Counseling On Life — And Nutrition

By Kendra Bobowick

Andrea Anderson’s story starts with her young sons. Now a holistic health and nutrition counselor, she was the mother of two troubled young boys several years ago, which prompted her to search for answers.

Her older son, now 7, was aggressive. “He was frustrated easily — yelling, kicking, etc,” she said.

She was back and forth to doctors’ visits seeking solutions.

“What worked one day wouldn’t work another,” she remembers. Her younger son, now 4, was born around that time. By 7½ months he had lost his motor coordination.

“Whatever had developed had disappeared, among other things. He was showing signs of being autistic,” she said. Both boys had been highly sensitive to environmental toxins. She found doctors who could help her children. She learned about medicines, vitamin, and supplements.

Ms Anderson also learned that food can have “an enormous impact on mood and behavior,” she wrote in a recent e-mail to The Bee. With a change in diet she was able to decrease her boys’ aggressiveness, moods, and hyperactivity. She saw how “amazing” a change in diet and nutrition could be. “My youngest son is now on target for a 4-year-old. Does he trip more than the other kids? Yes, but he is out there running. Both sons are far beyond where they were,” she said. “My older son has leveled his mood swings.”

Are they better? “You betcha,” she said. “Their lives changed. They’re healing.” With her eyes opened to her sons’ improvements, Ms Anderson sought more. She earned her certification as a holistic health and nutrition counselor, and is accredited by the American Association for Drugless Practitioners, and is a member of the Coalition for the Integration of Youth Wellness.

She learned more about health, and more about nutrition. “The amazing thing, I started to help myself and that was an important part of healing the family…” Today, she is calmer, she feels good, and appreciates what she has, she said. The message? “I want people to know they can help themselves, their kids, their families.”

In a recent release, she noted, “When we focus all our energy into caring for our children we can become tired, cranky, stressed, and perhaps even ill. We’re not able to be our best selves and certainly we aren’t being the best parents…” Larger portions of her clients are moms and their children. “Often if a mother helps herself there is a ripple effect. Food, mood, behavior in the household changes because mom took time for herself.”

 

What’s So Wholesome?

“Things that we pass off as personality or just as being the way we are” may not necessarily be quirks we have to continue to live with, Ms Anderson said. Moody? Anxious or frustrated? Maybe it is something you ate — or didn’t eat.

“Say you’re prone to feeling anxious and we uncover a wheat or dairy sensitivity — it becomes blatantly obvious how food affects us.” By removing certain foods, then reintroducing them, the differences are clear. “You’re either more frustrated or without [a certain food] you’re more relaxed.”

Sensitivities aside, whole, quality foods in general boost health. “Food is the foundation,” Ms Anderson said. With so many fast food and prepackaged choices available, our bodies may not be getting the full nutrients needed, she explained. “We’re not getting good food,” she said. “And just [good food] alone triggers energy, uplifted moods.” She believes “wholeheartedly” in proper nutrition with an awareness to sensitivities. “This worked for my sons, myself, and clients,” she said.

 

How Does She Work?

Ms Anderson does all of her work over the phone, in group conversations or one-to-one. “We work toward goals,” Ms Anderson said. And, she educates: “Here is the information on nutrition and here is why you should do these things.”

She learns a person’s health concerns, then creates small steps to larger goals. She gives a client “just a couple things to do” before the next session “with regard to an ailment.”

She targets foods and how they affect a person. Did a food “work” and provide energy? Did the change in eating provide clear thinking, calm feelings? Is there a right and wrong food for everyone? “It’s not one-size-fits-all,” she said. “What works for me may not work for you.” Her role is clear. “I try to help people identify what foods make them feel good, and once they see the difference they reach for the food that makes them feel better — it’s not about numbers and fat and calories — it’s about quality — that’s the big one.” What has the right quality? Whole grains, organics, fruits, vegetables.

Aside from finding the right foods and quality foods, she also aims to identify any sensitivities. She is not talking about allergic reactions to foods, but subtly affects. “A lot of people don’t realize they are sensitive to wheat or dairy,” Ms Anderson noted. With a few changes in eating habits a person may realize “suddenly, they are no longer bloated or suddenly they sleep better — suddenly they feel at ease.”

 

Primary Concerns

With food changes underway, she turns her attention to the “primary food,” or other areas of a life that help a person feel balanced. Careers, relationships, and spirituality all come under consideration. She asks, “Are you in the midst of a career you’re happy at? If something feels off, can we make the situation better or change it?”

Ms Anderson also asks about personal relationships in her clients’ lives. “How are things with your spouse, your children, your parents?” Again she intends to learn if “something is off, or if you’re feeling nurtured.”

As for spirituality, she is not necessarily looking for religious practices, but meditation, for example, or nature. “Something that feeds someone,” she said. “What makes you feel good? What works for you? What fits for you?”

Why all the questions? “The idea is, when everything is in balance and food is going well, stress is easier to handle, you sleep well. Pieces start to click.” Life can be better when the wrong foods, chemicals, sweeteners “don’t catch up with you,” she said. “It’s not what you do to your body sometimes that creates a problem, but what you do to your body most of the time helps you feel well and be well. Listen to your body.”

Offering one piece of advice, she said, “If you ever thought you wanted to feel better, you can, it’s possible.” Take small steps, she said, and things will be “much better,” again noting the changes made in her family.

Visit AndersonHealthCounseling.com to learn more about speaking with Ms Anderson, or she can be reached at 364-9608 or Aanderson8@sbcglobal.net The counseling business is a holistic health and nutrition practice helping individuals and families balance their bodies and lives through nutrition and changes in lifestyle.