“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

- Michael Pollan

The Program

Your personalized program will improve your health, and also your happiness. Together, we will explore concerns specific to you and your body and discover the tools you need for a lifetime of balance.

(Distance Counseling available via telephone or Skype, making it possible to have appointments from any location around the world and/or fit the appointments in on-the-go)

You Will…

• Set and accomplish goals
• Explore new foods
• Understand and reduce cravings
• Increase energy
• Feel better in your body
• Improve personal relationships

Food changes everything. As your daily diet changes, your body changes and your happiness improves. Imagine what your life would be like if you had clear thinking, energy and excitement every day.

Your Program includes…

• Two sessions per month (50-60 minutes long each), via office, phone or Skype
• E-mail support between sessions
• Access to (Integration for Life Facebook page) with posts several times a week
• Books, handouts, food samples and self-care items(depending on client)
• Blog posts including new recipes and advice
• Access to a lending library of health and wellness books
• Possible Meal Plans, Grocery Shopping Tours, Nutritional Type Test, Food Allergy/Sensitivity Tests, Blood Testing,  and more

During our free initial consultation we will discuss your unique situation in depth and determine how I can help you reach your personal goals. Contact me today to schedule your free consultation.

Health Counseling is a unique, exciting innovation in health and nutrition.

Health Counseling

While most nutritionists dwell on calories, carbs, fats, proteins, restrictions and lists of good and bad foods, I work with my clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and free of denial and discipline. Sounds too easy and fun, right? Eating healthy should be.

As a Health Counselor, I have studied over 100 major dietary theories…including the Zone Diet, Vegetarian, Vegan, Macrobiotic, Blood Type, Glycemic Index, Raw Food…and have an open mind that what is great for one person might not be good for another. I am here to help you discover what approach(es) work best for you specifically.

What the doctors and everybody else might not tell you: No one diet works for everyone. I will guide you to find the food and lifestyle choices that best support you personally. I will also help you to make gradual, sustainable, life-long changes that enable you to reach your current and future health goals.

When was the last time you talked with someone about your health and received the personal attention you deserve?

It’s rare for anyone to get an hour to work on their nutrition and goals with a trained professional. As a health counselor, I am here to create a supportive environment while we explore what really works for you. This could include any or all of the following: menu suggestions, food allergy/sensitivity and/or blood testing, a grocery shopping tour, managing stress or finding time and how to “cook smart” at home.

I practice a holistic approach to health and wellness, which means that I look at how all areas of your life are connected.

My Approach

• Does stress at your job or in your relationship cause you to overeat?
• Does lack of sleep or low energy prevent you from exercising?
• Do you find yourself too busy to cook at home, but then frustrated with your choices or how you feel when you eat  on-the-go?
• Are you possibly sensitive (or even allergic) to something you are eating regularly?
• Are you familiar with how your blood type affects the food you choose and how it affects the foods you choose and how you feel?

As we work together, we look at how all parts of your life affect your health as a whole. A health counselor is a wellness guide and supportive mentor. Together, we’ll work to achieve your goals in areas such as achieving optimal weight, food cravings, sleep and energy. Through working with me, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the foods and lifestyle choices that work best for you and implement lasting changes that will improve your energy, balance and health.

Bio-individuality

The concept of bio-individuality is that each person has her or his own food and lifestyle needs. So, when the experts say, “dairy is good for you” or “fat is unhealthy,” it doesn’t apply to everyone. One person’s food is another person’s poison, and fad diets tend to fail in the long run. Working on the principle of bio-individuality, I’ll support you in making positive changes that are based on your unique needs, lifestyle, personal preferences, and background. Instead of prescribing one fix for all people, I use a personalized, holistic approach that is based on your needs.

Everything is food

We are not only fed by food but by other factors in our lives. Healthy relationships, a fulfilling career, regular physical activity and a spiritual practice are essential formsof nourishment. When these “primary foods” are balanced, what you eat becomes secondary.

Integrative Nutrition Pyramid

The Integrative Nutrition food pyramid focuses on nourishing food and lifestyle choices. Our wellness pyramid emphasizes the importance of high quality vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats and water. To complete the picture, the pyramid is surrounded with lifestyle factors that create optimal heath: relationship, career, physical activity and spirituality.

My goal is your complete
radiance, inside and out.

Do you want to enjoy your life more? Build your confidence? Improve your diet? Increase your energy? Reach personal goals? Quit putting things off? Create lasting relationships and more?

Contact me today to schedule your free consultation. We will discuss your unique situation in depth and determine how I can help you reach your personal goals.

Based in Cardiff, CA (San Diego), I can meet with you in-person or through Distance Counseling anywhere in the world (via telephone or Skype).

Contact

Elise Purcell, H.H.P.

Certified Health Counselor

Telephone 619.392.2580   Email elise@integrationforlife.com

Does Organic Matter? Ask Elise.

Sometimes we learn the most from the most simple things. This is an excellent example from a little girl named Elise.  (No, this is not me as a little girl…even though I looked just like her. Her understanding of food and nutrition is way more advanced than mine at her age).

Potato Project

She probably does not know any thing about Monsanto.  My pipe dream is that she will never have to. If she and all of her friends act on what they have learned, then we have a small hope. That can become contagious…especially in the new frontier of the internet and even Facebook. We can’t seem to be able to depend on government or big agriculture to save us.  The USDA approved GMO alfalfa, and  that has been seen by some as the beginning of the end. I agree; some things seem out of our control.

But we learn some of the best life lessons from such simple ideas, right? Everyone knows Gandhi’s famous lines, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”  Let’s all try to simplify our lives and thus our food systems.  Let’s grow as much as we can ourselves, be as close to the source of our food as possible, and make sure that funky stuff is not sprayed on things, and this matters more on some food than others.

Here is a list of the 12 Things you should always buy organic:  The Dirty Dozen

And since not everyone can afford organic everything, here is a list of the things that you can get away with: The Clean 15  (notice that sweet potatoes are actually on this list though, which is what little Elise used in her experiment)

The point here is not to become paranoid and freak out.  That would not solve anything…and the little girl seemed to be ok?!  So do what you can today. Be pro-active.  Remember: we don’t have to be perfect, but if we all did a little bit more that would be a big change overall.

Testimonials

“I loved having Elise as a Health Counselor. During her program I enjoyed losing weight. However, having Elise help me work through my emotional eating triggers was even more valuable. She has a very nice approach and is easy to talk to and work with. Most importantly, improving my overall health has been wonderful and I never would have gotten this far without Elise.”

- K.S.

“I have three children and a stressful, demanding job.  Over the years, I had forgotten about myself.  Elise has helped me re-focus on myself, which is in turn benefitting everyone else in my life.  I am now eating green leafy vegetables not be skinny but because it is the kind of fuel my body needs to enable me to feel my best.  I am paying attention to my water intake.  Elise is helping me identify relationships in my life which empower me and helping me nurture those relationships.  She is helping me learn to accept help and be more forgiving of myself.  Hers is truly a holistic approach in that she understands that every aspect of your life influences another aspect.  I am watching myself slowly evolve into a healthier, happier, better adjusted person with her help.  Thank you, Elise!”

- Shannon Thompson

“Elise’s Health Counseling  changed my way of looking at eating. Now, instead of trying to fill my stomach, I use all the senses when approaching a meal.  I find myself not eating as much, yet enjoying it more. She helped me with cravings by adding certain foods I was missing in my diet and with energy highs/lows by looking at foods that work with my blood type. Elise introduced me to many vegetables that I didn’t normally eat and gave new recipe ideas that really made eating fun!”

- Mary Bond