What is Functional Nutrition?
And why do I think it can help you?
Functional nutrition is a holistic approach to nutrition that strives to determine the root-cause of symptoms in order to restore balance within the entire body.
In functional nutrition, the systems of the body (digestive, cardiovascular, nervous, etc.) are not regarded individually, but as part of an integrated system that allows each of us to function.
Imbalances in one system often result in issues in other systems of our body. This means, your gut issues can affect your entire body, and your hormone imbalances might actually be rooted in your gut.
Our bodies cannot function well if any of our systems are out of whack because they work as a team.
Functional nutrition also values the role genetics and
bio-individuality have on how nutrition impacts our health.
Every path will be different.
Functional nutrition is...
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...working as a team dedicated to your success.
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We work together to achieve your wellness goals. This means we both need to show up ready to work.
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...using evidenced-based practices.
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Prioritizing methods backed by science.
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...practicing compassion, and providing support.
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Being human is hard! Healing journeys are not linear. Being supported when it matters most is at the core of functional nutrition.
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...practical solutions.
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Humans are all different. We will work together to develop solutions and practices that fit your lifestyle so you can be successful long-term.
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Functional nutrition is not about...
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...one-size-fits-all approaches.
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You are an individual. You are unique! Your genetics play a role in how nutrition will impact your health. That matters.
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...long-term restrictive diets.
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Sometimes we have to incorporate therapeutic diets to manage symptoms while healing. This is always done in conjunction with the integration of healing principles and strategies. Restricting foods without including healing strategies promotes a cycle of imbalance, and honestly, it just makes you feel sad.
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...a know-it-all attitude.
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Functional nutrition is a very comprehensive field. I don't know everything, and we can learn together.
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...meal plans.
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I get it. You want someone to just tell you what to eat and when. Me too. Unfortunately, that's not how functional nutrition works. I've never found meal plans to be supportive of long-term wellness. Sure, it can be a useful tool in healing, sometimes. It will just never be as valuable as the knowledge of how to create healthy, balanced meals.
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I've spent the last decade working in hospitals in various specialties. Digestive health was always my favorite because I understood what it was like to be that patient. I worked alongside top digestive health doctors, surgeons, and practitioners learning about GI conditions and procedures. I also saw how clinical nutrition fails to support long-term wellness. I often witnessed patients with digestive diseases who, without support for long-term health, returned after invasive procedures, their issues unresolved. It frustrated me that we weren't treating people with long-term wellness in mind. I realized my own doctors hadn't treated me with long-term wellness in mind.
I began looking into a more holistic and functional approach to managing my own digestive dysfunction and found incredible support in a colleague and friend. She was well-versed in functional nutrition and together we took practical steps toward management and healing.
​In learning to manage my own health, I learned that these digestive diseases I had encountered in hospitals could be managed and even mitigated with a more individualized and functional approach. This is not always possible in the fast-paced environment of a hospital.
​Besides being obsessed with how food affects the human body, I'm an avid cyclist. I have what some might consider to be an unhealthy codependency with my dog, Luna. I love spending time with my wife, cooking, and being outside. And I love birds.
​I love eating food and I love when it makes me feel good.
I'd like to help you.
Danielle D'Angelo, RD, CD-N
Nice to meet you.
I'm Danielle.
I am the founder of and Registered Dietitian behind Danielle D’Angelo Nutrition.
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I love food. Let's start there. Food has always been a fixation (for better or worse). Food is fuel. Food connects people, and cultures. Food is a gateway to another country, time period, and to a deeper understanding of the functioning of our own bodies. Food is medicine. My own relationship to food and, in turn, its relationship to my body has been a journey. Learning all that I can about how what we consume affects our function has perhaps been a bit of a selfish endeavor. I just wanted to feel better.
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I was diagnosed with gastro-espohageal reflux disease (GERD) at 14 and put on meds. More about that later (blog post coming soon!). After years of never feeling well, I gave up. I accepted that for me, heartburn, abdominal pain, and bloating were just normal.
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