Hi! I’m Regina.
If you would’ve asked me if I wanted to be a podcaster when I was a little girl I wouldn’t have known how to answer. Because it just wasn’t a thing.
What I loved was people and their stories and learning and finding ways to make the world a better place.
I come from humble beginnings, immigrating from the former Soviet Union as a young girl, but I always had big dreams of changing the world. And I’ve always had a passion for health and wellness.
In high school, I was part of the club that previewed different aspects of our healthcare system. We went to hospitals, private doctors’ offices, and reviewed journal articles. Don’t judge me! In college, I followed the proposed healthcare reforms with fervor and even pursued a graduate degree in healthcare management.
When my children were born with food allergies I dedicated myself with even more passion to figuring out why they had food allergies (since no one else in my family did), and how to resolve them. Some things, as they say, just take time.
Many people turn to nutrition seeking answers to their own or a loved one’s health problems. Before I became a dietitian I became a mother to a child with severe food allergies. Having allergies to 5 out of the top 8 allergens! It took six months just to get our first child properly diagnosed with food allergies and once we did, our world would NEVER be the same again. No pizza, cake, or ice cream at birthday parties. Modifying every recipe. Very few restaurant options. And, carrying an Epipen everywhere we went. My second child also had food allergies, but I was a pro by then!
I went back to school to learn about nutrition and its effect on health. I wanted to help other families whose children struggled with food allergies. I graduated top of my class and received the only internship among my peers. I began working at a local hospital seeing patients from the ICU to the maternity wing, and everything in between. And I started my own consulting practice – helping adults with food allergies and volunteering for FARE, raising awareness for children’s food allergies.
The result was I became an expert in gut health. I was helping people with digestive problems (Celiac Disease, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, IBS, SIBO, food allergies/sensitivities), and chronic illnesses (diabetes, heart disease, chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia) heal their bodies. I used to say, I was healing the world one gut at a time.
But little did I know that several years later I would rely on my knowledge of nutrition and lifestyle to save my own life!
Education & Experience
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition (Graduated Summa Cum Laude)
Metropolitan State University 2010
Dietetic Internship (1200 hours)
University of Northern Colorado 2011
Certified LEAP Therapist
Oxford Biomedical 2012
Digestive Enzyme Therapy
Loomis Institute of Enzyme Nutrition 2015
IAACN conference on Cancer and Nutrition Therapy 2015
Institute for Functional Medicine
(Detox, Energy, and GI) – 2014-2017
Bachelor of Science in Biology
University of Colorado 1997
Master of Science in Management of Healthcare Systems / MBA, University of Denver 2001
Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine (Dietetic Practice Group), 2012 – present
From surviving to thriving.
I was a young professional with two young boys and a vibrant community of friends. And….I had been diagnosed with cancer.
Compared to that, food allergies seemed like a walk in the park! We tend to take things for granted when they are not life-threatening. Our health being one of those things. We think about what’s for dinner and how much work we have. For me, my health problems took center stage and life came to a screeching halt! I had to stop, re-evaluate the way I was living, and change how I nourished myself.
Nothing was off-limits. Relationships were redefined. Boundaries set. Jobs changed. I started doing yoga and meditating. I changed my diet from omnivore to vegan, to vegetarian, and back to vegan. I went 100% gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and sugar free. I started juicing, making smoothies, and eating lots of cruciferous vegetables (yes, its hard to eat Brussels Sprouts for breakfast when everyone else is having pancakes). But I didn’t stop there, I switched to eating mostly organic food (yes, it’s expensive for me too), and I paid more attention to eating the rainbow every day.
After working as a clinical dietitian on the intensive care unit of a hospital for three years, and working my way through a cancer diagnosis, I realized there is so much more I could do with my knowledge.
Each day there are more and more survivors. But it seems when we’re done with treatments (conventional and complementary) we are always left asking,
what do I do now?
That is why I restarted my practice, the product of which you see here. To me, a life well-lived means taking what life gives you, keeping what you want, and letting go of the rest. It means living a long, healthy, productive life, in peace, with joy, doing what you makes you happy. It means being grounded, kind, caring, compassionate, loving, strong, open, and adventurous. It means letting others see your vulnerability, but staying true to yourself and living to your highest potential.
My journey is not one I would have chosen, but it has brought me to where I am today. And for that, I am truly grateful. I’m a life-long learner, I love to travel, cook, read, spend time in nature, and the magical healing powers of the beach. My newest passions are long-distance biking and hiking fourteeners!
I am grateful everyday for my life, my family, my dog, my friends and support system, and the people I have met on my journey to recovery and renewed health. I am grateful to my mentors who have gently guided, inspired, and girded me with knowledge when I most needed it.
It is an honor to cross paths with you on your journey!
What this means for you.
I have been where you are and walked a mile (maybe more) in your shoes.
So I have dedicated this site and my practice to serving you and providing you exceptional information about the science of nutrition, lifestyle, and cancer; and products (make-up, meal delivery services, water filters, supplements, and more) that will enhance and make your life easier and more enjoyable in the hopes that I can make your healing journey more calm and complete.
If you’ve read this far, I commend you! And I’d love to get to know you too. Here are some ways for us to connect: first, if you want my personal thoughts and nutrition news in your inbox (a couple times per month) you can make that happen here, you can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I’ve also got cooking videos and news segments on my YouTube channel, and of course, my not-to-be-missed podcast.