What We Do
Eat. Heal. Repeat. educates, empowers and supports those dealing with chronic digestive issues (and ensuing dysfunction elsewhere in the body) in their effort to regain a full and active life. We do this by accompanying and coaching you through a series of healing diet and lifestyle changes, using a whole-foods, whole-person approach. Our suggestions are supported by current research, guided by functional medicine principles, and targeted to individual needs, goals, and capabilities.
More than 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates said 'All disease begins in the gut'. Contemporary researchers are finding more and more evidence for how true this holds. It is our belief that health also begins in the gut, and that by restoring its integrity we can increase vitality, reduce adverse food reactions, and even quench body-wide inflammation or calm our overburdened, overactive immune systems. EHR seeks to help you in taking action to improve your digestive and immune health, one step at a time, with all the medical and non-medical resources available to you.
Why We Do It
In short: Because we've been there.
I (Astrid) dealt with un- or misdiagnosed chronic digestive problems for several years before taking things into my own hands. I realized that I would either never travel, be carefree, and live and work fully again, or get to the root of things. An international move, a comprehensive education in holistic nutrition, and a shift towards naturopathic and functional medicine later, my gut health is fully restored, with some nice side effects such as improved cognition and mood. Now, let me share some of the tested knowledge, training, experiences, cutting-edge research, helpful materials, strategies, skills and habits I have acquired with YOU.
How We Do It
We offer you evidence-based education on digestive health, and on the root causes of digestive dis-ease. We will also discuss the mechanisms behind autoimmune reactions, and ways of addressing a trigger-happy immune system. Then we support you fully in creating a personalized diet and lifestyle plan to heal your gut. We would love to team up with your preferred practitioner/s, and may recommend working with other specialists in the area, for lab work and testing, to get to the root of your problem.
About Astrid
I come from a region in Austria that is famous for its produce. Generations of my family have worked with fruit and vegetables for a living, and they still grow and forage for herbs, heirloom fruits, mushrooms and berries, and make honeys, salves and syrups in their free time. It's what we do. Growing up, anything of importance was discussed over a weekly extended-family-feast, and making meals from scratch was a given. It is no surprise, therefore, that I ended up loving food, and believing in it, until my body lost its tolerance to some healthy, delicious eats. Then it was time to get to know my food better, understand the chemistries of my body and of what I feed it, and to finally let everything I eat 'love me back' again.
I have been an educator for over a decade, and I hold two graduate degrees, one of which in Folklore (traditional knowledge and practice, as it is passed down over generations). During my research in Europe and the Americas, I was always fascinated by the concept of healing, and investigated it both in literature and in life, doing fieldwork with healers and patients. What I have found is best expressed by Dana Lerman, ND: "Health is not something that you get and that you keep for your entire life. Health is a balance and a continuum," and it is made up of our genetics interacting with our experience in life, our relationship to all we are in contact with. While we cannot control our genes, we would do well to optimize 'all we are in contact with': our relationships, environment, lifestyle and FOOD. All these things, depending on their essence and quality, can either be the slowest form of poison, or the most amazing nourishment and source of healing. It is up to us to learn how to use them to build or re-build our health!
My Nutrition Credentials: I received a comprehensive education and training in Holistic Nutrition from Bauman College in Boulder, CO, earning the title of Certified Nutrition Consultant. I am also a Certified Gluten Practitioner, Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®, and a proud member of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP).