Hi folks – Alida here! To kick off 2022, I’m excited to share with you that MORE Method Nutrition is now a group practice! That’s right, it’s no longer just me, we’ve welcomed a new dietitian to the team and I couldn’t be more excited for you to meet her.
As a practice, it’s important to us that when people reach out for help with their eating disorder recovery, that they aren’t faced with another waitlist. In order to make this happen, I’m happy to announce that Alana Freitag RD MHSc has come on board.
While Alana was completing her supervised practical training as an intern, she gained experience working with adolescents with eating disorders at North York General Hospital (inpatient, outpatient and day hospital). She particularly enjoys working with young people and the connections she builds working with her clients. Alana also comes to us with experience as an athlete herself and working with athletes at the University of Guelph, where she led personal training and nutrition education sessions for student athletes.
I know Alana will be a great addition to the team and that those clients lucky enough to work with her will be in the best hands. She is the embodiment of all that The MORE Method stands for and I’m so looking forward to the expanded capacity that will now be possible with Alana on the team.
To help you get to know Alana, I sent her a few questions to answer, interview style!
I’ll let her take it from here … over to you Alana!
Hey everyone!
My name’s Alana and I am a licensed Registered Dietitian! I’m also a new member of Alida’s team here at MORE Method Nutrition and I am so excited to be here!
Since I am a new face, I thought I’d share a couple of things about myself and my journey to becoming a dietitian.
Q.1 Why did you become a dietitian?
I’d say my passion for health and fitness is what first led me to pursue a career in dietetics! I played many sports growing up, and I loved learning about how nutrition could be used to optimize sport performance and recovery.
Diving deep into the health and fitness world at a young age, I, without even realizing it, became consumed by diet culture in my own quests to personal health. And my own relationships with food, exercise, and my body quickly began to suffer. Through learning about the evidence-based practices that are used to promote health and well-being during my undergraduate degree, I learned that nutrition and health is so much more than what you eat.
Through a lot of unlearning, relearning, and some serious soul searching, I was able to repair my relationship with food, and I quickly realized that I wanted to help others do the same!
Q2. What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
My idea of a perfect Sunday would include a little sleeping in and a lot of relaxing to prep for the week ahead. I’d wake up around 9 am, and snuggle on the couch in my pj’s with a cozy cup of coffee while reading a book or watching an episode or two of my favourite tv series. I’d make a big batch of pancakes for breakfast (huge breakfast person here!) and I’d spend the rest of the day exploring a new town or visiting some local plant shops with some friends!
Q3. How do you Give Yourself MORE in life? (ie., nourishment, freedom, energy, confidence, and connection).
I love this question. When I started focusing on repairing my own relationship with food and my body, I started to pay attention to the things I really loved and valued and paid less attention to the things I didn’t! I’d say I give myself MORE by:
- Practicing mindful movement and aiming for progress over perfection
- Giving myself permission to eat all foods free of judgment, guilt and self-criticism
- Challenging myself to try new things (even if it’s scary!)
- Trusting myself and my body to know what I need- and honoring that (could be ice cream, an apple, rest, movement… whatever!
Q4. If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be?
If It Makes You Happy – by Sheryl Crow 🙂
Q5. How do you approach your work with clients? What’s your philosophy?
My mission is to empower and support individuals as they work to find positive and restorative relationships with food, where nutrition is fulfilling to both their physical and emotional needs, so that they may ultimately lead a high-quality life that is full of self-love and nourishment.
In my work with clients, I utilize a culturally competent, patient- and family-centered care approach that is informed by Intuitive Eating and Health At Every Size (HAES, R), as well as nutrition-focused aspects of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Family-Based Therapy (FBT).
Q6. What’s your go-to Starbucks order?
Coffee is the way to my heart- at the moment, I frequently rotate between the following 3 go-to’s:
Americano Misto + 2 pumps toffee nut syrup
Chestnut praline latte or Pistachio Latte (both half sweet and extra hot!)
I am honoured to be a part of your own unique journey to health, happiness, and food freedom, and I am rooting for you!
Last but not least, I wanted to let you know that I am available for FREE nutrition consultations on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Just book a time to hop on a phone call or video chat with me here. We can chat about where you are on your journey to food freedom, questions about intuitive eating, eating disorder recovery, or any other nutrition related concerns you are wanting support with so you can get on your way to Feeling Good About Food!
With love,
Alana