East River Wellness

East River Wellness Integrative Nurse Practitioner 👩🏼‍⚕️
Nutrition Educator 📚
Functional + Conventional
We are designed to heal ✨
Biblical Wellness ✝️

Eating a completely whole food, made from scratch diet is a crunchy gal’s dream. But in our modern, fast-paced world, an...
05/28/2026

Eating a completely whole food, made from scratch diet is a crunchy gal’s dream. But in our modern, fast-paced world, and certainly in the season I am in with 3 busy kids, it’s not realistic. Here’s my favorite processed health foods I eat regularly (no particular order):
🥦
1. oatmeal cups & original granola
2. original powder
3. whey powder
4. coconut-based yogurt
5. .snacks dark chocolate coconut bars
6. peanut butter chocolate chip bars
7. chickpea puffs
8. grassfed beef sticks
9. coffee creamer
10. frozen meals (with canned salmon!)

05/26/2026

I mean, what does a mom even do with a compliment like that???
I am exploring ways to help more people at one time. One idea I am floating are courses. I love educating (and I am told I am good at it), and I truly believe knowledge is power! So many people are stuck because there is a knowledge gap OR they’re overwhelmed by conflicting information.
I’ve also considered group programs - like running a group elimination diet and having once weekly group zooms.
Comment COURSES or PROGRAMS if this is something you’re interested in.

What an amazing asset to our NK community!
05/10/2026

What an amazing asset to our NK community!

I cannot tell a lie. This was one of the most difficult cases I’ve had. Severe, debilitating heartburn - inability to ea...
04/28/2026

I cannot tell a lie. This was one of the most difficult cases I’ve had. Severe, debilitating heartburn - inability to eat with freedom, sleep without pain, gain weight that was needed, or enjoy life.
🧡
Most reflux/heartburn is NOT too much or an overproduction of acid - it is almost always that acid is reaching locations not equipped to handle the low pH like the stomach cells are. The most common causes are actually:
- Lower Esophageal Sphincter Dysfunction
- Hiatal Hernia
- Esophageal Hypersensitivity
🧡
Each of these can have multiple contributing underlying factors that will NEVER be fixed by suppressing acid production indefinitely - which is the mainstay of conventional reflux treatment.
🧡
Unfortunately, she had been put on high dose PPIs and sent on her way. It’s unfortunate because: 1) they didn’t help much, and 2) they exacerbated nutrient depletions already in play because of early undiagnosed autoimmune gastritis. When you run out of nutrients, it is SO hard to keep fighting.
🧡
Ultimately, it was a combination of holistic/functional AND conventional interventions that have gotten her to where she is today, and I am confident we can get her to 100%!!!
🧡
I am thankful she trusted me through the ups and downs just as much as she expresses her gratitude here!

Pursuit of optimal health is always worth it.I can’t imagine where I’d be and how crappy I would function & feel if I di...
03/31/2026

Pursuit of optimal health is always worth it.
I can’t imagine where I’d be and how crappy I would function & feel if I didn’t lay the foundations of health that I carry out day-to-day.
💪🏻
But I often find myself falling prey to thoughts, like “I’m not doing something right,” “There’s got to be something you haven’t figured out,” or “How can you help others when you can fully heal yourself.”
✋🏻
But, truth is, no matter what anyone tells your or sells you, there are some dis-ease states that won’t be reversed (reversal and remission are different).
There are still so many interplays between our environment and genetics that are not understood.
🧬
And here’s the most important part - all that striving? All those attempts to control everything and figure it out? It might be making you sicker (if sicker isn’t a word, it is today 😂).
🩷
So, if you’re living with chronic health issues and you’re tired or you feel like a failure because no matter what you do it never seems to “work” to restore your health. Maybe you need to let go of your old definition of health - a life without pharmaceutical intervention - and embrace a definition of health that balances holistic and conventional modalities to give you quality of life so you can actually live with purpose.

03/12/2026

Favs:
1. sprouted oats - be sure to only measure out 1 serving (or 1/2 if going lower carb - still 3g fiber!) and pair with protein & fat
2. Ground flax seed (this is )
3.
4. (mix with a tiny bit of water for reg PB consistency, or mix in a smoothie, yogurt or oats!)
5. Red skinned apples
6. Navel or CaraCara oranges

Honorable mentions:
Avocados 🥑
Sweet potatoes 🍠
Black beans, garbanzos, or lentils 🫘

03/02/2026

Lunchtime confessions (& encouragement!)

ERW Sunday Sermon.Matthew 11: 28-30
03/01/2026

ERW Sunday Sermon.

Matthew 11: 28-30

One of the most underrated blood sugar tools?
👉 Fiber.Here’s why fiber matters for glucose control:
• Slows carbohydrate...
02/18/2026

One of the most underrated blood sugar tools?
👉 Fiber.

Here’s why fiber matters for glucose control:
• Slows carbohydrate absorption
• Reduces post-meal glucose spikes
• Improves insulin sensitivity over time
• Supports GLP-1 release
• Associated with metabolically beneficial
changes to to intestinal microbial composition

This is why pairing starchy carbs with fiber (instead of eating them solo) can be game-changing for:
✔️ prediabetes
✔️ type 2 diabetes
✔️ reactive hypoglycemia
✔️ PCOS

Try this:
🍚 White rice → add veggies + lentils
🍞 Toast → add nut butter + mashed berries, or avocado + sesame seeds
🥣 Oats → add pumpkin & h**p seeds, apple chunks (w/skin) + cinnamon

Fiber = built-in blood sugar buffer 🛡️

Fiber isn’t one thing—it’s a team. And each player has a different job 👇Soluble fiber
• Dissolves in water → forms a gel...
02/10/2026

Fiber isn’t one thing—it’s a team. And each player has a different job 👇

Soluble fiber
• Dissolves in water → forms a gel
• Slows digestion + glucose absorption
• Feeds beneficial gut bacteria
Found in: oats, chia, flax, beans, lentils, berries, apples, citrus
✨Can cause constipation without adequate hydration or a balanced microbiome.

Insoluble fiber
• Does not dissolve in water
• Adds bulk to stool
• Supports regular bowel movements
Found in: leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, nuts, seeds, whole grains
✨Can cause diarrhea without a balanced microbiome.

✨ Most people need both for optimal gut + metabolic health.

Address

New Kent, VA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm

Website

https://eastriverwellnessllc.com/dietary-fiber-the-unsung-hero-of-metabolic-and-gut-he

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