Today, the Reluctant Eater talks with Christa Orecchio. Christa discovered her passion for nutrition in 2003 upon embarking on a healing, whole foods diet, supplementation program and lifestyle change. Fueled by this passion, she founded ‘The Whole Journey‘ in 2005. Her holistic health practice includes individual, group and corporate coaching in-person and by phone and video conferencing. Christa holds a B.S. in International Business from the University of North Carolina and a Certified Clinical Nutrition License from the Natural Healing Institute in Encinitas CA. She is also a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in NYC, which is accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.

The Reluctant Eater: What is your current relationship with food?

Christa Orecchio: My current relationship with food is great; loving and appreciative of it. I am consistently amazed at the power food has to give us vibrant health and peace of mind. And conversely, I am fascinated at the catastrophic damage it can do if used inappropriately or if someone eats the wrong kinds of foods for their constitution.


TRE: How did we get to this place where people are doing “catastrophic damage”? Has it always been this way?

CO: It hasn’t always been this way. Between food becoming big business and lower in quality, government subsidation of allergenic food groups (corn, wheat and soy), genetic modification, and the demand for more and more convenience foods, we have inadvertantly elected to throw our health out the window and are now paying the price with myriad of grave health conditions. A powerful whirlpool of negative health abounds, but fortunately it is something that with a little motivation and knowlege, can be reversed.


TRE: What is the level of awareness of this problem in the general population?

CO: Hard to say - less than 25%, maybe higher in California and pockets of the country committed to a healthier lifestyle and higher awareness. I find in my clients that as soon as most of them become aware of the problem, they are energized for change in their own lives.


TRE: So as a health counselor, where are most of your clients when they come to you? Are they people who are already on board with a healthy lifestyle, or are they oblivious and on “doctors orders”?

CO: Clients come to me from all sides of the spectrum - from daily fast food eaters, to the fairly healthy looking to truly understand the best way to eat that is unique to them. Some are in good health and some have chronic, debilitating issues. I see a trend more and more toward taking your health into your own hands because people are tired of taking pills from “doctors orders” just to treat symptoms.


TRE: What are there any common changes that most people need to make?

CO: The most common change people need to make is to get the sugar out of their diet, or at least to scale back. Sugar is in everything from yogurt to pasta sauce to bread. As a nation we are consuming about 158lbs/person/year, which in my opinion has a direct correlation to the obesity epidemic we are currently faced with. The other things we work on are to scale back or eliminate are the chemicalized, processed, artificial junk foods and drinks.


TRE: You’re big on water also, right? Can you give us a quick outline of how we can improve our relationship with water?

CO: If you can view water as the elixir of life for all the good work it does in the body, that should improve your relationship with it. Water hydrates the cells, makes the organs function better, eliminates cravings, helps us lose weight and eliminate toxins. Most people do not drink enough water and suffer some kind of consequence because of it. A ballpark number to work up to is 1 liter (34oz) per every 50lbs of body weight. At first it will seem like a lot, but when you start receiving the benefits, you’ll be hooked.


TRE: Someone told me that it’s actually better to drink after meals, rather than during. Is that true?

CO: Yes, drinking liquid during our meals dilutes our precious digestive enzymes that help us digest and absorb the nutrients in our food. Most Americans (especially if you are eating processed foods) are severely deficient in digestive enzymes which contributes to weight gain, constipation, bloating and overall low energy.


TRE: Interesting. When I dine somewhere where they constantly refill your water, I tend to drink a TON. Yet it somehow doesn’t quench my thirst. Perhaps I’ll have to change my ways…

So, what got you interested in becoming a health counselor?

CO: I was actually on a path for graduate work in Peace and Conflict Resolution until I took a workshop called “Optimal Nutrition for the Mind” while traveling through South Africa. This was a defining moment for me because I was fascinated by what I learned and applied it immediately, permanently changing my life on many levels. I realized how much power food, nutrition and lifestyle balance had to completely change the way we exist in the world, and so I decided to work with people on an individual level to help them achieve peace, balance and vibrant health.


TRE: I have never been to a health counselor, or any sort of one-on-one specialist other than a doctor or physical therapist. Can you walk us though what it is like for people who come to you for the first time? How does the relationship usually continue after that first meeting?

CO: Sure. Before people come to me, they fill out an extensive 4-page health questionnaire which gives me all sorts of information on their current and past state of health as well as their chief concerns. During our initial consultation, I ask them a series of questions to get to the root cause of their particular problem(s) and to construct a 3 or 4 month program for them.

We discuss how they ate as a child, what their relationship with food was like and what it’s like now. I want to understand their genetics, lifestyle, stress levels and level of toxicity. This helps me organize a 3 or 4 month plan that works with their lifestyle as well as with their personality and emotional capacity for change.

After that, they come to see me 2x/month for 3 or 4 months and each time we build off the last so that at the end of the program their entire life and health has shifted so completely, yet subtly. I support them through email the entire time in-between sessions, take them on a 90-minute tour of a health food store and give them food samples, books and handouts; basically everything they need to successfully change their lives.

The program is centered around a therapeutic diet and lifestyle (includes healthy relationships, career satisfaction, creativity/spirituality and exercise), then moves to a maintenance diet and then an experimental diet so that the client feels empowered for a lifetime of health balance while having the luxury of being flexible with their food for the rest of their life.


TRE: Thanks for chatting with us Christa. Last chance. Do you have any other last words of wisdom or advice?

CO: My final words of advice, would be to assess where you are and make a committment to do a little better, even if only in one area (more water, more veggies, less soda or processed foods) and take the time to notice how different foods affect you. We are our own best doctors