Nicole cares about food quality, food systems, environmental effects on health, food anthropology and culture, and body image issues. She owns a farm and vineyard with her family in Maryland. She owns a farm and vineyard with her family in Maryland, where they raise chicken and pigs, garden, and grow wine grapes for various local wineries. She has an eclectic background in nutrition that includes stints at a major consumer publication, a government agency, an obesity research nonprofit, an integrative health clinic, and a holistic fertility center. She completed her undergraduate degree at Syracuse University in Journalism, and her graduate degree at Tufts University in Nutrition Communication. Nicole thinks there is so much information out there on what we should and shouldn’t be eating. Recommendations seem to change every month or so! Everyone has an opinion, a blog, a book, and attests to incredible health from their chosen ‘diet’. After 15+ years of studying nutrition and implementing various dietary practices on herself and her clients, she has arrived at some fundamental principles which she now shares with her clients. “I don’t think there is one diet that those who live long healthy lives adhere to. Instead, I think there are some common practices that healthy people around the world have in common. Restrictive diets full of expensive 'super foods' and aimless supplements are not among these practices! I would say those that live well into old age have low stress levels (or know how to manage their stress), minimal inflammation, and have a high metabolism. I believe that we should eat a diet and live a lifestyle that focuses on these three things: minimizing stress levels and inflammation, while supporting the metabolism." She became interested in metabolic health when learning how to manage her hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s disease, which is no longer an issue due to dietary and lifestyle changes. Learn more at www.WholeHealthRD.com.