About
I am a Licensed and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and a Licensed Am I Hungry?® Mindful Eating Facilitator. I hold a M.S. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut and am the founder and CEO of FitNutrition, LLC which provides individual nutrition and sports nutrition counseling, nutrition consulting and scientifically-based presentations. I am the co-author of the upcoming book, “Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat for Athletes: A Mindful Eating Program for Sports and Life” with Michelle May, M.D and writer for nutrition websites and magazines. I am honored to be the sports dietitian for Providence College in Providence, RI.
My Mission
I am an athlete who is passionate about mindful eating and living. I am a weight-neutral dietitian nutritionist who promotes a non-diet mindful eating philosophy. I provide client-centered counseling which enables us to work together as a team and places you, the client, in the “driver’s seat” since everyone is unique and you are the expert of your body. I believe that all foods fit when the four principles of eating are applied: balance, variety, moderation and enjoyment.
To learn more about a non-diet dietitian nutritionist and mindful eating click on the links below:
My mission is to work with clients to empower them to take charge of their decisions regarding nourishing, fueling and hydrating their bodies for overall health and wellness as well as athletic performance (if you’re an athlete!).
I work with individuals to discover the “why” behind their food choices and eating behaviors by helping them cultivate a mindful eating practice to reach optimal health and well-being. As a specialist in sports nutrition, I am passionate about working with athletes to optimize their athletic performance by working with them to fuel and nourish their bodies mindfully.
My Story
My life’s work is centered on fitness and nutrition. I love being physically active and fueling my body in ways that meet my unique needs in order to optimize my health, well-being and sports performance. I’m grateful for my body’s strength and proud of my abilities as both an athlete and active individual. Through my personal experiences and passion for healthy living, it is my mission to help every client feel comfortable in their body, be proud of their physical achievements, and enjoy a lifetime of physical and emotional strength.
In my journey to establishing FitNutrition, I faced numerous challenges from overeating to restrictive eating as well as coping with sensitive stomach issues. In my high school and college years, I enjoyed team sports and was a strong athlete. But I also experienced times when I felt uncomfortable in my skin. Like many of us, I faced emotional triggers—for me it was boredom, procrastination and food availability—that led me to craving food and snacking too much when I wasn’t hungry. Sound familiar? I also fell victim to not ‘fueling’ my body optimally (not eating sufficient protein, hydrating adequately or consuming energy during long workouts) based on my activity level as a collegiate athlete and later training for road races and triathlons. Many of us have experienced that sense of frustration with our bodies thinking that hard work, eating three meals a day plus snacks is enough, but in fact that’s just the beginning to optimally nourishing and fueling your body.
It was only years later when I was training for my first half marathon that I began to practice mindful eating. I had the fortunate opportunity to work with both a trainer and a dietitian nutritionist who helped me develop the appropriate physical and nutritional program to optimally support my needs for the race. I trained hard and also began to really think about why, when, what and how I was fueling and nourishing my body.
This was the beginning of my practice with mindful eating – and I loved the results! I listened to my body’s hunger and satiety cues and gave myself permission to enjoy all foods that I loved. By honoring my body, I naturally reduced the times that I ate just because I was bored, procrastinating or food was available. By paying attention to the amount of food that was best for me, I began to stop eating when I was comfortably satisfied rather than too full…I didn’t deprive myself. Yet, I was aware of why, when, what, how and how much I was eating as well as the types of foods that made me feel best.
Each week during my training, I made small modifications to how and what I was eating. Because of these changes, I began to feel better – I had more energy, strength and stamina. I began experimenting with different portions and types of food — knowing that ALL foods can fit into a balanced, healthy meal plan. And the race? Well, let’s just say I ran faster than my goal time!
During this time I also learned how, what, and when to eat so that I would not experience an upset stomach. There are many people who suffer from sensitive stomach issues—indigestion, cramping and other related digestive problems when being physically active. For me, many foods bothered my stomach if I ate them close to working out. I felt I could only eat certain foods or drink particular liquids before being physically active until I began to experiment based on tested sports nutrition guidelines. It amazed me (and still does) how optimally fueling your body leads to greater energy, more stamina, reduced soreness, better recovery, and less sickness which, of course, leads to greater sports performance.
I was now eating mindfully by listening to my body. Learning to honor my body and eat mindfully has helped me to realize what “triggers” me to feel the need to overeat (or underfuel) and to find a solution other than food to take care of myself and cope with that particular issue or feeling. Mindful eating has enabled me to trust my body, enjoy ALL foods. It put me in charge of my food choices rather than feeling that certain foods controlled me or that I needed to control certain foods my restricting my food choices.
Mindful living and eating has also enabled me to build a stronger more resilient foundation. Eating and living with intention (purpose) and attention (focus) is my way of taking care of myself by putting my needs first so that I can be the best person that I can be.
Now, as a registered dietitian nutritionist and athlete, I’m giving back this knowledge to help athletes and active individuals realize their potential. My passion is to help others be the best they can be physically and emotionally. Each individual on this earth is unique and so is their body. It’s important to respect your body for its uniqueness and not try to become something it is not designed to be. Strength and fitness is not one-size fits all, it comes in all shapes and sizes! It is my goal to help you nourish and fuel your body in a way that enables you to optimize your well-being, health and athletic performance based on your lifestyle, current health status (i.e. diabetes, food allergies, autoimmune disease, etc), food preferences and health goals without feeling deprived.
After becoming a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics in February 2010, I realized that there is a difference between fueling your body for peak athletic performance and nourishing your body for optimal health. Who knew? I am passionate about helping athletes determine when to fuel their bodies for peak performance and when to nourish their bodies for optimal health. Finding this balance can be confusing and overwhelming since we are constantly inundated with advice (which may or may not be accurate) about what to eat and drink to achieve greater endurance, build stronger muscles, and improve athletic performance. My job is to sift fact from fiction in order to provide you with the tools to properly fuel AND nourish your body.
Think. Fuel. Excel. TM
~ Katie Jeffrey, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, CDN