Optimizing your health through nutrition - Health and Wellness Nashville

Lacy Wright, dietician, lifestyle eating and performance (LEAP) therapist and speaker at the upcoming Nashville Health & Wellness Fest, reveals how changing her diet saved her life…

Sadly enough, it is no surprise that today’s medical statistics point to a rise in obesity, diabetes, chronic illness, and cancer. The average diet reflects a high concentration of sugars, processed grains, conventional meat, dairy, eggs, and canola/soy/corn oil – as opposed to a lower percentage in consumption of vegetables, whole fruit, beans and nuts, whole grains, and healthy fats. The prevalence of such diets high in sugar, processed foods, and conventional meat and dairy can lead to inflammation and create a host of diseases. Inflammation is linked to an increased incidence of cancer, diabetes, pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, autoimmune diseases, and arthritis

With so many diet options gaining popularity in today’s culture, how do we know which to choose? What is the truth when it comes to choosing foods that truly nourish our health for a lifetime? I encourage everyone I know to eat a mostly plant-based diet (up to 75% of each meal should be mostly vegetables); to greatly reduce or eliminate sugar, dairy, and refined/processed food; and to focus on the right kind of fat and protein.

I encourage everyone I know to eat a mostly plant-based diet (up to 75% of each meal should be mostly vegetables)

As a registered dietitian, licensed dietitian nutritionist, and certified LEAP therapist, I am a firm believer that what we put into our bodies can either promote healing or promote disease – and that nutrition affects every part of our body from our cells to our genetic expression. I know this from my professional experience, but I also know it because of my personal journey.

My symptoms began when I was four years old. I was always fatigued and my mother knew something was not quite right. She had me tested for diabetes, which came back negative. My symptoms continued and multiplied for years and I was chronically ill. When I was 14 years old, I was told that I was suffering from a virus that mimicked mono and that I had an ulcer in my stomach causing my stomach pain. At that time, I was also prescribed a thyroid medication. As more time passed, more symptoms presented, and just as my medical team was ruling out Leukemia, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease.

It was upon this diagnosis where I first fell in love with the concept of food as medicine. After I was diagnosed and changed my diet, my life transformed and symptoms began to go away. A gluten-free diet was just the first stepping stone on my healing journey. Along the way I made the switch to organic produce, grass-fed and pastured meats, and removed sugar and other inflammatory foods from my diet. I know without any doubt that I would not be living the life I am now had it not been for the gift of nourishing and healing food. Changing my diet saved my life, and I became a dietitian so I could help others who are struggling like I was.

I know without any doubt that I would not be living the life I am now had it not been for the gift of nourishing and healing food.

My advisory role with the Meals 4 Health and Healing program of The Heimerdinger Foundation is a natural one. Believing that what you eat directly affects your body’s ability to heal, I was on board as soon as I learned about the organization’s mission to provide nutrient-dense meals of anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting foods free of charge to people in cancer treatment. This caring nonprofit and its army of volunteers come together each week to prepare over 500 meals for people in our community who are facing one of the toughest times in their lives. I know how it feels to lose hope. I’ve been there. I am inspired by their mantra that “food is medicine.” I have seen time and time again how supporting the body’s natural detox pathways and removing foods that are inflammatory can make a huge difference in the way a person feels and how their body functions.

I am so grateful to be representing The Heimerdinger Foundation at this year’s Nashville Health and Wellness Fest on June 1. I’ll be discussing what is wrong with America’s standard diet, followed by a detailed description of how to optimize your diet to battle inflammation, to reduce the risk of cancer, and to promote healing in your body. It’s easier than it sounds. Think “baby steps” – incremental ways that you, too, can learn to choose a more nutritious diet to optimize your health. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Don’t miss Lacy at the Nashville Health & Wellness Fest on June 1, at Vanderbilt Recreation & Wellness Center.

Lacy will be presenting: ‘Optimizing your health through nutrition’ from 4.00 – 4.45pm.
This workshop will cover what is going wrong with America’s standard diet and discuss how to optimize your diet to battle inflammation, to reduce the risk of cancer, and to promote healing in your body.

For more information, visit www.nashvillehealthandwellnessfest.com