Stacy Pence, MS, CNS, LDN
Hi! I'm Stacy and I love Friday afternoons, French Bulldogs and traveling with my family. Back in the day, I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a bachelor of science degree. After several years on the west coast, I relocated to the Washington, DC area in 2000 where I have lived since with my husband and three kids. As a busy parent, I saw first-hand the power of nutrition to move the needle improving health and wellness. When my youngest daughter was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance at a young age (and tested positive for a genetic predisposition to celiac disease), her behavior improved dramatically with simple diet modifications. Just the removal of gluten from her diet had profound implications on her mentally, physically and emotionally. If one change could be that powerful, what else could I do to optimize her health and well-being? Holistic health has always been a passion of mine and this was the turning point for me to commit to finding nutrition-based solutions to help others live their best life.
I am a Certified Nutrition Specialist®, which is a board certified credential from the American Nutrition Association and is considered the gold standard for advanced clinical nutrition practitioners. I have a Masters of Science degree in Nutrition and Integrative Health from the Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH). I began seeing clients while completing a practicum at MUIH where I used science-based diet and nutrition therapies to craft personalized nutrition plans. Since then, I continue to see clients and frequently do nutrition presentations in the community.
My philosophy
I don’t believe in dieting. I do believe in clean eating, optimizing health and living a conscious life of wellness. But I also believe in a glass of red wine on Friday, dark chocolate, mimosas at Sunday brunch and a vacation to decompress - all without guilt and stress about “ruining a diet.” I don’t want to be consumed with food drama and believe that it’s possible for anyone to learn to truly enjoy eating in a way that preserves good health and overall wellness, making weight loss easy. My approach is holistic and integrative and looks at the whole individual - diet, lifestyle, genetics, environment, emotions, relationships and interests to assess cellular function and the interconnectedness of every system in your body. Treating the whole person (instead of looking at just one isolated aspect, i.e. food) enhances your ability to not only get well, but most importantly, to stay well.
I believe that food has the power to shape not only our bodies and brains but also our lives and futures. Let’s do this.
