Dr. Cheryl Winter, Nurse Practitioner of Nutrition 

There’s no shortage of information on the internet about the “perfect” diet, but how can every diet be the “perfect” diet for everyone? You know that it doesn’t make sense, but the expected results sound too good to turn down. Does this sound familiar? 

 

Nutrition can be difficult to understand even without the fake information circulating the internet, but in recent times it has become even more convoluted as you have to sort through the good and bad information. Instead of guessing your way through finding a proper nutrition plan that works for you, learn how Dr. Cheryl Winter, a registered nurse practitioner of nutrition at Vital Health Solutions, can help you find YOUR perfect nutrition plan.

 

Following a Nutrition Plan Doesn’t Mean You Have to Say Goodbye to Your Favorite Foods 

One of the top 5 reasons that people don’t stick to the nutrition plan of a nurse practitioner long term is because the plan is too restrictive. Shifting your eating habits takes time and effort, and if you try to cut out all of your favorite foods, then it’s unlikely that you will stick to the plan. Instead of removing all of your favorite foods (assuming they aren’t nutrient-dense), Dr. Cheryl will work with you to figure out a nutrition plan that will fuel your body AND include your favorite foods in moderation. 

 

You might be wondering, “How is that possible? You can’t eat ‘bad’ food and get healthier at the same time!” That mentality is what leads people into this endless cycle of dieting. When you change all of the foods you eat, especially at the same time, and don’t allow yourself to enjoy foods that you love from time to time, then you will quit your diet. It is better to include a few foods that aren’t nutrient-dense into your diet than to completely ditch your nutrition plan. Don’t you agree? 

 

Being a nurse practitioner of nutrition helps Dr. Cheryl create customized nutrition plans that fuel patients’ bodies, as well as help overcome or prevent health concerns. She isn’t concerned with short-term quick results; she is concerned about the long-term effects and habits that are created with a proper nutrition plan that’s created for each patient.

 

Nurse Practitioner Dr. Cheryl Uses Nutrition to Improve Patients’ Mental Health

College students are known for having poor nutrition, which can lead to increased anxiety, fatigue, and sickness. For those rare college students that choose to eat a nutrient-dense diet, they are more likely to moderate their emotions, increase their focus, and have overall better mental health. 

 

This reality isn’t limited to college students – it applies to everyone! Dr. Cheryl is passionate about creating individual nutrition plans as a nurse practitioner for her patients so they can achieve stable mental health with the help of good food! Below are a few examples of food that increase your mental health, plus some that should be avoided! 

 

Foods that improve mental health:

 

• Salmon
• Chicken
• Whole grains
• Avocados
• Spinach
• Yogurt

 

These foods include vitamins that are linked to a reduction in mental disorders, and they have been shown to help boost learning and memory. Others include protein, which keeps you fuller longer, meaning that you won’t have mood swings as often because your blood sugar will be balanced. 

 

Foods that should be avoided for mental health:

 

• Processed meat
• Fried food
• Refined cereals
• Candy
• Pastries
• High-fat dairy products

 

These foods can cause inflammation throughout your body, which can contribute to mood disorders including anxiety and depression.

 

Not only can a balanced nutrition plan from a nurse practitioner help improve your mental health, but it can also lead to fewer trips to the doctor. Poor nutrition can be linked to decreased overall health. Don’t you want to feel like a new you and stop going to the doctor as much? Yeah, we do too! 

 

Dr. Cheryl Utilizes Medical Nutrition to Support Patients’ Overall Health

Most people want a nutrition plan so they can lose weight, but did you know that medical nutrition exists? The goal of a nurse practitioner’s medical nutrition plan is to use food as treatment to manage health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity instead of treating it with medication.

 

Medical nutrition is simple: it is treatment based on food. You know that old saying “you are what you eat”? While that isn’t 100% correct, it is true that what you eat directly affects your health. 

 

Dr. Cheryl and the other registered nurse practitioners and nutritionists at Vital Health Solutions work with each patient to review their unique situation and determine the best diet to support their health. The goal of a medical nutrition plan is to avoid treatment that utilizes medications and improve the overall health of a patient. 

 

Here are three examples of conditions that can benefit from medical nutrition:

 

• Diabetes can be treated with a medical nutrition plan that teaches patients how to count carbs and educates them on portion control, which helps to control their blood sugar. 
• Heart disease patients can benefit from utilizing a medical nutrition plan to reduce their risk factors of heart failure. Nutrition plans that are low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and inflammatory foods will help avoid increased heart issues. Plus, an emphasis on consuming plant-based foods will increase heart health. 
• Digestive conditions, such as ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease, can also be treated with a medical nutrition plan. A medical nutrition plan for someone with inflammatory bowel disease could benefit from a supervised elimination diet that removes certain foods before slowly adding them back into the patient’s diet to determine trigger symptoms. 

 

There are many more health conditions that a medical nutrition plan can help to treat. Dr. Cheryl does not use unnecessary medications and treatments. Instead, she likes to focus on detoxing the body and providing patients with a plan to improve their overall health.

 

Experience the Healing Power of Nutrition

As a Doctor of Clinical Nutrition and a registered nurse practitioner and nutritionist, Dr. Cheryl will take the time to listen to your current situation and customize a nutrition plan to help you meet your goals. 

 

At Vital Health Solutions you’ll always meet with a registered dietitian/nutritionist, which means that your insurance is legally required to reimburse you for qualified conditions that necessitate nutrition therapy. 

 

Stop navigating the confusion of nutrition, and experience the healing power of a proper nutrition plan. Contact us today to learn how to get started!