I couldn’t help but share this incredible testimonial that my client wrote about her experiences with LEAP Mediator Release Testing for Food Sensitivities and SpectraCell Micronutrient testing. It brought tears of joy to my eyes knowing that changing basic food choices were the answer to years and years of being passed from expert to expert.

“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!”

erapy

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Real Food is Real(ly) Simple

Hey There, I'm Nicole!

I'm Nicole, Integrative & Functional Registered Dietitian Nutritionist — and a Hashimoto's patient and busy momma of three who has been in your shoes. I spent years trying to figure out why I felt so off despite doing all the "right" things, and that experience completely shaped the way I work with women today.

My whole approach is built around nourishing your body with real food you actually want to eat, not white-knuckling your way through a six-week protocol that leaves you more exhausted and more confused than when you started. Because restriction doesn't heal anything. Real, sustainable nourishment does.

I'm a college professor and educator at heart— I teach a range of classes from freshman level "Introduction to Nutrition" and graduate-level Women's Health and Nutrition courses, and that passion for making complex science click in plain English is woven into everything I do. If you leave a session without actually understanding why we're doing what we're doing, we haven't done our job.

I love going on long walks while listening to an audiobook (my FAVORITE is The Count of Monte Cristo, but I'm currently reading Lord of the Rings), being totally outnumbered with my three wild kiddos, eating yummy food, sipping a good cup of coffee, and (trying) to crochet!

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Whether you're running on fumes no matter how much you sleep, trying to make sense of a Hashimoto's or thyroid diagnosis, dealing with periods that knock you completely sideways, navigating PCOS, struggling with cholesterol or blood sugar that won't cooperate, or carrying weight that refuses to budge no matter what you try — please know you are not alone. And more importantly, there is an actual reason you feel this way.
At Chews Food Wisely, we're not here to hand you a meal plan and wish you luck. We're here to look at your full picture — your labs, your symptoms, your life — and find the connections that explain why your body has been doing what it's been doing. Then we build you back up with real food, realistic strategies, and a plan that fits your actual life. Not a protocol designed for someone else's body.

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