Reviews from past and current clients

“Working with Nicole has been absolutely life changing. Nicole’s wealth of knowledge paired with her enthusiasm for her practice delivers information in a digestible way that is easy into put into practice. Learning from Nicole about my body has been an exciting process that has helped me incorporate meaningful changes. I now know the ‘why’ behind important life changes. I sincerely recommend working with Nicole.”

“Working with Nicole is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my health. After being diagnosed with PCOS in 2020, I tried many “PCOS diets” and supplement protocols, but always ended up frustrated, discouraged, and very hungry. Nicole has given me a plan that makes me feel nourished and satisfied. Her practical approach is sustainable and is something I feel I can continue with long term. She is a brilliant dietician who fully understands and can explain what is happening in your body. Her science driven and lab backed approach assured me that the supplements I’m taking and the diet and lifestyle changes I’m making are the right path forward. I cannot recommend working with Nicole enough!”

“There isn’t a more practical, effective, compassionate nutritionist than Nicole. I first went to see Nicole to try to address some stomach issues. Not only did Nicole help me to cure my stomach issues, she helped to clear up my skin, alleviate allergies and migraines, and to reduce inflammation resulting in weight loss. Her approach is practical; her protocols are manageable and are not overwhelming. Nicole has improved my quality of life, and continues to be a resource for me, my friends and my family.

“Chews Food Wisely has been a great experience. After sudden onset of gut issues, I was recommended by my PCP to do functional medicine with a dietician. This 1:1 program dives DEEP with so much testing to help sort out imbalances. Nicole was a great listener, empathetic, and truly cares for her clients. If you’re looking to invest in yourself, I highly recommend this 1:1 program”

"I’m feeling better – more energy for sure, which is great. I’m also back at less than my pre-pregnancy weight! So that’s always nice too! I’m now fully gluten free and it’s going great. The best part is my periods are now normal! No more 60 day cycles!"

“I cannot stress enough how helpful working with Nicole 1:1 has been for me and my thyroid/hormone/mental health journey! I feel so much better energetically! Before working with her, I had struggled with fatigue so much that going to the grocery store or running day-to-day errands took so much out of me! I’ve also got my brain power back, I’m able to read and comprehend information like I used to, and I am finally able to launch a podcast which has been a goal for so long! After spending so much money elsewhere, I wish I had started HERE! She is kind, loving, patient, and understanding. Her boot camp thyroid course contains all you need to become more informed, empowered and educated about your thyroid and how to better communicate your needs with your healthcare provider. I am so grateful!”

“Nicole is one of the best if not the best practitioner I’ve ever worked with. She provides comprehensive, evidence based information in a way that’s easy to understand and is always available to answer questions and respond to concerns. Nicole not only guided me in managing digestive issues that my doctors dismissed for years but put me on track to get a diagnosis for a condition that could have been extremally dangerous if it had continued to go untreated. I will forever grateful for her care and support.”

“I am so grateful to Nicole for her knowledge and dedication. She’s smart, genuine, fun, and made me feel like family. After working with Nicole to arrest inflammation, increase my dietary knowledge and awareness, and fuel my body and soul to be the best person I could be, I can say, that Nicole exceeded my expectations. My inflammation has been significantly reduced, my knowledge and awareness increased, and I feel better than great. An added bonus is I’m still experimenting and having fun in the kitchen! I highly recommend Nicole.”

“Nicole is always so easy to relate to with her up to the minute health information. She has been an integral part of my lifestyle changes. Thanks, Nicole!”

“The good news though is that I haven’t had a bad IBS flareup since I started this regimen.”

“Nicole is not only knowledgeable, she is a wonderful person! I was tired of guessing or trying things I saw on Instagram or social media when it came to nutrition & diet. I was also tired of doctors brushing off my symptoms or just prescribing medication instead of trying to understand the real problem. I started searching for a dietician to help me with low energy levels, brain fog, poor concentration, insomnia & overall nutrition to support my health, exercise routine & motherhood when I found Nicole Fennell while searching on Google. After working with her one-on-one, I’m feeling MUCH better with steady energy every day. She listens to whatever issues you may be having & helps you work out a plan of resolution. Before working with her I was taking sleeping pills for insomnia, stimulants to combat the sleep aid daytime effects, and long-term oral contraceptives for all the pre-menstrual & menstrual nonsense. After working with Nicole, reviewing data from labs, & following her macros, micronutrients & supplement recommendations I now only take a very mild sleep aid. I have zero cycle-related symptoms!! She has created an entire video library with so much nutrition information that clients have access to even after you’ve finished your one-on-one work with her. She also provides tons of recipes that are specific to the goals & diet plan she prescribes to you. I feel very blessed to have found her & fortunate to be one of her clients!!”

“Nicole is a brilliant dietitian! I would recommend her over and over again to anyone suffering with any type of hormone imbalance. She approaches each session with a positive, kind, and compassionate outlook. She listens to your concerns and comes up with innovative solutions.As someone who was struggling with poor gut health, a PCOS diagnosis, and a myriad of symptoms, Nicole tackled my situation efficiently and armed with a ton of knowledge to improve my health. She ran testing that no other provider on my team did and uncovered the root of my issues.

Years after working together, Nicole also made herself available to help guide me through my pregnancy in regards to nutrition and safe supplementation. I trust and respect Nicole more than any provider on my care team and know I can count on her to guide me through any health challenges I may face.”

“Chews Food Wisely has been a great experience. After sudden onset of gut issues, I was recommended by my PCP to do functional medicine with a dietician. This 1:1 program dives DEEP with so much testing to help sort out imbalances. Nicole was a great listener, empathetic, and truly cares for her clients. If you’re looking to invest in yourself, I highly recommend this 1:1 program”

“Nicole has been AMAZING to work with! She has greatly helped be understand my body and how to treat it as a WHOLE. With my Hashimotos, I didn’t know where to start and she walked with me every step of the way. If you have been stuck and want someone who will truly invest in your health with you, Nicole is the one! All of your chronic symptoms (headaches, fatigue, stomach issues, horrible cycles) don’t have to be your normal anymore! And I promise, choosing your health is worth every penny.”

“Nicole’s Thyroid Bootcamp has been so educational and extremely helpful to me, and indirectly to my family. She has a way of explaining how things work in the body that just makes sense. We were also able to pinpoint some issues during my 1:1 consultation that have been completely overlooked by traditional medicine. The knowledge gained was worth every penny. I would highly recommend taking Thyroid Bootcamp and working with Nicole!”

“When you are just trying to muster the energy to make it through a day, you don’t realize how much of life you are missing. Nicole changed that for me. She balanced the results of lab testing with a holistic and sustainable approach to everyday life, took the time to review my labs on a deeper level, and listened to how I was feeling. Her explanations are easy to follow and validating. Objectively, my labs are better than they have been in a long time. Subjectively, I feel stronger than I have in years and consistently find myself doing things that were once part of my life that I had forgotten about because I didn’t have the energy. Nicole has given me my life back, she is a blessing, and I am forever grateful I had the opportunity to work with her.”

“Nicole has such a gift of helping women! She heard my symptoms, recommended specific testing, and walked me through the results in a way that I could easily understand. She also recommended tangible and easy things to add in to my day to help improve my whacky mineral levels. Already feeling better after flowering her recommendations for several weeks! Her ability to provide education is also amazing.”

“I’m feeling really good about my food choices. This way of eating makes me feel good have energy and not have achy-ness from inflammation. I’m a “[healthy] food” fan now!”

“I am having regular menstrual cycles for the first time in 10 years! I am sticking to the program and I’m still taking my supplements daily. I’m down to 133 pounds and feel much better. No more brain fog or stomach pains.”

“I have noticed my abdomen has gone down. I’m not bloated anymore and I’m not retaining fluids. With the change of food and cutting down and eliminating gluten I’ve noticed a slight sensation of a migraine coming on but as soon as I take the vitamins it goes away. Not sure which one is helping with the migraines. Overall pain is getting better. I’m also having restful sleep, not waking up as much. I can actually remember dreaming. I have also lost 2 lbs! So grateful!!”

“I’m on day 7 of the first 14 days [of the LEAP MRT diet plan]. Feeling clean. I didn’t know eating could be so comfortable. My gut doesn’t hurt at all post-meals and I don’t get sleepy from eating. Lost a few pounds. My bowl movements are very healthy and frequent, which always makes me feel good.”

“Nicole is always a pleasure to work with! I really appreciate her holistic approach to health and well-being . She has been so helpful in teaching me new healthy habits an reinforcing some that I may have “lost” somewhere along the way. Nicole is always very responsive, and creative with suggestions to keep things fun!”

“Nicole and Chews Food Wisely have helped me immensly with my stomach and digestion issues. For 2 years I’d been seeing traditional doctors, gone through every test under the sun, and been on many different medications- but nothing was really helping much. When I started seeing Nicole she helped me with natural supplements and diet changes that have me feeling better than I have in a long time. She is kind and helpful and I can tell she really cares about making all her patients feel great!”

“Choosing the best foods for yourself and your family can be confusing. There is a lot of misinformation about what is healthy and what isn’t. In my case I was already eating what I believed to be a healthy, “clean”diet but was still having problems with acne, infertility, etc. After having “normal” blood tests, my symptoms were ultimately dismissed by my doctor but I was still suffering. Thankfully, I found Nicole. Her holistic approach to food and nutrition falls in line with my own views. She was kind and understanding as we reviewed my medical and nutritional history as well as the symptoms I was having. She recommended several tests to help get to the bottom of what’s really going on and she has a plan in place to fix the root cause using diet and supplementation. Nicole always takes the time to explain test results and the changes that need to be made to see improvement. If you’re looking to make a permanent change in terms of what you eat or how you’re feeling I highly recommend Nicole.”

“I can’t say enough about how meeting Nicole has changed my life! She helped me achieve what no medical doctor could do…heal! Nicole has helped repair my body through her knowledge of integrative and functional medicine. If I had to go back and start again on my healing journey, the only thing I would change is having met Nicole sooner. Set up a consultation with her, get ready to change your way of thinking about your body+food, and begin your own journey of fueling your body according to its’ needs. You’re worth it.”

“Nicole continues to be a tremendous help in my journey to better health. I went to her with several health issues, including Ulcerative Colitis. Nicole made a detailed plan for me to start with on how to change my diet initially to encourage better habits. Once blood tests were done she could pinpoint exactly what to eliminate from my diet, what to include more of, supplements to aid with my digestive health, and a fool proof plan for me to follow. She equipped me with the necessary tools and knowledge to take charge of my health and encouraged me to make it a priority. Teaching me to use food to heal my body has made such a positive difference in my life. I haven’t had any migraines, my energy is back, and my digestive health has done a 180. Can’t say enough good things about Nicole and how much she has helped me!”

“After 7 years of fighting inflammation running it’s course throughout my body, 11 surgeries, countless doctors, lab tests, and crossing off many possibilities of issues/diseases I could possibly have, and going gluten free, I had finally reached my limit. I was run down, exhausted, completely broke, and tired of being told ‘I don’t know what else to tell you, try another specialist.’ By the end of the 7 years I had been told I had rheumatoid arthritis, possibly diabetic, a completely fine thyroid, no rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, connective tissue disorder(s), Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, hypothyroid, chronic fatigue, and Epstein Barr. I had also had my Achilles tendon rupture and have to be replaced, a spinal cord stimulator implanted, continuous physical therapy, etc.

I spoke with one of my best friends from college who happens to be a dietitian, and she referred me to Nicole from Chews Food Wisely. When I met with Nicole, she listened to my very lengthy medical history and interjected valuable information when applicable. From there, we decided to move forward with the LEAP and MRT testing. However, the timing when I received my results coincided with when I was considered ‘lock-jaw’ due to only having 10 degrees range of motion in my jaw (inflammation), as opposed to the average of 50 degrees that is the norm. Because of this I waited to start my elimination diet. A few months later I moved to San Antonio, got settled, and finally began my elimination diet. In the interim, I even made a trip to the Cleveland Clinic to see if the head of the Rheumatology department could help me.

The first 8 days were miserable, especially day 2 and 3. I am very hard-headed and was bound and determined not to cheat for several reasons, the main 2 being that I didn’t want to have to start fresh from the beginning again, and more importantly, I knew that I couldn’t take any more pain than I was already in daily. Since the day I started my elimination diet (September 23rd to be exact, but who is counting?!), I have noticed a considerable change in my daily life. Due to rupturing my Achilles and my other health issues my exercise has been limited over the last 5 years, and needless to say I put on quite a bit of weight.

Within the first week of being on the LEAP diet, I lost a couple of pounds, and my parents started making comments on how my pants were too big. As I went through the phases, the elimination became easier and easier, and I even started eating more foods than I normally would have (I’m a very picky eater – particularly based on texture). My new co-workers started making comments about how much will power I had to continue doing this – one of them even has similar symptoms and comments daily on how she’d rather be in pain and eat the foods she loves.

Almost 2 months later I have lost approximately 28 pounds and I have noticed my energy levels have steadily increased. My medicines have become more accurately regulated, and I am on about half of the medication I was on when I first met Nicole. My pain has decreased, and my stomach no longer hurts or stays bloated. While there are days that my body still doesn’t feel good, and still aches, they aren’t anything compared to what I’ve been through the last 7 years.

I secretly hoped this ‘diet’ wouldn’t work, because I knew it would be difficult. Fortunately, it does work. I also have lost interest in foods that I used to find satisfying, and instead when tempted, I just think back to how miserable it felt to do anything – sit, stand, sleep, walk, lay down, you name it – it hurt.

I am still learning and will probably always have questions for Nicole, but I am extremely grateful that I have learned so much about my body, and I look forward to seeing the results of my next LEAP and MRT tests to see even more evidence of how my body is rebounding from 7 years of inflammation and inflammation related issues. Thanks Nicole!”

"Nicole is patient, thorough, very knowledgeable and truly cares about your nutrition and health. I am so thankful I found her on my health journey. Thank you, Nicole, for all your knowledge and care!"