Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Abby King. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Abby , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share an anecdote or story from your schooling/training that you feel illustrates what the overall experience was like?

I have my MS in Nutrition and Integrative Health and I am a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) as well as my undergraduate degree in Psychology. I now specialize in gut health and the gut brain connection. My goal with choosing this educational path was to really learn a preventative and whole body approach to nutrition rather than a more tradition and western approach. I think one of the biggest things I have continuously learned through every step of my education (from personal experience when I was first dabbling in nutrition to today working with clients) is that true nutrition is a mind body interaction. You can make progress in one area on its own but you need the whole body on board working together to truly heal. I remember learning a greek term “diata” in school which is where the term diet stems from but it actually means a way of life or way of being and I think that really encompasses my approach. Sure, nutrition is an essential aspect of healing but really all stimuli that we experience from sleep, to exercise, to community to something as simple music or podcasts we listen to. All of that makes up our diet and is a contributing factor to our overall health. I also like to mention that I worked in the culinary industry for years while getting my degree so I also add a focus on cooking education and how to source foods for optimal health. This helps out a lot with helping clients apply the knowledge that we talk about in session.

Abby , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a CNS (Certified Nutrition Specialist) which means that I was educated in a holistic, preventative, and personalized approach to nutrition. I look at everything from a persons health history and environment to current lifestyle and diagnoses to family history and genetics. I specialize in gut health and the gut brain connection meaning I work with people who are having various digestive issues to help them heal not only their gut but also all of the other areas of the body that it affects. The gut microbiome plays a role in the health of all of body symptoms (especially the brain and nervous system) so we work together to get to the root cause of not only what is causing symptoms in the gut but also in the entire body. I currently work with clients on a 1:1 basis from 3-6 months depending on the person and through this I am able to provide accountability and support as well as educating clients on how reconnect with their body and make educated decisions when it comes to their health moving forward. I think the biggest thing I would want people to know is that it is a very personalized approach meaning no two protocols looks the same. I really view nutrition as a spectrum so it is not only about what the best course of action is but also about meeting each person where they are at and creating a plan that is sustainable for them in the context of their daily life.

I struggled with gut issues my whole life growing up. I was always getting sick, couldn’t tolerate a lot of foods. I grew up playing sports and playing Division 1 sports in college, I was really unsatisfied with how I was feeling, performing and the advice I was receiving so I decided to learn how to eat healthier and immediately new that I needed to start cooking more. So it started with just finding a bunch of health recipes on pinterest and trying to eat more vegetables and less processed foods. I had previously had athletic induced asthma and within a few months, I stopped having attacks and haven’t had one since. Many of my other symptoms resolved as well. From there, I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, high achiever, overly focused on results and I think for years (when I was first working towards my degree), I looked at health and nutrition as another thing to check off the to do list. Often times when we are in this “go-go-go” mindset, it is actually a sign of a dysregulated nervous system (fight or flight) which can be detrimental to healing if we are constantly operating from this state. On paper, I was doing all of the “right” things for my health but it actually wasn’t until I learned to slow down to do less, to find that state of rest, of presence that I really truly started to see my health (particularly my gut health) shift. While nutrition was a foundation, it wasn’t until I started prioritizing things like meditation, breath work, spending time outside and with friends that I really saw huge shifts. You need both.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Compassion, intuition and seeing the person behind the symptoms/diagnoses. Often with sciences, we look at everything objectively when in reality science is constantly shifting and changing. Nutrition is a perfect example of this and it is subjective to an extent. We can know that a specific therapy or intervention is right for a client on paper but if it isn’t sustainable in their lifestyle then it might not be the right direction to go. Two people could have the same symptoms on paper but depending on their job, their relationships, their personality and stress levels, they might take two completely different paths to healing. I think it is a lot more fluid than most people. There are many paths to get the same results so really understanding the person and creating a relationship with them is absolutely essential.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blisspointnutrition.com
• Instagram: abbylouise.king
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abby.king.376
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abby-king-6218b0227/
• Twitter: n/a
• Youtube: @abbykingblisspointnutrition

Image Credits
Headshot: Margo Suarez