Meet Amber
Nothing should hold you back from living the life you daydream about. Especially not your health.
Everyone has an opinion about how to be ‘healthy’. There are the people who tell you not to eat carbs, while others tell you not to eat fat, and others tell you not to eat sugar. (Ummm, what the hell are you supposed to eat, then?) Then there are the people who tell you to go vegetarian. And the people who tell you to go paleo. And the people who tell you to go paleo vegetarian. Arghhhh. And THEN there are the people who tell you to cut your calorie intake, or exercise more, or take this medication and everything will be better. (There are even people who tell you that bacon is bad. *Shudder.*, I mean hellooo bacon is delicious.)
My point? It’s a minefield and a mind-boggle. Who are you supposed to listen to?
The problem is, opinions aren’t facts. Opinions aren’t science. Opinions aren’t helpful. They’re confusing, stressful, and they can even be dangerous.
It’s the same with health guidelines. How many times have you looked at a label on a supermarket jar and replaced it after seeing the high sodium content? Guidelines recommend that everyone limits their sodium (salt) intake to no more than 2400mg a day, even though it affects the blood pressure of only 25% of the population. How many real foods, like grass fed beef and virgin coconut oil, do you avoid because of the high saturated fat content? Pro tip: Oreos do not count as real food. Guidelines have conditioned us to see saturated fats as ‘bad,’ even though only a small percentage of the population experience a rise in cholesterol as a result.
See? Mind-boggling.
It conditions us to fear food. When really, we just need to learn which foods to be friends with. AKA the ones that nourish our bodies best.
I don’t work with opinions. Or diets, or gimmicks, or guidelines that don’t mean anything, or ‘quick-fixes’ that don’t fix anything. I work with humans. And their unique bodies with unique needs. What might work for one person, might not work for another, so not only do I march to the beat of my own drum, I march to yours. Even when no one else does.
Especially when no one else does.
My name’s Amber, and I’m the Disobedient Dietitian. I would say I go against the grain, but grains can be good for you so… I’m also a cooking fanatic, Ironman finisher, and totally obsessed with learning. (Seriously, I spend about 90% of my spare time learning everything there is to know about nutrition.)
I believe that nutrition alone has the power to prevent, reverse, and decrease the severity of symptoms of almost all diseases and conditions.
Woah, big statement. But it’s one that I, and all the clients I’ve worked with, stand by.
Thanks to my rapturous curiosity for science, extensive experience working as a Registered Dietitian for people with serious and often complicated health problems during my Internship and hundreds of clients since, I know that your nutritional needs are as unique as your personality. They’re both culminations of the environments you’ve been exposed to.
When it comes to health, a one size fits all approach doesn’t exist. That’s why diets either don’t work or aren’t sustainable. (So don’t feel guilty about abandoning the ‘one last try’ you keep promising yourself.) As disobedient as I can be, there are certain rules I stick to. I’m not totally rogue! Like, all my work is based around real food and I will NEVER recommend margarine or Snack Wells. Because, well, these taste gross. Gross won’t make you happy. And if you hadn’t heard, food should make you happy.
Maybe you’re wondering, why her? Sure she’s a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, so she’s taken classes on biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology and had over 1,000 hours of supervised training (true story), but what makes this blonde lady qualified to help me beyond the letters after her name? How does she know what I’m really going through?
The truth is, I don’t know how it feels to have an autoimmune disease, even though I had to watch my mom battle chronic fatigue for years with no answer as to why. I don’t know how it feels to have an eating disorder, even though I’ve looked at my body with shame and thought that not eating would solve everything. All that said, I DO know how it feels to have your energy, your confidence, your desire, your life stolen from you. My thief was severe depression. Yours might be rheumatoid arthritis, or celiac disease, or migraines, or IBS, or anorexia, or bulimia, or one of the hundreds of other conditions with different symptoms, but know this.
While our symptoms might look different, we’re all fighting for the same little things.
As lovely as a Tiffany’s necklace or 5* all-inclusive trip to Paris is, it’s the little things that really make life meaningful. A goodnight kiss on the forehead from our significant other… A grin from our child when they see us waiting at the school gates… A joke that makes us laugh so hard it hurts… Just so you know, the only pain I ever want you to experience is from laughing too hard.
The life you want can be more than just a daydream.
I see you, I’m here for you, and I’ve got the answers you’ve been searching for.
Live the life I daydream about
Amber Gourley, MS RD
I’m Amber, the Disobedient Dietitian who believes in uncovering the root cause of your health woes and healing them, not just putting a band-aid on them and hoping for the best. (Which, of course, never comes.) You are worth so much more than a band-aid. It’s time to make food your friend, not your fear.
