7th day of Christmas - Me in 2023

For the 7th day of Christmas, we're half way through, and I'm just having a little reflective moment that I'd like to share.

I went to the Optometrist on Friday, looking after my eye health is a self care goal of mine. The Optometrist asked what I did for a living, to which I replied "a Nutritionist". He then asked (without hesitation), "what is the latest fad diet going to be for 2023?" Insert eye roll, and mumble under my breath "thank you diet culture".

My reply sounded like this, "I'm actually an anti-diet Nutritionist," (smile) "I encourage my clients to eat in a way that intuitively serves them, to feel their hunger, to feel their fullness and to forage for, share and enjoy food."

The Optometrist looked at me blankly, and then nodded approvingly. I continued "I only prescribe specific diets, when there's a therapeutic reason to do so, like allergies, chronic disease, life stage etc." The Optometrist nodded again, "I've never thought about a Dietitian or Nutritionist that way, I always thought you just did diets."

I'm glad we had that conversation, it opened my eyes to how some of my fellow health practitioners view my profession, and how I can help change the conversation. And after a year of face to face practising and serving my community, it gives me another reason to reflect on the expectations of my current and prospective clients, and distil the path/s I want to take in my personal and professional journey.

So what can you expect from me in 2023?

> Absolutely more love and respect for food, and helping you to find more ways to forage, share and enjoy food. Cultivating positive relationships with food, free from guilt and fear. Encouraging you to enjoy the benefits socially and physically from food.

> I'm inviting you to join me for one on one consults in 2023, and receive 15% off your first consult by using MEIN2023 coupon. This is an opportunity for you to work alongside a practitioner to understand your health goals and how to get reach them. Receive scientific advice but in a digestible and practical way, individual to you.

> By the end of this week I will be launching a special program dedicated to balancing the bacteria in your gut, helping to relieve gut symptoms, fell well, up-regulate immunity, increase mood and help you understand your hunger. This is a longer program, which includes intensive one on one's and comprehensive clinical stool testing. Stay tuned!

> From January, I will be sharing with you a personal journey I'm going to undertake. It has to do with personal and professional growth, dedicated to making me a better, more informed global health professional. I'm excited to go on this journey, learn learn learn along the way, become a kinder, more aware practitioner and bring awareness to my community. I'll keep you posted via my channels.

> And finally, I'm going to be launching a new brand in 2023 as well, which is super exciting. I'm not ready to tell you just yet, but it's baking nicely at the moment. I can't wait to share it though!

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