I am here; because I have been THERE!

When I was 18 months old I had major abdominal surgery. I had 6 inches of my small intestine resected. My childhood stomach issues were interesting. In an instant, I could go from eating chicken nuggets and playing freely to running straight for the bathroom without warning. A LOT.

This was my normal. I never knew when digestion would strike and when it did...I had only moments. Let's just say I always knew where the bathrooms were.

In my 20's, I had better control of my bowels. My new normal was bloating, constipation and this heavy feeling like I had just eaten a brick after every meal. I was working, going to school, and hitting the gym when I could, so eating was on the go. I saw a gastroenterologist and felt a bit judged being a twentysomething even with my medical history. "Eat more fiber and drink more water" was all they said, no testing or anything, in and out in 30 minutes. My gut flinched! I just wanted to know WHY?!

Thirtysomething was truly something. I found a functional health provider that taught me what foods are reactive to my body. LIFE-CHANGING! Food reactions and allergies are two separate things. Who knew? I had very few allergies to food, but reactions OH MY! Legumes, citrus fruits, gluten, and dairy. I also took up running! Did I mention I had two ACL repairs in my teens? I felt like the stars aligned with my health goals!

Club 40, here I am! My 40's started with a bang! An out-of-left-field corrective surgery slowed me down and brought back my belly blahs. Once healed I began working out regularly, drinking more water, and eating better. Yet, again, struggling with the extremes. Covid was a blessing in disguise. I was laid off in January, covid unrelated, and job hunting got harder and harder. I was able to be present for my family, cooking daily, having free time, and feeling stress-free for the first time in ages. Life is amazing when you set your own hours. I loved cooking so much and knowing nutrition was a big part of my ups and downs I went to find my new path in life. In my search found Nutritional Therapy Associates (NTA). In a crazy year, I have figured things out, FINALLY! I had the answers to questions I didn't even think to ask. I was given the key to WHY my body feels what it feels towards food. If I knew what a nutritional therapy practitioner was back then I would have been thriving years ago. But I do believe things all happen for a reason.

And then…Perimenopause symptoms hit! I got lab work done and was told “you’re in menopause”, WHAT?! I am too young. Before I can ask questions the DR told me to let her know if I wanted hormone replacement therapy, and click went the phone. I felt I was going crazy. A body I once knew well felt like it was betraying me. It was weird. It started with frozen shoulder, then tennis elbow, brain fog extreme that felt like I was losing my mind, a bit of weight gain in the hips and belly, and I decided it was time to learn about what was happening! I had no idea what it was at first until I did some research. The only symptoms that gave me indication were 2 weeks of hot flashes and that was it. The rest of my days I just felt numb. I decided I had to heal myself. So I went back to Restorative Wellness Solutions for the next level, Optimizing Hormones. I got clear answers once again. I am finally getting back into alignment. What a ride!

I have certifications from the Nutritional Therapy Association and Gastrointestinal Healing from Restorative Wellness Solutions helping clients heal their common ≠ symptoms!

Meet your new friend, your Nutritional Therapy & Restorative Wellness Practitioner, Ali!

Let's thrive together!