Celiac disease, gluten sensitivity and gluten intolerance:
Cheryl is the “go-to” nutrition expert on Celiac disease and a gluten-free diet for the DC Metro area. She has the honor and pleasure to serve as one of the teachers for the Certificate of training on Gluten-Related Disorders for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has worked with thousands of gluten-free clients to help them make life easier and healthier. She teaches locally, statewide and nationally, and her articles have been published nationally in Today’s Dietitian, Simply Gluten-Free, Gluten-free Living and the Gluten Intolerance Group magazine, on Let’s Talk Live DC and more. She has been quoted by on gluten-free living in the Washington Post, the Washingtonian, MSNBC, Gluten free and More, Delight Magazine etc. She has enjoyed serving as the Nutrition Advisor for DC Celiacs from 2007 until 2019 when the group disbanded.
Whether you’ve been gluten-free for 3 weeks or 3 decades, it’s normal to have questions. The first priority, of course, is to make sure diets are completely gluten free. But when the dust settles, it’s important to make sure it’s a healthy, varied and enjoyable gluten-free diet! Fiber, B vitamins, calcium, iron, and more are particularly important for people on a gluten-free diet. Many people also have questions about how to have a balanced diet, about label reading, identifying hidden sources of gluten, how to avoid gluten when dining out, how to navigate holidays, travel, and how to make it EASY so that it fits in your schedule and budget.
And, of course, there are all the “normal” nutrition questions: how to combine a gluten-free diet with eating for high cholesterol, blood pressure, cancer, etc.
Many of my favorite gluten-free resources are here. and here: Videos on Celiac Disease and a gluten-free diet Feel free to also sign up for my gluten-free newsletter on the sidebar for research updates.
GI Nutrition: IBS, IBD, low FODMAPs, SCD, gastroparesis, reflux and more
GI nutrition has gotten trendy! On one hand, that’s a good thing! On the other, experience matters. Cheryl has had over 20 years of experience specializing helping clients manage digestive distress through a wide range of diets…that means she works with gluten-free, low FODMAP, low fructan, low lactose, low fructose, low sucrose, SCD, IBD, SIBO diets, low histamine, gastroparesis, GERD diets, 6 food elimination diets, low nickel, different levels of fiber, diets for ostomies, and much more. However, despite having a range of tools, Cheryl likes to see where we can include as much as possible and limit the restrictions, because food is so important for quality of life.
Nutrition support can often help manage most digestive disorders, and Cheryl has had over 16 years of experience specializing in a wide range of GI conditions, including IBS, IBD (Crohn’s and Colitis), SIBO, gastroparesis, reflux (GERD), eosinophilic esophagitis, microscopic colitis, and more. She has written and edited educational courses on digestive health for Today’s Dietitian and Nurses.com. There’s an alphabet soup of diets, from FODMAPS to SCD to GAPs in addition to low fiber, low fat and beyond. We’ll figure out what strategy will best manage your symptoms, and customize it to the way you live.
Low FODMAP: There are a variety of dietary treatments that can help get stomach pain under control. She has been using the low FODMAP diet with clients for well over a dozen years and has has also done several intensive trainings on a low FODMAP diet, including two Monash University certification trainings, as well as trainings with Patsy Catsons and Kate Scarlata. Low FODMAP helps reduce tummy troubles in over 70% of people with IBS and IBD. Did you get a one page handout on the low FODMAP diet? There’s much more detail that most people need to be successful, and to implement the reintroduction phase.
Different clients need and want different things, depending on lifestyle needs. That being said, usually we cover:
- Foods included and avoided, including quantities
- 45+ simple recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks–these are available for a range of lifestyle needs, including
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Diabetic
- Low-fat
- Gastroparesis
- Texture modifications, such as for IBD (Crohn’s and UC)
- Reflux/GERD
- …and more
- Brands for stores nearby, or brands that are accessible online
- Meal delivery services, with special discount codes
- Dining out, apps, cookbooks, websites, travel, etc. as needed.
More on a low FODMAP diet here.
For some with IBD (Crohn’s and Colitis), the Specific Carbohydrate Diet can be a great complement to your medical care. More about the research behind the SCD here.
SIBO:
Cheryl has been working with SIBO patients since 2004! The science changes so much she goes to conferences on SIBO at least yearly. She works with clients using low FODMAP, low fermentation and sometimes other diets, such as the SCD, SIBO specific or even the elemental diet as needed but prefers using the most inclusive diet possible, and tailors each treatment to the individual.
Histamines…there is so much to be said about histamines! if you are a health professional, Cheryl authored a training for RDNs on histamine intolerance for CEU credits.
Curious about mindful eating? Cheryl wrote a featured article for Today’s Dietitian on Mindful Eating and on Treating Binge Eating Disorder Utilizing Mindful Techniques in the Summer 2014 issue of Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN). She spoke on Mindful Eating at Villanova University. She has webinars for professionals on Mindful Eating and Mindless Eating through Dietitian Central, and gave a talk to the Maryland Association of Diabetes Educators on using Mindful Eating for Diabetes Management. She also created and taught a grad school MS nutrition class, Mindful Eating and Nourishment for Maryland University of Integrative Health for 5 years.
Cheryl began meditating in 2003, and it quickly became an area of passion for her. It also became apparent how supportive mindfulness and mindful eating is for nutrition practice. Her quotes on mindful eating have been featured in the Washington Post, the Washingtonian, Prevention magazine and Gluten-free Living Magazine. Cheryl has trained extensively in mindfulness, mindful eating and stress management, and has completed the foundational Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Teacher training and Mindful Self Compassion training and teacher training through the Mindfulness Based Teacher Training Institute at University of San Diego, MB-EAT teacher foundational training, professional training program through the Center for Mind Body Medicine and Michelle May’s “Am I Hungry?” program. Cheryl has also focused specifically on trauma sensitive trainings since 2008, including a MBSR Practicum with Trish Magyari, working with Devin Berry and spending many years learning from Deirdre Fay on attachment work, incorporating shame resiliency and trauma sensitive skills into practice with clients.
One particular interest is helping make mindfulness accessible. More here.
Often when people are diagnosed with food allergies, they need assistance figuring out what foods are safe to eat on their new diet. Removing foods from the diet may also lead to deficiencies of nutrients over time, and it’s important to find other foods that supply those nutrients or identify supplements that will fill those needs. People with food allergies often have questions about eating out, traveling, navigating the school system and more. Cheryl can help you find safe foods, create a healthy, balanced diet, and direct you toward great books, websites, blogs, support groups, stores and other helpful resources.
Cheryl works with a range of food limitations, from common ones in the “top 8”, sesame, alpha gal meat allergies, etc.
Since Cheryl has had an egg allergy for many years and then developed Celiac disease and other food intolerances, she has learned a tremendous amount about juggling allergies and living well from both her personal and professional experiences.
Cheryl presented at the FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) annual conference in 2013 on eating well with food allergies.
Binge eating disorder, or BED is the most common eating disorder, and fortunately, there’s a lot we can do to help address it. Often restructuring timing and kinds of foods can be very helpful. Cheryl also uses techniques around mindful eating, reducing mindless eating and self-compassion to address BED.Research shows that many people have significant improvements with this technique, and Cheryl shared her expertise with her nutritionist colleagues on how to use mindful techniques to address BED in the Summer 2014 issue of SCAN Pulse.
There has been a huge increase in autoimmune diseases in the past few decades. There is an increasing body of research linking nutrition and lifestyle to the care of these conditions, such as Hashimoto’s, Graves’, Multiple Sclerosis, Sjogrens’, RA, Psoriasis, and more. In most cases, nutritional changes can help mitigate symptoms and improve energy as well. Cheryl has authored courses for nutrition professionals on autoimmune thyroid disease, presented on nutrition at the DC area MS chapter and has worked with clients with autoimmune illnesses for nearly a decade.
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue
All people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue are different, and there is no one diet that works for everyone. However, many people with FM, CFS and other autoimmune conditions report great improvements in pain and fatigue levels when they remove gluten from their diet. Other foods that often cause problems are sugar, artificial sweeteners and nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers). Most people also do well when eating less processed foods and a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Cheryl works with clients with FM/CFS to help create a diet that will help them feel better and have more energy. A common topic is food preparation when dealing with fatigue, and creating strategies to make healthy eating possible and keeping meal preparation simple, inexpensive and doable.
Babies bring a lot of joy, and there’s also a time of more awareness and attention to eating well for the 2 (or more!) of you. Cheryl had the honor of presenting to the Institute of Medicine panel of pregnancy and weight gain, which helped create our current national guidelines, and worked with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in DC for 5 years supporting new families and training other nutritionists to do the same.
Cheryl can help you make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need for a happy, healthy mom AND baby during pregnancy and afterwards. Cheryl was a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) from 2003-2019.
Vegetarian diets and vegan diets can be very healthy if they are planned to make sure you are getting enough nutrients. Often, vegetarians and vegans find they are not getting enough calories, protein, iron, calcium, B12 and or other vitamins. Cheryl can help make sure you are getting a balanced diet and find ways to add more nutrients, if needed, while honoring your decision to avoid animal products.
Cheryl worked with clients with EDS/HSD for 15 years, and taken intensive coursework with the EDS society to stay up on the latest research to best support her clients. Cheryl was delighted to part of the teaching team for the EDS Nutrition ECHO series for professionals. She was also excited to train fellow dietitians on how hypermobility affects digestion for the 2021 Digestive Disease Nutrition Series. Cheryl was honored to have a paper on POTS and Nutrition published by the peer reviewed Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which was in the September 2022 edition, and she taught a CE webinar for Today’s dietitian on POTS to help train other RDNs.
Cheryl has trained on mast cell diseases through the Mast Cell Society ECHO and Dr. Gaudiani’s Clinic, other trainings through the EDS society, and published a CE course through Today’s dietitian on Histamine intolerance and Mast Cell disease.