About Anna

"After years of pain I recovered by eating delicious healthy food and I want you to have the same privilege.  I want everyone to know that they have a choice in healthcare

and that every meal is an opportunity to feel better." 

My love for food stems from a childhood in the kitchen and garden.  I loved to get lost in the garden when I was supposed to be picking peas for dinner.  Holiday dinners were preceded by days of preparation: the family sitting around the table chopping celery, carrots and onions and picking the perfect tops off of fresh parsley from the garden.  I was a big strong kid, but a serious hypochondriac with new aches and pains every day.

Naturally I went into the restaurant business.   I learned the difference between demi-glaze, bernaise and sauce.  I could tell if a Chardonnay was grown in Sonoma or Napa County.    I preferred ciabatta to brioche, smothered in butter and dipped in French roast with cream.  After awhile I wasn't feeling very well.  My wonderful love of food had turned into constant pain, bloating, craving and just feeling lousy.

I decided to go on a 'diet' and avoid all bread.  Within one week I lost weight and had a new spring in my step.  All pain, bloating and cravings  had disappeared.   At the time I learned simply to avoid anything made with wheat flour and my health continued to improve. 

My husband and I had the opportunity to run our own restaurant and I was once again engulfed by food, fun and creativity.  I learned that a hamburger tasted just as good on corn tortilla's and that I can serve brown rice on a regular basis and all customers are happy with it.   Brown rice is high in B vitamins which supports mood and happy customers.

Eventually I decided to go back to school and study nutrition.  I enrolled in Bauman College distance learning nutrition consulting program.   Here I learned that I was sensitive to the gluten protein found in wheat, barley and rye.   I probably had celiac disease as a child but it didn't become severe until I was exposed to large amounts of wheat in the bakery.  Celiac disease is a specific sensitivity to gluten.   I also learned that there are foods, herbs and supplements that can assist in healing the damage caused by the gluten. 

The most exciting thing I learned was that I can make muffins, carrot cake and pancakes gluten-free.  My love of baking came alive again and I began to develop recipes and teach gluten-free cooking classes.  This led to whole foods cooking, cooking for diabetes, nutrition for stress management, feeding children to prevent the cold and flu, etc.

Today I work with individuals and businesses improving food.  It is incredibly rewarding to watch a client go through the process of learning to enjoy healthy food and feeling better.  It's often surprising to them that the food tastes good and they can feel good without being deprived.  Working with businesses  gives the same reward.  People do actually enjoy healthy food, sales increase and customer's are happier and healthier.

Food Therapy

Anna Rathbun, Nutrition Consultant