My nephew, Scott, came to stay with me during his sixth-grade school year. His mother, my sister, a single mom had to make a tough decision to enlist in the United States Army. She wanted to make a difference in her son’s life. Scott was not able to go to boot camp with her, so she asked if he could stay with me. “Of course,” I said. Prior to Scott coming to live with me, he was eating everything from fast food to frozen TV dinners that he cooked himself his favorite snack was in a bag with food color Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6. He was taking ADHD medication, and his grades were a “C” at best. Scott was eating unhealthy foods loaded with chemicals and preservatives. No wonder he was not thinking at his best, which his grades clearly demonstrated.
We established a new routine. We ate breakfast in the morning. I packed his lunch almost every day, and then we ate a healthy dinner. One of his teachers called me and said she and the other teachers would like to set up a meeting with me. I had no idea why. I thought maybe Scott really did need his medication. Scott never came to my house with his medication for ADHD.
I went to the school the day of the meeting I walked through the door way and I said to myself “OMG! I’m in really big trouble!” Sitting at the table was the principle, vice-principal, Scott’s teachers and another set of teachers and a person from the school district. On que the teacher who called me said “don’t worry Karen your not in trouble go ahead and have a seat.” I said “Thank you very much for telling me that” and then something magical happened. I sat at a table and listened to Scott’s teachers tell me how pleased they are with him. Scott had earned a place on the honor roll and received a certificate from the Blue Mountain Middle School for straight A’s in math. His math teacher told me that she was in awe of him when she would watch him multiply three numbers by three numbers and arrive at the correct answer without using scratch paper. I couldn’t say anything. I just stared at his teachers in shock. “What are you doing with him?” they asked. The teachers were finding it hard to understand how Scott could have such a big turnaround when they looked at his past records. A “C” student at best, always sliding by every school year. I said, “ This is my first time taking care of teenager, I was just doing what my mother did with my sisters and me. I was feeding him healthy, nutritious food. Scott was eating much healthier, so his brain and body were healthy.”
My nephew, off of medications and getting really good grades. Hhmmm. Love love love this!!
Scott also bloomed in other areas. He played baseball on a Little League team and received his first trophy, and he was also an active Boy Scout.
I thought, If I can do this with a sixth grader, then I need to get out and talk to people about how easy it is to eat healthy and get off their medications. That small changes can make a big difference.
My journey led me to Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the world’s largest nutrition school per graduating class. Powerful teachers who are the leading doctors, PhDs, researchers, and authorities in nutrition and healthcare today taught me a wide variety of skills in business, coaching, nutrition, and lifestyle choices. I graduated, board certified by Institute of Intregrative Nutrition as an Intregrative Nutrition Holistic Health Practitioner, certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and a member of International Association of Health Coaches. Double Certified Corporate Wellness Presenter. Certified Personal Trainer and Sports Nutrition Specialist through the National Council On Strength and Fitness. I study Pilates. I offer programs to clients ranging from a thirty-day kick-start to a healthier you as a short term goal to getting your own Mindful Eating Certificate as a long term goal. I also offer my clients one-on-one coaching, as well as group coaching with wellness workshops, lunch and learns, wellness presentations to corporations, cooking classes, grocery store tours, health-food store tours, and so much more.