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

Debbie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

My name is Debbie Romano. I am a Nutrition & Wellness Consultant. Let me begin by telling you a little about me and how I decided to start this business. I became interested in Nutrition & Wellness when my husband Al experienced a near-fatal cardiac event on July 3rd, 2012.

In my mind, the conventional nutrition and wellness schools of thought did not adequately address the nutritional needs and requirements of cardiac patients. The dietary suggestions they offered still seemed to allow what I believed to be far too many heart-harmful elements in the diet, so I began to conduct my own research on the subject. I read countless books and articles on the subject and I have extensively studied the works of some of the top professionals in the field of nutrition, which included these notables and many more…
T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. – ‘The China Study’,
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. – ‘Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease’
Dr. Dean Ornish – ‘Reversing Heart Disease’
Dr. Joel Fuhrman – ‘Eat to Live’

I subsequently earned my Nutrition and Wellness Certification through the (American Fitness Professionals & Associates). Then I took it a step further and received my Certification in Plant-Based Nutrition from the Campbell Center for Nutritional Studies at eCornell University. Dr. T. Colin Campbell is the professor emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University.

Debbie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I may be a Certified Nutrition & Wellness Consultant, but you can think of me as a Nutrition “Personal Trainer”. My counseling techniques employ behavioral changes customized to my client’s needs based on my Whole Food-Plant Based (WFPB) nutrition knowledge. My job as a health coach is to provide my clients with the best nutritional guidance, so they can make better informed food decisions. With my guidance, their journey to a healthy lifestyle will be attained through continually learning about the alternative choices available to them.

My clients will be forming new healthier habits that will soon become a part of their daily lives. I will strive to guide them on their healthy lifestyle journey by emphasizing the mind-body-spirit aspects of the WFPB lifestyle, and how incorporating them can strengthen their self-happiness.
My goal is to help them embrace good healthy nutrition so they can age gracefully, with much more energy, confidence, and peace!

My recommendation for my clients is to strive for a 90% WFPB meal plan. My tasty recipes and meal plans will show how this can be accomplished to accommodate any lifestyle. Busy working families, empty nesters, active seniors, and anyone seeking natural healthy nutritional advice can benefit from my sessions.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I would love to share a story from my journey. What illustrates my resilience is my discovery and response to the fact that the mainstream medical and nutritional communities simply haven’t evolved to the point that I believe they should have at this point in time. It’s a pretty bold statement for a non-traditional medical professional isn’t it? Well, I have to go back and dig into my “WHY” for this one.

It goes all the way back to the initial reason for becoming a nutrition consultant and health coach in the first place. After my husband was released from the hospital following his heart surgery, he was referred to a clinical dietician for advice. Without exaggeration, the lady was close to 300 pounds! Now I’m not one to judge, but I thought to myself: “How can I take whatever this woman has to offer seriously when she is that condition?”

I bit the bullet and followed her suggestions precisely. For the next six weeks, I cooked fresh turkey, chicken or fish daily. I served them along with fresh vegetables in the correct portions in hope that it would improve his cholesterol and other blood work.

Al’s follow-up lab work revealed little or no change in his cholesterol or blood numbers! The dietician’s response to reading the blood test results was to tell me (In condescending fashion), and I quote: “Mrs. Romano, you need to feed your husband more chicken and fish”.

Al immediately stood up and replied: “If I eat any more chicken and fish, I’ll grow feathers & gills!”

The resulting dietary suggestions she had offered still seemed to allow what I believed to be far too many heart-harmful elements in the diet.

I went home and cried for hours! I could have simply resigned myself to the fact that I did everything I could do and left it at that, but that is not me! I decided right then and there that there must be a better solution.

I began to conduct my own research. I read countless books and articles on the subject and decided that I needed to go beyond just reading.

I subsequently earned my Nutrition and Wellness Certification through the (American Fitness Professionals & Associates). Then I took it a step further and received my Certification in Plant-Based Nutrition from the Campbell Center for Nutritional Studies at eCornell University. Dr. T. Colin Campbell is the professor emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I have extensively studied the works of some of the top professionals in the field of nutrition, which included these notables and many more… T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. – ‘The China Study’,
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. – ‘Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease’
Dr. Dean Ornish – ‘Reversing Heart Disease’
Dr. Joel Fuhrman – ‘Eat to Live’

Contact Info:

• Website: FHHealthyHeartbeats@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fountainhillshealthyheartbeats/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FountainHillsHealthyHeartbeats/

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