-free fad, eating foods high in sugar (this is the way manufacturers make up for a lack of fat and taste) but deficient in nutrients and quality fats. This left me feeling foggy, hungry and irritable.

I knew there had to be a better way to maintain my ideal weight without feeling lousy, while keeping my sanity. And there is!! I learned to incorporate “real foods” into my daily food regime, happily eating tasty, foods that provide nourishment. The pounds came off and the weight loss was easy to sustain. Better still, my skin was much smoother, the mental fog lifted and I have more energy to enjoy life to the fullest. As a health professional I knew I could make an impact on others by teaching them how to make simple, permanent changes in their diet and lifestyle. This led me to continue my education through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition where I received my degree in Holistic Health Counseling and became a member of the American Academy of Drugless Practitioners. I furthered my education, exploring the mind-body approach to nutrition, at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating. I’m also a graduate of The Christina Pirello School of Natural Cooking and Integrative Health Studies. I have my Bachelors and Masters in Nursing, both from Thomas Jefferson University.