I often get asked if I am a nutritionist. This is not a surprising question, considering that I run a company specializing in therapeutic cooking. I am not a nutritionist myself, although most of our chefs have extensive training and some even have their own practices. However, we do not offer nutrition advice or diagnosis as part of our services.

Our specialty is understanding all of the special therapeutic diets that are prescribed by doctors and nutritionists, and supporting our clients on those diets through education, personal chef services, cooking lessons and meal planning.

We have been working with clients on special diets for the past five years, and we currently work with about 20 naturopathic and functional doctors and nutritionists in the Seattle area. Some of the most common diets that we work with include: candida, paleo, vegan, specific carbohydrate, low FODMAP, GAPS, gluten, dairy and sugar free, and multiple food sensitivities and allergies.

I regularly receive phone calls from new clients who are confused and bewildered. Often they have been diagnosed with multiple food sensitivities and/or a digestive condition such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). Usually at this point, they are given a large list of foods they cannot eat (most of which are their normal staples), and put on a diet that restricts carbohydrates, dairy and sugar. It’s not surprising that people panic when they are told they have to change their diet and way of eating substantially and immediately.

As a result, I created out nutritional coaching services to help clients navigate the rocky waters of understanding complicated diets and making sustainable, long-term lifestyle changes to improve their health. Here are the services we offer:

1) Education: We can explain your diet and food sensitivities in a simple and understandable way, answer all your questions, provide a list of substitutions and meal ideas.

2) Implementation: We can provide an in-home visit to look at your pantry and cooking equipment. We will analyze what needs to go or stay in your pantry, discuss reading labels, figure out what is missing and answer any questions you have. We will also look at your pots, pans and other cooking equipment and give healthy lifestyle suggestions. You will get a list of items that we discussed, stores where they can be purchased and ideas of how and where to get the best deals.

3) Cooking lessons: We can schedule a three-hour in-home class where we make 3-4 different recipes, which are customized for your needs. We will cover cooking in bulk, storing and freezing meals, cooking techniques and equipment, and show you how to cook specific dishes in the most efficient way possible. You get to keep the recipes and the food!

4) Meal planning: We can create a custom meal plan for one week of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks that meets your nutritional requirements. The plan will include recipes and an ingredients list for each recipe that you can cut and paste into any software or spreadsheet that you use.

No matter what your diet or situation, we have worked with it before. We have proven recipes and advice that will help you get started on your healing journey.

For more information about our nutritional coaching and package pricing, please visit: https://secretingredientmeals.com/nutritional-coaching

For information about our custom cooking packages, please see: https://secretingredientmeals.com/our-services/