Brooke Bouwhuis, RDN, CD

Dietician

Hi! I’m Brooke Bouwhuis, RDN a registered dietitian nutritionist who firmly believes that food plays an integral role in not only physical health but mental health. I’m passionate about the gut microbiome, teaching others about it and why and how the  3-5 pounds of bacteria in our large intestine can improve or decrease our mental and physical health. I am not a fan of diets but of eating in a pattern that one is excited about for a really, really long time. That pattern could have pieces of paleo, keto, whole 30, etc but again it’s the long time buy in that I encourage not a short term diet. Our eating patterns must be sustainable and enjoyable. I have worked in the dietary supplement industry, fitness camp industry, residential mental health for adults and teens as well as in a general clinic setting.  I excel in finding practical solutions across disease states coupled with brain type and real life constraints like desire, time and budget.

In nutrition group, I teach lessons on Intuitive Eating and other quick lessons on things they need to hear or topics that are just cool – anything from food waste to what are carbs, fats and proteins; phytonutrients and mental health and even a day where we talk about how to be a trained taster (I was trained as a professional taster by Myrna Fossum of M&M Mars) and we spend group time as a chocolate tasting.

ROOTs is a blast, Thursdays are the best day of the week as that is when I’m in person meeting 1:1 with clients who need personalized support and teaching a nutrition group where we make the most amazing food. Pho, sushi, carne asada, tikka masala and everything in between. Each week in nutrition group we work on improving their cooking skills, how to adapt a recipe and most importantly how to make healthy food taste amazing. This is the day I also meet with clients 1:1  to help dial in issues they are facing with food and how to make healthy choices. Food can be overwhelming with ADHD,  sensory issues and disordered eating, etc but I use that coupled with their brain type and knowing how they best receive information to have healthy and productive conversations.  They are supported with groceries that can be specifically purchased for them based on their needs.  They also get to request groceries as a group for things they want to make. Many cook family classics for each other and need ingredients to do that.  We order from Costco and Smiths (Kroger) weekly and they help put the mountain of food away each week.

Food is complex, our clients have complex issues that have brought them to us. I love meeting them where they are at and learning, growing and eating amazing food together; helping to shape healthier relationships with food.