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A branch of RD Nutrition

Hey there, I’m Mel, Registered Dietitian.

I help busy people with irregular schedules reclaim their energy and improve their sleep — without complicated or restrictive diets — so they can focus on the things in life that really matter to them.

 

You’ve likely had friends, co-workers, or social media tell you about some great new diet that worked for them. It probably sounds appealing — streamlined, simple, guaranteed…

*Spoiler alert*, diets don’t actually work in the long run.

Assorted Fruit Toasts

My aim is to help you move past “quick fixes” and build habits that work with your hectic schedule — whether that’s rotating shift work, frequent travel, or extended hours.

You’re in the right place if you have a demanding job, a chaotic schedule, and health is important to you — but keeps taking the backseat. Maybe you’ve even had a recent health scare or a “talking to” from your doctor.

You hold yourself to high standards. You take care of your family, perform at work, support your team​ – you expect a lot of yourself and you are succeeding...except when it comes to your health.

If you’re like most of my clients, your stress is high, your sleep is poor, and your nutrition is off. You’re tired (exhausted, really), edgy from long hours, and bloated (don’t get me started on your gut function).

So you reach for chips, candy, or alcohol to take the edge off — a little more often than you’d like to admit.

Now I bet you’re saying, I know what I SHOULD be doing": drink less coffee, skip the drive-through, cut back on sugar, drink more water. But when energy is low, knowing isn’t enough.

You know how to eat well, but struggle to actually do it. That leads to shame (even hiding fast food wrappers) and feeling powerless around cravings — especially after high-pressure days.

You think you lack willpower. If you could just stop after a handful of chips, you wouldn’t finish the bag…

The truth? You do not lack willpower and you certainly are not weak.

In fact, you’re smart, driven, and hardworking — often pushing yourself above and beyond…your limits. When you're spread thin and burnt out, those "quick fix" diets are so tempting...

Sound familiar? You are not alone.
 

Forget the fad diets and “quick fixes” that don’t fix anything. You are not broken. The system you are trying to use is broken. 

 

I get it; I’ve been there.

I thought I knew exhaustion during university — but I truly learned bone-deep fatigue after giving birth to my daughter. Sleep became fragmented at best and nonexistent at worst. I was up throughout the night, my circadian rhythm completely disrupted, and eventually battled insomnia even when sleep was possible. My days blurred together as I functioned on broken rest, constant mental load, and the nonstop care needs of a newborn babe.

Meals became irregular and reactive, driven by exhaustion rather than intention. Despite knowing better, my nutrition felt completely out of sync with my body. I was stressed and depleted to a level I’d never experienced. The hardest part was not having the energy to be present in my life — even when time allowed. I never had energy despite having a very energy-demanding life.

Months in, I didn’t recognize myself anymore — not just in the mirror, but in how I showed up in my life. Even with slightly more (but still irregular) sleep, I remained cranky, bloated, and disconnected from things I once enjoyed. I knew something had to change.

My “knowing better” wasn’t improving my diet, sleep, or symptoms. Since I couldn’t control my sleep (you can’t ask a baby to sleep through the night), I focused on what I could control: eating in a way that supported my energy, metabolism, and digestion despite irregular sleep and constant fatigue. By working with my circadian system, my energy stabilized, my gut function normalized, and I finally felt like myself again.

I've since pursued advanced training in sleep to complement my nutrition expertise; I now hold a Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and am a graduate from the World Sleep Academy. I understand clearly that sleep and nutrition do not occur in silos,— they’re intimately connected — and that’s what I help my clients navigate. I know what it is to have minimal control over your schedule and need to cope with constant change.

That’s why I know how to help you create a plan that accounts for your real life — your schedule, preferences, and available resources — while still getting results. Whether that’s better energy, improved sleep, a healthy weight, or simply getting your doctor (or spouse) off your back.

As a member of the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC, I practice in an evidence-informed way and take a whole-person approach to nutrition.

When we work together, we focus on:

  • The psychology of eating — understand and change the habits that feel out of your control

  • Building self-efficacy — no rigid meal plans, just flexible strategies you feel confident in

  • Circadian & chronotype alignment — fancy terms meaning you'll learn how to use meal timing, composition, and sleep to support energy to feel your very best

With this approach, I can help you:

  • Stabilize energy and prevent crashes

  • Optimize sleep to feel truly rested

  • Improve gut health and IBS symptoms

  • Manage cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure

  • Enhance athletic recovery and performance

  • Improve your relationship with food — and yourself

You have a lot of people depending on you and you regularly give them your all; isn’t it time you showed up for yourself in the same way?

Cozy Bedroom Decor

The land on which I live, received my education and practice is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

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