From Porridge to a Life’s Passion

My first experience receiving nutrition advice came in college after learning my cholesterol was elevated. A very well-meaning nurse practitioner advised me to eat margarine and follow a low-fat diet. We didn’t know about the dangers of trans-fats back then and low-fat diets were routinely recommended. As you might imagine, my health suffered on this diet. I began to look for answers. I saw many holistic health practitioners and they opened my eyes to the value of alternative modes of healing and helped me see there is hope beyond the limits of what conventional medicine can offer.

“There is hope beyond the limits of what conventional medicine can offer.”

Years later, when my second oldest daughter developed asthma, I brought her to a doctor who handed me a copy of Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook. She said, “try making her the breakfast porridge.” Well, I did more than that. I read the book cover-to-cover and felt like I had experienced an epiphany - food could heal! I learned how to “properly prepare” grains and legumes by soaking, sprouting, and fermenting them. I started making kombucha and kefir. I traveled to a dairy farm each week to get certified raw milk for my family. I supplemented my three young children’s diet with cod liver oil, and was relieved that they were sick less often.

I became a Chapter leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation, an organization grounded in the work of Dr. Weston Price and dedicated to “restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism.” I enjoyed taking a deeper dive into the science of nutrition through reading their journal articles, but I had lots of questions! This ignited in me a desire to study nutrition and take my understanding to the next level.

“I enjoyed taking a deeper dive into the science of nutrition.”

I enrolled in a Master’s degree program in Human Nutrition at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. I was drawn to the program initially for its convenience. It was structured as a monthly intensive weekend of classes, which allowed me to work part-time and care for my children during the week. What I didn’t know when I first began the program was that its director, Dr. David M. Brady, was a well-respected integrative and functional medicine practitioner. His vision shaped the Human Nutrition program to “teach clinical nutrition from a functional medicine paradigm.” The program was grounded in science and I loved it! I was so fortunate to have stumbled half-blind into this fabulous program!

I graduated and became a licensed dietitian-nutritionist (LDN) in the state of Massachusetts. I currently work in a practice with brilliant functional medicine practitioners. I continue to pursue my passion for nutrition through continuing education opportunities. I have completed courses of study with the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy, Nutrition Genome, the International Foundation for Nutrition and Health, and Dominion Herbal College.

I am also a Certified Life Coach. As I began talking to people about nutrition, I learned pretty quickly that it’s not always easy for people to talk about their relationship with food. My coach training taught me to honor and respect the innate ability each of us has to intuitively know what will work best as we choose a path forward on our healing journey. I’ve recently completed the Autoimmune Paleo Certified Coach program, which will allow me to support those dealing with autoimmune illness.

It’s not always easy for people to talk about their relationship with food.

I am here to partner with you on your terms and encourage you to move in a direction that feels hopeful and healthful and makes the most sense for your life.

In Health,

Sharon K. Barrett MS, LDN