Real Nutrition & Fitness, LLC

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Real Nutrition & Fitness, LLC

Real Nutrition & Fitness, LLC founded by Heidi M. Williams, MPH, RD, CSSD, LD, NSCA-CPT, CPPC, CSMC Louis, Missouri founded by Heidi M. I received a B.S.

Real Nutrition & Fitness, LLC is a small nutrition & fitness consulting business in St. Williams, MPH, RD, LD, NSCA-CPT, CPPC. As a dietitian, I focus on using balanced whole foods to help people meet their optimal health states. I am a firm believer in food's natural ability to prevent and manage many disease states, and I am passionate about educating people on the raw powers of food. I take a holistic approach to nutrition and I consider food our best medicine and an important source of enjoyment for the mind, body, and soul. I focus on whole food menu planning, so I can help clients bring more colors into their diet, and transform how and what they eat. I also firmly believe that every individual is unique, so I tailor my nutritional approach to each client's personal goals and comfort level. While many experts in the nutrition field advise patients to cut out particular foods from their diet, I help clients say "yes" to foods instead of "no." I also have a personal passion for the environment so I can guide individuals to eat sustainably and local as well. I take a mindful and supportive approach to food, and I help create an environment where one can improve their health and relationship with food. degree in Nutrition and Fitness and a Master of Public Health from the University of Missouri. If you are interested in my nutrition services, please email me and I can send you along some more detailed information regarding my nutrition consulting sessions. If you do not live in St. Louis, I can do virtual sessions as well.

03/12/2026

Happy Registered Dietitian Day! 20 Years ago I went back to school to become a dietitian. I had no idea it would turn into me running my own private practice for the last 13 years.

I will be honest, it has been harder than I thought, but not for the reasons you might believe. I love working with my clients and it does not get better than one on one counseling - whether for an eating disorder, sports nutrition, both, improving body image, relearning how to eat after years of being sucked into diet culture, or just learning how to have a healthy relationship with food.

Day after day, I realize how strong diet culture is and how many people are sucked into the pressure to be thin. It can be exhausting trying to untangle all the noise out there - for me and my clients! But it is always worth it to get on the other side, whether recovering from an eating disorder or chronic dieting, finally fueling appropriately for your sport, or just nailing your nutrition on race day to get a solid finish!

I love what I do, and if you asked younger Heidi, she thought she was going to be a back up dancer for Tina Turner, but I can confidently say I chose the next best thing for my career!

I cannot thank my clients enough for putting their trust in me to help them along their journey, whatever that may be, because I know I absolutely would not be here without all of them, and the support of all my friends and family. And for those of you following along on my social media, liking, commenting, and sharing, I appreciate you just helping me get my message across. So this is your reminder to thank your favorite RD today. 😉

03/09/2026

It was 80 degrees F here in St. Louis on Friday & I had a 4 hour long run planned. I was so grateful I had spent 10 days in Costa Rica a week prior to the very hot day because I actually felt ok on Friday - I was running and/or hiking twice per day in Costa Rica in 90 degrees F so I was feeling more prepared than some of my other friends that day.

I will be honest, I am not very good about my nutrition and my hydration protocol during the winter months because I often times get too cold and do not prioritize it, especially this year when we had many days in the negatives leading to frozen gels and fluids!

But summer, I do significantly better because I know I’m a salty sweater and am aware of how much being dehydrated can affect my performance, and getting behind just a little bit can ruin your training run or even your race.

On Friday I consumed 16oz water, 20oz skratch with 2 scoops = 800mg Sodium & 40g Carbs, 1 Noog Pouch = 300mg Sodium & 38g Carbs, and 1 Never Second Gel = 200mg Sodium & 30g Carbs every single hour. This brought me to 1300mg Sodium & 108g Carbs per hour and I felt great all things considered with the 1st hot day of the season.

I have 2 x 100 mile races this year - 1 in May and 1 in October so I will be doing a lot of training in the warm spring and summer months here in St. Louis. If you also have a big race this spring, summer or fall, then perhaps this is your sign to stop winging your nutrition plan and set up a session with me. I promise you, it will be worth it! One of the main reasons people DNF races is because of their nutrition plan, or lack thereof, but you will not be one of those people this year!

Please email me: Heidi.m.Williams@gmail.com, check out my website: www.realnutritionandfitness.com or send me a message here so we can set something up!

03/05/2026

Skinny is trending once again. Just when I think we are moving forward, we are taking two steps backward. And I am not talking about just being thin, I am talking about being emaciated. As a dietitian it is important for me to not comment on other’s bodies but it’s also important for me to point out that not everyone is naturally thin and people often go to extreme measures to get to that place of thinness. Honestly it makes me very sad. I hope that my daughters do not grow up and feel the pressure to be emaciated or feel like their bodies are not good enough.

I have had a few clients in my office this this week saying they don’t feel like their are an athlete because of their shape, even though they are all amazing athletes doing thing most people would never be able to. You don’t have to fit into any sort of mold, and you certainly don’t need to starve yourself to get there. Otherwise you won’t have the energy to be the bada** athlete you are!

This is just your reminder to say f**k the toxic skinny culture. I certainly have and I hope you can join me. I cannot stress it enough - there are way more important things than the size of your body. And plus, think of how much energy you would have to spend trying to shrink your body instead of just enjoying life.

Workout:
Air Dyne Bike @ 5 x 30 Sec Pushes
1k Ski Erg
Battle Rope Waves @ 8 x 20 Sec Pushes

03/04/2026

La Carrera Chirripo 34K. 02.21.26. San Gerardo de Rivas, Costa Rica. 6hr55min. 7400’ Elevation.

I ran this race in 2012 when I was 29 years old, and had a very lofty goal to beat my time of 5hr15min. That absolutely did not happen. :)

It poured on Friday up near the mountain so I should have expected for it to be muddy - well it absolutely was. I had 4 hours to get to the top and I made it in 3hr50min. 40 min slower than the last time I ran. I kept thinking that I am definitely a more experienced ultarunner so I should be able to beat my time. Well I was 29 and didn’t have kids and I am realizing these goals of trying to compare myself to a person that doesn’t exist anymore are ridiculous. I just need to keep reminding myself that I continue to show up regardless of how I place.

In saying that, it is very humbling for me to admit that I was last place female. :) This is a race that I wanted to do to see if I could I do it again, which I did. All I know is that the Ticas are insanely strong runners and a white woman from the flat Midwest US has no business trying to keep up with them. The first place female was a 26 year old woman who birthed 4 children and hasn’t bought new shoes in over 3 years - so yeah, that’s who I was up against!

Anyway, the trail was muddy!! So muddy. At one point I stepped into some very deep mud and my shoe got suctioned off. I struggled to get my footing. I was slow getting to the top - climbed 7000 feet over 10 miles so that’s to be expected for a flat lander like me. Then on the way down it poured and with 500 people on the trails they were in bad shape by the time I got to them - I was in the back of the pack because regardless of how hard I train, the locals are just so much stronger. But I was sliding down the mountain toward the end, probably fell no less than 10 times, and they were hard falls! But I finally made it to the finish after all that!

I fueled with water, skratch, noogs, and guava gels at the aid station. All in all it was a very tough race. I’m not sure I’ll do it again but I’m happy I got myself out there and out of my comfort zone and became a little fish in the big sea.

02/05/2026

I am seeing a lot of “healthified” desserts lately. Peanut Butter stuffed dates, cottage cheese mousse, Greek yogurt cheesecake, etc. Obviously I am not against these foods and support wanting to include many different options in our diets.

The issue I have is when we are craving a specific food, let’s say ice cream, and we make cottage cheese “ice cream”, often times we can be left unsatisfied. And with this, it leads us to eat more food, ultimately being full but not satisfied.

One dessert in particular I brought up in multiple sessions per week is halo top ice cream. Honestly I kind of forgot about it because I don’t eat it, but I do see it often at the grocery store since I’m always in the ice cream aisle. Anyway, the issue I have with this “healthier” ice cream is that it doesn’t quite hit the spot if you are truly craving ice cream because it tends to miss the satiety factor - fat. And some of those pints have way more calories than you would consume if you would have just had a regular bowl of ice cream.

I am just here to say, eat a peanut butter stuffed date if you are craving that, but do not call a peanut butter stuffed date a “healthy” Snickers in my presence, because it absolutely is not! 🙂

My advice, eat the foods that make you satisfied and stop trying to find a “healthy” swap for everything, because honestly that sounds exhausting!

And yes, just enjoy the cake and ice cream & move on. You will not be less healthy than someone because you ate cake and ice cream and someone else had cottage cheese ice cream. You want to know why? Our diet truly isn’t that powerful, whether you want to believe me or not. Yes, our diet does matter but not to the point where everything you eat should be a concern.

02/03/2026

Here we are again, a month into 2026 and my social media feed somehow is full of wellness/fitness/nutrition influencers demonizing carbs. I am so tired of seeing the plates of just veggies and protein, oh and maybe a potato, but there are never any grains on these plates. And this is almost always coming from an athlete, or what I call an athlete - someone who works out on purpose. If you go to the gym, fitness classes, run, walk, hike, or do any sort of movement you need carbs, yes, grains.

Can someone please explain to me the fear around rice, pasta, bread, quinoa, couscous, bagels, etc.? I will be honest with you though. Most of the people posting this content do not have a degree in nutrition, and as we have learned over the years, at least for me - credentials matter. Anyone can have experience with something but that’s always anecdotal evidence, not actual science.

I promise you, including grains in your diet will help you lift heavier, run faster, go farther, and just have more energy. Can we just stop glorifying the “clean eating” mentality, because I don’t know about you, but I’m over it.

So this is your sign to unfollow anyone in 2026 who doesn’t have the business giving out nutrition advice, just because “they look the part.” Nutrition credentials do matter because without them, there is a lot of harmful information floating around the internet #, creating unnecessary fear around necessary foods

01/29/2026

Winter running is my nemesis. Basically winter as a whole is. :) I despise it for some reason, and I think the main reason it’s because I can’t wear shorts! :) Truly though, I prefer the heat over the cold any day. It’s so much easier to head out the front door with shorts and a tank instead of layers and layers of clothes!

Today I had a 3 hour run on the calendar. I normally do long runs on the weekend but my husband is out of town so I had to move it to today to get it done. Last night I was thinking of every possible way to avoid doing this run, but also knowing myself that I wouldn’t just blatantly skip it. :)

I have another 100 mile race in about 3 months and I know I have to put in the work. I sucked it up, got all my layers on and went out the front door. I told myself I would turn around if I got miserable. Well I knew I would regret it if I didn’t complete the run though so I tried to stay in it. After about 30-45 minutes I warmed up and just did the dang thing. The sun came out and it put me in a way better mood! I had to improvise and do a lot of hill repeats to get a little very since I couldn’t access the trails on a weekday due to my schedule.

Some days the hardest part is getting all bundled up and getting out the front door and today was one of those days. I don’t always have the motivation but at the end of the day it’s almost always worth it. Just keep showing up as best you can because right now that’s about all we can do.

01/27/2026

Nutrition, Fitness, and Public Health are all political whether you want to believe it or not. And if you don’t believe it, it’s most likely that you do not understand why because it has never affected you, and you should be grateful. Unfortunately not everyone is so lucky to not have to think about when their next meal will be or if they will have enough money to feed their family for the week.

Just to name a few - not everyone has access to healthy food, the ability to take off work to go to doctors appointments, to meal prep, drive to the grocery store, and even live in an area with accessible sidewalks, a gym or trails for movement. And please don’t get me started on we have all the same 24 hours in one day, because we absolutely do not.

The world feels very heavy right now, as it has been feeling for some years, but particularly the past year. I don’t know how to show up on this platform anymore. It seems ridiculous to come here and talk about nutrition and exercise when there are so many horrible things happening. People are being denied access to basic human rights because of the color of their skin, and are afraid to leave their homes and get the care they need. This is a problem, and at this point silence is complacency. Even though I have a very small platform I will speak up and will continue to do so.

All I know is I am so grateful that I have empathy and went into a field to help others and I’m going to continue to do so as best I can. Because I know that being a nutrition & exercise support for others can improve stress and physical wellbeing. And for those of you who continue to support me year after year, I appreciate you. 💜

01/15/2026

The draw to take GLP-1s was a hot topic in my office this week. I believe in body autonomy and will never tell someone what they can and cannot do. You do what you want to do and what is best for you, but I can absolutely see that the pressure is real to be in a smaller body for many reasons. We live in a society that glorifies thinness and people still tend to believe that they are better than others because of the size of their body, and that’s very unfortunate because it’s absolutely not true!

The biggest takeaway that my clients had this week is yes, they want to be thinner, but they also don’t want to give up their ability to get stronger and faster. They know that eating less will affect their performance whether in the gym or on their runs. And yes, that is a deal breaker for many. I am happy to see that people continue to choose strength over thinness. I know it can be hard, but having no energy, being foggy, and not able to focus/concentrate, or be able to workout seem to be deal breakers for clients and this makes me happy.

I know I talk about this often but the pressure is real and no one is immune to it. I’m calling it now though - the rates of osteoporosis will be up in a decade because of the inadequate energy intake people are consuming. To me, losing my muscle mass, my bone mass and my endurance would never be worth it just to be thin. :) At the end of the day, I want my legacy to be about the person I am, not the body I am in.

01/08/2026

The new dietary guidelines are out and they are all over my social media feed so I am not going to say the same thing that every other RD is posting about. I am just going to tell you what I have been telling my clients to do for the last 15+ years. 🙂

Eat fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, & healthy fats. Limit your added sugars, ultra-processed food, and focus on fiber.

Nutrition does not have to be difficult. The basics are great and I encourage you to start here because at the end of the day, most people are not hitting the bare minimum. So instead of inundating yourself with an overload of information just start with the simple things.

Also, don’t be afraid to allow yourself to have fun foods and enjoy food that you love. Food is for fuel, nourishment, and enjoyment.

01/01/2026

Happy New Year. Make 2026 the year you fuel for your activity and not give into the pressure to shrink yourself. I promise you, life is so much better when you have energy to do hard things. If you find that every December 31st you are making a goal to lose weight or get smaller, I highly encourage you to find a new goal, or at least ask yourself why, especially if it’s something you cannot stick to every single year.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I made a goal to change my body, probably at least 15 years, or longer. Just know, there is more to life than how you look.

Perhaps this is the year you focus on improving how you feel instead of how you look. I highly encourage you to make 2026 the year you don’t give into diet and wellness culture. Regardless, have a happy & healthy new year!

12/28/2025

Another year where I am grateful that I am confident enough to not give into the pull to be be super skinny and emaciated. If you haven’t noticed, the skinny trend is everywhere. If that’s your goal, by all means, I am not here to stop you - but I’m also not going to help you get there. 😉

I spent a year running thousands of miles and lifting thousands of pounds of weights and I know I couldn’t do that if I was trying to fit the mold that society has for women right now. I have energy to do all the things I want to and to me that matters. There’s a huge focus on aesthetic when it comes to fitness right now, but just because you have a certain look, it doesn’t mean you are healthy or fit.

I am grateful I am confident enough in my body to not feel the pressure to give into unrealistic expectations of myself to fit the thin ideal, but it has taken years to get here - and I was not even raised in the age of social media, so I cannot even begin to imagine what these younger generations feel.

Keep taking up space, and keep trying to fight the patriarchy, because you certainly can’t do it when you are starving yourself trying to fit into an unrealistic mold of what you think you should look like. I’m about to hit the most mileage I have run in a year in probably over a decade and the only way I have been able to do it is by fueling right and taking care of my body. You have to think about what is your priority, because it’s truly difficult to have both thinness and fitness.

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St. Louis, MO

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+13146802145

Website

http://www.realnutritionandfitness.com/

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