The Naturally Sweet Dietitian

The Naturally Sweet Dietitian Hi! I'm a dietitian & diabetes educator teaching women how to lower BS and A1c without confusion. I am so glad you're here!

I look forward to helping you on your journey to better health through simple nutrition.

03/06/2026

Your doctor, your aunt, your neighbor, they all want to micromanage how many potatoes and cookies you’re eating, yet they’re not asking you about what time you’re getting to bed each night.

you might not have heard this, but there are 42 factors that affect blood sugar, so if someone tells you to “just cut out carbs and desserts,” they’re doing you a big disservice.

A couple of years ago a client came to me with prediabetes, an a1c of 5.9, and stubborn weight gain. We were doing everything right with balanced meals, personalized carb portions, and consistent steps & exercise, but they were only sleeping 5-6 hours a night.

Here’s the thing that no one tells you…

No matter what we were doing with nutritional & exercise, it wasn’t helping significantly because their body was missing quality sleep!

Sleep is the time when your brain recounts and records memories, builds muscles, and essentially resets your body back to factory settings so you have the energy to function optimally the next day. When your body doesn’t have the sleep duration or quality that it needs to do this, the stress hormones in your body increase. Your body is trying to keep energy hanging around to keep up with energy needs because you’re awake for longer.

Overtime, chronically elevated stress hormones lead to chronically elevated blood sugars, which can contribute and lead to developing type 2 diabetes.

Just the other day I read a research review about sleep and diabetes. One of the findings reported that poor sleep quality showed an increase in risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 40-84%.

This is just a glimpse of how impactful sleep is on your body and overall health.

So if you’ve been trying to eat 30+ grams of protein at every meal and haven’t seen the needle move with your a1c, stop to assess your sleep quality and quantity.

Ensure that your body is getting adequate rest to reset for the day and keep excess stress hormones at bay!

Comment BALANCE below and I’ll send you my free sleep cheat sheet to start getting quality zzz’s so you can wake up with more energy and better blood sugars!

You might not have heard this, but there are 42 factors that affect blood sugar, so if someone tells you to “just cut ou...
03/06/2026

You might not have heard this, but there are 42 factors that affect blood sugar, so if someone tells you to “just cut out carbs and dessert, they’re doing you a big disservice!!

My client was doing everything right with nutrition and exercise, but their poor quality sleep kept them stuck.

If the needle isn’t moving with your a1c even though you’re eating balanced meals with protein and fiber, let’s check that other foundations are in place, like quality sleep!

Comment BALANCE below for my free sleep cheat sheet to get you quality zzz’s for better energy and blood sugar, starting today!

03/05/2026

Many people (doctors included) will tell you that you need to cut carbs if you want to lower your A1c [and lose weight].

But unfortunately that advice is too simplistic and doesn’t get to the root issue.

Yes, you may see your post meal blood sugar come down initially, but once you introduce carbs again it’ll shoot back up.

Not to mention, most people can’t realistically sustain a low carb diet for an extended period of time and end up binging because they feel deprived of “good foods.”

And this binging elevates your blood sugars, too.

What actually works to lower your A1c and get your blood sugar in target is getting to the root of your prediabetes and type 2 diabetes which is insulin resistance!

That’s exactly what I help clients do holistically through:
🥗 a balanced diet (protein, fiber, healthy fat, and carbs)
🏋️‍♀️ resistance training and joyful movement
🛌 sleep quality and hygiene
🧖 stress management
💊 appropriate medication + supplementation

This is how my clients are able to eat carbs and still hit their diabetes targets👏

If you have type 2 diabetes and don’t want to go on a restrictive diet, then you’re in the right place!

Follow along and I’ll show you how 🤗

03/03/2026

A couple of nights ago I was up in the middle of the night with my daughter, rocking her with my eyes closed, thinking about how I’d like to be sleeping.

And what crossed my mind is the fact that very few people know how impactful sleep is on diabetes.

Your doctor, your aunt, your neighbor, they all want to micromanage how many potatoes and cookies you’re eating, yet they’re not asking you about what time you’re getting to bed each night.

You might not have heard this, but there are 42 factors that affect blood sugar, so if someone tells you to “just cut out carbs and desserts,” they’re doing you a big disservice.

Just the other day I read a research review about sleep and diabetes. One of the findings reported that poor sleep quality showed an increase in risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 40-84%.

It’s a wide range, but this is just a glimpse of how impactful sleep is on your body and overall health.

But why exactly does your risk increase?

Sleep is the time when your brain recounts and records memories, builds muscles, and essentially resets your body back to factory settings so you have the energy to function optimally the next day. When your body doesn’t have the sleep duration or quality that it needs to do this, the stress hormones in your body increase.

Overtime, chronically elevated stress hormones lead to chronically elevated blood sugars, which can contribute and lead to developing type 2 diabetes.

So if you’ve been trying to eat 30+ grams of protein at every meal and haven’t seen the needle move with your a1c, stop to assess your sleep quality and quantity.

Ensure that your body is getting adequate rest to reset for the day and keep excess stress hormones at bay!

Comment BALANCE and I’ll send you my sleep like a baby sleep cheat sheet so you can improve your blood sugar to boost your mood, energy, and finally get your a1c moving!

03/02/2026

Okay, but can we talk about something that barely anybody is talking about with prediabetes??

A couple of nights ago I was up in the middle of the night with my daughter, rocking her with my eyes closed, thinking about how I’d like to be sleeping.

And what crossed my mind is the fact that very few people know how impactful sleep is on diabetes.

Your doctor, your aunt, your neighbor, they all want to micromanage how many potatoes and cookies you’re eating, yet they’re not asking you about what time you’re getting to bed each night.

I am a diabetes educator and dietitian so I know how important a role nutrition plays in your health. However, that also means I know that nutrition isn’t the ONLY thing that influences diabetes progression.

you might not have heard this, but there are 42 factors that affect blood sugar, so if someone tells you to “just cut out carbs and desserts,” they’re doing you a big disservice.

Just the other day I read a research review about sleep and diabetes. One of the findings reported that poor sleep quality showed an increase in risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 40-84%.

It’s a wide range, but this is just a glimpse of how impactful sleep is on your body and overall health.

But why exactly does your risk increase?

Sleep is the time when your brain recounts and records memories, builds muscles, and essentially resets your body back to factory settings so you have the energy to function optimally the next day. When your body doesn’t have the sleep duration or quality that it needs to do this, the stress hormones in your body increase.

Overtime, chronically elevated stress hormones lead to chronically elevated blood sugars, which can contribute and lead to developing type 2 diabetes.

So if you’ve been trying to eat 30+ grams of protein at every meal and haven’t seen the needle move with your a1c, stop to assess your sleep quality and quantity.

Ensure that your body is getting adequate rest to reset for the day and keep excess stress hormones at bay!

Comment BALANCE below and I’ll send you my Sleep Like a Baby cheat sheet to get better zzz’s to balance your blood sugars 🙏

02/26/2026

Did you know them all?

People typically reduce diabetes to diet and blame it all on sugar, but it’s more involved than that.

Let’s take a look:

1️⃣ It’s not just about sugar - you don’t “get diabetes” by eating too much sugar. Diabetes is multifactorial and often occurs from genetics, lifestyle, physical activity level, and stress in addition to diet.
2️⃣ Stress is a silent saboteur. Most people think diabetes diagnoses are because of what you eat, but stress plays a significant role in diabetes progression, too. Chronic stress raises stress hormones, which impact blood sugar regulation and can worsen insulin resistance
3️⃣ Sleep is a game-changer. Did you know that poor sleep can make your cells less responsive to insulin. Sleep is when your body recovers, and sleep deprivation can increase stress hormones (which can raise blood sugar levels).
4️⃣ “Exercise more” isn’t a helpful strategy Overdoing intense workouts without recovery can raise stress hormones, making blood sugar harder to control. There is a way to strategically exercise to boost insulin sensitivity and bring your blood sugars to target without hours and hours at the gym.
5️⃣ Your gut health matters. An imbalanced gut microbiome can fuel inflammation, which can contribute to insulin resistance. PMCID: PMC3705322
6️⃣ Weight isn’t the whole story - insulin resistance and prediabetes can occur for people at normal weight due to genetics, stress, or inflammation. Focusing only on the scale misses the root cause
BONUS: prediabetes is something to take seriously and focus on now! I’ve heard so many times from clients that doctors tell them not to worry about prediabetes. But the truth is, insulin resistance is happening usually 5-10 years before type 2 diabetes develops. So why are we waiting if there’s something we can do about it now??

You didn’t land here by accident. Hit follow so you can finally get your a1c out of prediabetes range without dieting!

Sleep aids like melatonin supplements, magnesium, and sleep aid medication can help you fall asleep, but they don’t addr...
02/26/2026

Sleep aids like melatonin supplements, magnesium, and sleep aid medication can help you fall asleep, but they don’t address the root issue of your sleep disturbances.

When you have type 2 diabetes and your blood sugars are elevated, it can lead to disruptions in sleep because your body is trying to get rid of the excess sugar (peeing it out).

And when your blood sugar is too low, your body also wakes up because of the need for energy and balance to be restored.

Sleep aids May help temporarily, but getting to the root cause and stabilizing your blood sugar can help support deeper sleep.

And when you do that, you think more clearly, you’re friendlier with loved ones, and you may even lose weight, too!

Comment BREAKTHROUGH below and let’s see if coaching is a good fit 🫶🏻

You’re not the problem. It’s the fact that the “plan” was not made for a high achieving woman like yourself.The truth is...
02/25/2026

You’re not the problem.

It’s the fact that the “plan” was not made for a high achieving woman like yourself.

The truth is, undereating is a stressor on the body, and when it’s layered on top of other stressors like “always being busy” or “always on the go,” your body is just trying to survive.

This means weight loss is NOT a priority.

This also means that blood sugar is elevated because your stress hormones are constantly running through your body just to keep up.

Your body doesn’t need “more discipline “ with carbs, calories, or exercise.

It needs TLC in the form of personalized nourishment so it feels safe to thrive.

If there’s one thing you can do tomorrow, it’s start with a balanced breakfast to stabilize your blood sugar, keep you full, and energize you until your next meal.

Having a balanced breakfast (including carbs) sets the tone for your blood sugar and insulin response throughout the day!

Comment STABLE below and I’ll send you my breakfast cheat sheet so you can do just that!

02/24/2026

You might feel like it’s a willpower problem, like it’s a YOU problem that you have sugar cravings.

But it’s likely much deeper than that!

If you have sugar cravings or cravings in general, it tells me that you just might have insulin resistance and blood sugar dysregulation.

Especially if you find that you’re hungry again just after you eat something starchy or sweet

Cutting carbs and muscling through the cravings to “get more willpower” is probably what you’re trying, but this is likely intensifying your cravings

Instead, you need to get to the ROOT of your cravings (insulin resistance) to finally root out those cravings for good!

And that’s exactly what one of my clients did to reduce her binging/restricting cycle in just 6 weeks without cutting carbs or strict diets

She nourished her body with protein, fiber, fat, and yes, carbs too, to stabilize her blood sugars and energy levels and reported little to no overindulgences!

If you’re ready for MORE energy, LESS cravings, and feeling like a million bucks in your body again by summer time, then comment BREAKTHROUGH below and let’s see if coaching is a mutually good fit 🫶🏻

If you’re not seeing the results you way despite all your efforts, the mistake you might be making that’s keeping you st...
02/23/2026

If you’re not seeing the results you way despite all your efforts, the mistake you might be making that’s keeping you stuck is relying solely on nutrition to lower your A1c!

It’s not your fault because the “go-to” advice is all about food and cutting carbs.

But it’s not too late to make changes -holistic ones- that will move the needle!

You don’t need a generic “eat less carbs, move more” prescription, you need a personalized strategy!

And that’s exactly what you’ll get in coaching 👏

Comment ME below and let’s see if we’re a good fit 🫶🏻

02/22/2026

|| Comment SWEET below and I’ll send you the info to get a box of these healthy treats!

A hill I will die on as a dietitian and diabetes educator is that you do not need to cut out foods that you love in order to lower your a1c.

BTW, this should go without saying, but this isn’t a free license to eat however much sugar you want.

What it does mean is that there IS a way for you to eat carbs and sweets in a way that keeps your blood sugars stable so that you feel energized and prevent diabetes progression.

However, if you eat treats more frequently, it’s best to find healthier options with better for you ingredients that keep your blood sugars in target and your body functioning optimally.

That’s why I’m excited that I found Rohit’s mithai! It’s a lighter take on a traditional Indian sweet. The founder created it because his father had type 2 diabetes and he hated telling his dad that he couldn’t have traditional sweets anymore.

And as a diabetes dietitian, I know so many people can relate to this. They tell me that they were told to cut out carbs, sugar, rice, noodles in order to manage their diabetes. Often this unfortunately includes cultural foods, too.

But with this mithai, you don’t need to choose between your health and indulgence. Rohit reinvented this burfi so that you can enjoy sweet treats without the sugar crashes.

He gifted me a box to try for myself and what I like about these sweets is that they are made with quality ingredients like almonds, pistachios, ghee, prebiotic fiber to deliver on flavor and keep your blood sugar steady. They boast 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per 60 calorie square, both of which help stabilize blood sugar to avoid energy crashes.

Every detail is thought out down to the packaging, delivering a luxurious experience perfect for parties, celebrations, or indulgences just because.

Give the gift of healthful indulgence with Rohit’s mithai for a special occasion or just because ☺️

Comment SWEET below and I’ll send you the info to get your hands on a box of this healthy treat!

Address

Richmond, VA
23173, 23218–23242, 23249–23250, 23255, 23260–23261, 23269, 23273–23274,

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