Welcome!
Hi, I’m Mary Van Lieshout, a nutritionist and owner of Essentials to Wellness. I have a Masters of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport and a Certification of Holistic Nutrition from Bauman College.
Why study nutrition? I had less than perfect health in my 20s-mid 40s, with chronic health issues. I was taking medication and not getting resolution. Suffice it to say, I returned to school and tackled each of my health issues with diet and lifestyle changes. I tackled stress and limited personal exposure to environmental toxins to limit bringing in new toxins when I was already overloaded.
What is Essentials to Wellness?
The light bulb went on in biochemistry. We were covering homeostasis, the body's goal of getting to equilibrium, a healthy balance point. My professor put up a list of essential nutrients. They were what we could not personally synthesize, or could not synthesize well. They were a host of macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, clean air, water, fiber and beneficial microbes.
The human body likes to get to a place of healing, equilibrium and optimal health. Your cells made of raw materials, make up organs, create organ systems, and become the whole being. Your body will achieve balance when it has optimal essential nutrients and the least interference from non-essential chemicals, additives and heavy metals, unhealthy levels of stress and poor sleep. Even under this assault, your organs of elimination are constantly getting rid of stuff that is damaging to you, doing its best to keep up with the non-essential body burden.
The Science along with My Beliefs
We have forgotten what is ideal for a healthy human existence because we are overstressed and under nurtured. We lose sight of thousands of years of how humans were meant to live. And while we don't want to go back to living in caves, we need an understanding of everyday behaviors to keep us thriving. And I love to write about it.
Allow me to empower you and your family, so we can create a community of change. There is not a chronic condition that won’t improve through understanding the pitfalls of a modern planet. We can make changes and feel better. If we understand nutrigenomics (how food affects our gene expression), we also get the next generation off to a healthier start. And the added bonus: as we make better choices to achieve awesome health, the planet also benefits.
