Amber Gourley - The Disobedient Dietitian

05/02/2020

How many of us have fond childhood memories of holding the delicate stem of a dandelion puffed out full of seeds to our lips ready to gently blow the seeds off to their new home while wishing for our most secret desire?⁣

Many of us only think of Dandelions as weeds, a nuisance to yards and sidewalks. Many have no idea that all the parts of the Dandelion were used as food and medicine by at least 22 Native North American tribes to treat a wide variety of health conditions including blood purification and anemia, gastrointestinal distress, sore throats, breast milk production, laxative, kidney trouble, toothache, chest pain/lung disorders, and even menstrual cramps!⁣

At Heal U we often recommend Dandelion leaf and root to stimulate appetite, activate digestion and metabolism by stimulating the secretion of bile, gastric enzymes, and pancreatic enzymes. ⁣

You can add dandelion leaves into salads or taking a dandelion root tincture 20 minutes before a meal to rev up the digestive fires and support healthy digestion, relieve indigestion, and in some cases even eliminate constipation. ⁣⁣
Dandelion even supports the body's natural detoxification processes but supporting the liver as it clears metabolic waste including excess hormones such as estrogen from the body.⁣

Have you ever eaten Dandelion? Drank it as a tea or used the greens in a salad?
⁣
Share your experience below.

We'd love to hear it!

04/23/2020

Thanks for WJHL for allowing me to do another fun segment discussing using what you have on hand to make fun and nourishing meals!

Registered Dietitian Amber Gourley gives us great tips on experimenting in the kitchen with ingredients you already have on-hand. For more information text pantrymeals to 44222

04/12/2020

Regardless of if you can't find eggs (we still have some here but I've noticed less and less in the stores.

Or have an allergy or sensitivity this article tests some of the best substitutes there were even a few I've never tried!

So you can bake even when you're out of eggs.

01/02/2020

I received this email late NYE night - what a simply wonderful way to end 2019!

It is without a doubt a blessing to do the work that I do with women who are all in on their health.

I absolutely do remember this woman and I remember her fear when she walked into my office and sat down.

She had previously engaged in a program that used food and exercise as a weapon against her body and was terrified that I was going to push to her extremes to get the results that she was seeking.

*Spoiler alert - that's not what I or my team do. And that's not what you should do either.

As we enter into this first week of 2020 many have set the traditional New Years Resolution of weight loss or maybe just that of improved health.

Many will be tempted by fad diets, expensive diet pills or supplements.

The sad hard truth is that if you are lucky enough to lose a few pounds using those supplements or following that fad diet your weight loss and/or health gains are most likely temporary. Or the weight loss is coming from water weight or even scarier muscle loss.

Both my team and I LOVE working with women find health in their own way and we want to send a message to every woman out there this year who is contemplating her health goals -

👉 You DON'T have to starve yourself this year
👉 You DON'T have to use exercise as a punishment
👉 You CAN meet your health goals without buying some expensive supplement promising fast weight loss
👉 You DESERVE to find your own path to health and wellness that feels right to you

It's 2020 a brand new decade - let's step off the hamster wheel of crazy fad diets and body punishment.

If you need help letting go of old thoughts and habits and want a new approach to health & wellness this year send me a message. This is what we do, it's what we LOVE to do

11/11/2019

A very sad story and one that could and should have been prevented!

It's past time we stop pushing athletes to lose weight and stop telling athletes that you can go faster, longer harder if you are thin enough.

The fact is you need fuel to perform if you don't feed your body with enough calories and the right nutrients your body will suffer - this is true for both males and females!

Please know if you work with athletes in any capacity that you tell them about food and their body is powerful.

I strongly encourage ALL coaches to refer out to a Registered Dietitian especially if you want your team to excel.

We've seen it over and over an athlete comes to us and 100% of the time we discover that they are under fueling their body and with a few tweaks we are able to see their performance improve immensely!

At Heal U we also work with athletes who are battling eating disorders from being fed this type of messaging for years. Once an eating disorder sets in recovery can be challenging however the sooner the disorder can be addressed the higher the chance of recovery.

If you work with athletes in any way maybe you are a coach, athletic trainer or even just a parent and you are worried about disordered eating patterns or just want to help your athlete step up your game. Give us a call (many insurances accepted!)

The former teen prodigy alleged abuse by her Oregon Project coaches.

08/21/2019

For years I've warned clients away from ordering supplements off Amazon for this very reason!

This is exactly why I have my own dispensary & online store that I use with my clients and why I only choose high-quality supplements from distributors I trust.

When purchasing supplements make sure you are buying them from a qualified website or store, check expiration dates, and if the supplement has an off odor sure you reach out to the vendor to verify if the product is safe to take (some supplements do have a strong smell) and make sure that you are only taking what you need.

Also, don't forget that supplements can and do interact with medications and more isn't always better!

If you aren't sure if you actually need all the supplements you are taking and want a supplement review reach out and let's talk.

Amazon runs an annual sale they've dubbed Prime Day, which ran July 15 and 16, 2019, for the U.S. On the second evening, as reported by Wired, Anne-Marie Bressler received an automated email from Amazon informing her that one of the nutritional supplements she'd ordered two weeks earlier were likely...

08/10/2019

Beyond honored and delighted to present today at the ETSU Pediatrics Conference with Mary Jane Shephard!

Mary Jane Shephard did a phenomenal job discussing food allergies intolerances and sensitivities and I followed up with a discussion about eating disorders.

This was the first time I've presented this presentation and it's always nerve-wracking as you never know how the subject matter will land.

After the presentation we had several providers come up and thank us for doing a phenomenal job! Teaching always makes my heart happy!!

08/07/2019

A huge thank you to whoever submitted my name to the Johnson City's Readers choice awards for the best dietitian in JC.

I'm honored to do the work that I do and I love having a positive impact in this community.

I'd appriciate your vote for best JC dietitian!

Here's the link -

https://contests.johnsoncitypress.com/2019_best_of_jc/…

You'll find me in the medical category under dietitian. :)

04/10/2019

My mission, my purpose, my passion is to help women reclaim their lives through decreasing pain, eliminating embarrassing and uncomfortable digestive issues and overall just reclaiming themselves.

Health is more than just nutrition, in fact, the reality is that nutrition is a small part of our health {gasp!}.

Health true total body healing starts deep within your soul and mind.

It starts with compassion, self-love, and acceptance.

Only when we are able to open our hearts to ourselves are we then ready to move into the physical healing process.

To only address the physical is like building a house but starting with the roof.

Nutrition, that’s the easy part.

What’s hard but oh-so-worth it is looking at the pieces of you who make up the total of who you are.

That means embracing your journey every.single.part.

Easier said than done right? Especially when you are in the middle of what feels like hell.

The reality is we can never predict the future we can only connect the dots in hindsight.

Which is why I’m thrilled to finally be launching my brand new podcast! {it’s been a year in the works!!}.

Finding Purpose over Pain.

There are opportunities in all circumstances and chronic health issues are no exception.

In Finding Purpose over Pain, amazing women from all over the world share their experiences journey of living life with a chronic illness and disease who have chosen to look at life through a new lens and to find purpose, great and even new lives through the process!

Life and health - it’s a mind game first.

Join us. be inspired. Find your own purpose over pain.

See the link in the comments to find the full episodes on iTunes. Please download take a listen and let me know what you think!

04/04/2019

Hey hey!!! I've been a little behind on my social media so I apologize for the late announcement BUT I have some exiting news!! I was asked to participate in an online summit on Chronic Pain and it starts TODAY!

For 3 WHOLE days, you have the opportunity to get free access to interviews with 15 health professionals who have tons of valuable advice share, strategies, and how-tos of managing your pain symptoms - including myself!

My interview is going live tomorrow (April 6th) at 12 PM and 2:00pm EST
"Beating Inflammation & Autoimmunity"

In addition to yours truly, there are some impressively skilled health professionals involved, including:

Venard Fong, who’s been accused of wizardry because of his unique and near-miraculous success curing persistent, localized chronic pain.

Susan Wis dealt with depression, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome for more than three years before finally coming out on top, and she’s here to share how you can do the same.

Melissa Talwar, self-proclaimed nerd &; biohacker, she suffered from severe fibromyalgia for most of her life and now advocates for fellow sufferers and shares her story of healing.

Cheryl Borchardt was able to work through a shocking number of chronic health conditions, but only after discovering Functional Medicine…and she’s her to help you do the same.

Frankie Burget has not only pioneered her own unique treatment system – Fascial Integrative Therapy – but she also has over 20 years of practice and experience helping chronic pain sufferers find relief and heal the source of their pain.

Bill Parravano, the Knee Pain Guru, is known to be the best in the world at eliminating knee pain without drugs, shots or surgery…even for clients who have tried everything else.

Kyla Plaxton’s life changed when she discovered Acupressure, and from that moment forward she devoted her life to helping change the lives of others in pain through the same remedy.

Cheryl Meyer got sick – very sick – and decided that she didn’t want to live out the rest of her life either in pain, or on drugs. So she found a better solution, and she’s here to share it with you too.

Jane Hutton is a holistic functional nutritionist, food and health writer, consultant, author, speaker, educator and chef and she’s going to help you make nutritious, delicious food a daily habit.

Suzy Hardy’s passion for natural healing is a result of her own back injury. She became a licensed massage therapist and energy healer and is also the co-host of the Food Heals Podcast. Forever the entrepreneur, she is now the founder of CBD Fountain, an organic and vegan H**p CBD company.

Dr. Terri Brucato has been a practicing chiropractor since 1999, and with her MS in applied clinical nutrition, she integrates a holistic approach to healthcare. Her has personal experience with depression and pain management which she addresses with corrective exercise and nutritional intervention, reaffirming her belief that most health conditions can be addressed through diet and lifestyle interventions

Kimberly Andrews after 20 years of degenerating health thanks to conventional treatment of FOUR autoimmune disorders, she finally went into remission after putting diet &; lifestyle changes into practice.

Diana Moore founded Advocates4Health as a forum to help those suffering from a variety of painful conditions learn homeopathic, preventative, alternative or integrative health remedies.

and

Monique Nelson, the host of the entire Health Summit Club, junk food addict turned plant-based food and certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.

This is an event you're not going to want to miss! Afraid you can't "be there"? Don't worry!

The April 2019 Coping With Chronic Pain Summit is a VIRTUAL online conference!>

You don't have to travel - we bring the interviews to you! They'll be broadcast over the web, so you can watch from the comfort of home.

What's more? It's FREE. Yes, really! You can watch every speaker's interview for 24 hours after it goes live.

Check it out here! https://healthsummit.club?affiliate_id=1594449

So what are you waiting for? Join me and 14 other experts at the Coping With Chronic Pain Health Summit.

03/26/2019

Coaches, it’s time to talk.

I mean really let’s have a heart to heart

I see your messages -

You invite clients to work with you to:

>> Uplevel their business.

>> Find their lives purpose.

>> Work smarter not harder.

You invite them to invest in themselves because you know that when they take that step the magic happens.

You’ve seen it over and over.

In fact, you know that it’s possible because you’re willing to invest in anything to build your business -

>> YOUR training.

>>YOUR coach.

>> YOURSELF.

Because you know that only the best will do for you and your clients.

And frankly, if we're honest about it you’re a rock star when it comes to getting your clients results.

Because you are the best, you demand the best and you will accept nothing less.

So one coach to another let me ask you - How’s your health?

I mean if you are really and truly honest with yourself are there aspects of your health that you know are holding you back?

That is keeping you from showing up in your fullest self most powerful self and playing full out?

Think about how much you’ve done already, take a minute and savor all your accomplishments because you’ve been working hard.

Now ask yourself has my body taken a hit?

It did for me.

I got so busy and wrapped up in building THE successful business that I forgot about me.

Ironic hu? The one person who should make their health a priority got so wrapped up in the moment that my health took a major back seat.

The funny thing?

As I felt worse and worse, the health of my business declined also.

Leads slowed down, I attracted less than ideal clients, I no longer had the energy to do the things that I knew would continue building my business.

So I had to give myself a reality check and create my non-negotiables.

My non-negotiable is my body.

My health comes first, then my family, then my business.

If I don’t feel well I can’t give my best self to anyone else and that’s not fair to my husband, my kids or my clients.

These days if there is one thing I refuse to NOT to prioritize in it’s my health whether that be in the form of time or money.

And like you, I demand the best.

I demand the best from my body and from myself.

Because when my body is on point, so am I.

Here’s what I learned and what I’m sure you already know -

When you are in pain your focus is elsewhere.

When you are constantly running to the bathroom you aren’t building your business.

When you’re dealing with brain fog it’s blocking your creative genius from creating that jaw-dropping content that you know you are capable of.

Your amazing body is the vessel that allows your creativity and genius to flow through you to others.

And right now it’s not working quite right.

You know there are answers you just haven’t found them yet.

And you KNOW that when you find someone who has those answers, nothing will hold you back in really claiming it all, health included!

Here’s your sign, it is highly likely I hold the key to those answers, at least I have for countless women who went from:

>> Tired and wired every night to easily falling asleep and waking full of energy.

>> Diarrhea 11 times per day to totally normal bowel movements in 30 days - no fancy supplements required.

>> Chronic constipation to daily healthy bowel movements.

>> Intense daily pain requiring Lyrica to pain-free and medication free within 30 days - again just by changing food!

Because just like you I’m an expert.

Not only am I a coach - so you’ll get the hard questions ;)

But I’m also a licensed dietitian nutritionist with years of experience and knowledge who thinks outside the conventional box.

Today I’m inviting you to a free 30-minute conversation to get clarity on what’s best for you and your body. If I truly 100% think I can help you I’ll extend an invitation to work together. If I don’t I’ll point you towards what resources I have that I think will help you and wish you the best.

You have nothing to lose - But you could have a lot to gain.

Message me today, let’s talk