About Hälsa Nutrition
Our philosophy
It’s pretty simple…Hälsa Nutrition doesn’t believe in diets but in forming a healthy relationship with food and eating…and we teach you what it means and how to do it.
meet the founder, maria!
I’m a family oriented Registered Dietitian who has been in love with nutrition and cooking for the longest time. Being an athlete in my teen years and attending a boarding school where girls constantly counted calories and worried about weight, I found myself steeped in disordered eating.
When I realized how important eating well was, I decided to study nutrition at Cornell and later at Tufts. My journey included learning about diet culture and being a part of it for many years before eventually unlearning it. Thank goodness!
Hälsa Nutrition was founded to promote happy, sustainable eating practices without diets. Because I know, firsthand, the risks of restricting food and I also understand the struggles that come with feeding kids. You’ll leave sessions inspired, detached from diet mentality, and on a road to real food freedom.
By helping you learn to listen and trust your body, you will become an intuitive eater and you’ll be able to apply these principles to your family…so you’re:
- no longer experiencing guilt after meals or snacks
- less likely to restrict or binge
- showing yourself more self-compassion and body respect
- moving your body regularly in a way that feels good to you
- confident about how to best nourish yourself and your family
- at peace knowing you’re raising your kids to be intuitive eaters
- not constantly stressed about what to cook or painfully bored eating the same recipes
We’re a good fit if:
- You need real support and tangible change
- You want to ditch draining diets and learn more about intuitive eating principles
- You want to improve your relationship with food and gain a positive body image
- You’re a mom wondering how to raise good eaters and you want to meet their nutritional needs
- You have a teen struggling with athletic energy and you want to optimize their nutrition
- You want to see your overall mental health improve
- You want evidenced based info from a registered dietitian that will accept people of all sizes, forget weight stigma, and promote a flexible, individualized eating plan based on hunger, nutritional needs, and pleasure, rather than eating that’s focused on weight control and restriction
WORK WITH MARIA
I have always bounced around between the latest “fad” diets and ways of eating. Sitting down with Maria made me realize that this isn’t necessary and that eating sensibly while borrowing a few “lessons learned” from each of my experiments, was the way to go. She was able to give me, and our family, a number of helpful tips and tricks to take the stress out of meal planning and preparation. The recipes that she provides on her blog are delicious, simple and have changed our way of eating and snacking forever.
- Kim P.
Working with Maria has had such a positive impact on my life. Intuitive eating has not only been good for my physical health, but my mental health as well. I no longer eat foods I enjoy and feel guilty or shameful afterwards. I allow myself to eat what I want, when I want, and have noticed that I don't feel the need to binge certain items like I used to. I have incorporated more movement into my every day routine. I take better notice of when I am hungry or full and try to honor those feelings. I've finally created healthy habits that don't feel like a chore to stick to.
- Abi S.
Maria took the time to understand my past medical history, and relationship with food, and took a well rounded approach. I was seeking assistance in getting rid of restrictive behaviors, and wanted to find peace within enjoying food. Before working with Maria, I was scared and embarrassed, as I thought it was something to be ashamed of. She took the time to understand my dietary needs and preferences and worked with me to create skills to incorporate new foods, while also letting go of being "scared" ...My favorite thing about working with Maria was I never felt judged, and I made large improvements in my habits and my relationship with both food and my body. If you are someone looking to find peace within your body, want to enjoy food, and get rid of "food rules", I highly recommend working with Maria
-College athlete
Contacted Maria to help our family with our food choices and to assist with healthy, gluten-free on-the-go snacks for my husband who travels. Maria was a pleasure to work with. She met with all of us, got a good sense of our food likes and lifestyle. She emailed me promptly with suggestions, helped to set up a food journal and menu planning. She also provided me with great websites, including her own that had easy and healthy recipes. Maria was incredibly supportive and instrumental in helping us overhaul our diet.
- Andi O.
I used to feel guilty after eating certain foods and sometimes felt the need to do extra exercise to compensate for my eating. After working with Maria and learning about intuitive eating, I feel like my relationship with food is so much better. I now give myself unconditional permission to eat what I want and how much I want. It feels really liberating and has helped me look at health and my body in a whole new way.
- Sophie S.
Thank you so so much for all of the help you have provided our daughter. Your knowledge and kindness are what made such a difference in her journey to get back into good eating habits!
- Mom of teen
My daughter and I feel much more confident in how to develop a healthy vegan diet for her because of your assistance!
- Kimberly H.
Dive into the fun stuff!
- I’m a mom to two teenage boys
- Hälsa means "health" in Swedish; I was born in Sweden and still visit often
- I enjoy hiking, yoga, and cross-country skiing
- You’ll catch me on the couch with a cup of chamomile tea in hand by 8pm and shortly after, in bed with good book
- I love a clean house filled with plants, flowers, and freshly baked muffins
- The way to my heart is an outdoor picnic or "fika" with the people I love
