Shepperding Wellness

The DIGGING is one of my favorite parts about being a functional dietitian, these are some of the things I want to look at FIRST:

1. Insulin.
Your glucose and A1c can look normal while your insulin is working overtime behind the scenes.

2. Your thyroid.
And I’m talking about more than just TSH — especially if Hashimoto’s is part of your story. Free T3, free t4, reverse t3 and antibodies.

3. Perimenopause + hormone changes.
The strategy that worked for your body at 25 may not work the same way at 40.

4. Iron + nutrient status.
If you’re depleted and exhausted, asking your body to train harder and eat less isn’t always the answer.

5. Sleep + stress.
They influence your appetite, blood sugar, recovery, energy and food choices.

6. Muscle.
Are you strength training? Are you eating enough protein? Are you actually supporting the metabolically active tissue we want to preserve?

And sometimes I’ll use a CGM to see what’s happening to blood sugar throughout the day — because one fasting glucose doesn’t tell me the whole story.

Weight-loss resistance isn’t always a willpower problem.

Sometimes we need to stop asking:

“How can I eat less?”

and start asking:

“What is my body trying to tell me?”

TEST. DON’T GUESS. 🩸

Save this for the next time you feel like you’re “doing everything right” and getting nowhere.

Hugs to the mom who needs to hear this today. 🤗

This week was one of those weeks when the lessons felt harder than they should, everyone’s patience was running thin, and I found myself craving five quiet minutes alone in the car.

But then Friday looked like this.

At the cabin in Blue Ridge. Going down the river. Moving our bodies, getting sunshine, being outside, laughing together — on a Friday when we would normally be getting up early and the kids sitting in a classroom.

It reminded me that wellness is so much bigger than what’s on our plates.

It’s nourishing our bodies, yes.

But it’s also movement. Sunshine. Rest. Connection. Adventure. Managing stress. And sometimes choosing a slower rhythm when life has felt a little too full.

I talk a lot about food as medicine, but I also want my kids to grow up understanding that the way we LIVE can be medicine too.

Homeschooling definitely doesn’t always feel balanced. 😂 Some weeks I feel like I’m juggling motherhood, marriage, homeschooling, clients, workouts, meals and a business — and dropping at least one ball.

But maybe balance isn’t getting everything right every day.

Maybe it’s recognizing when we need to put the books down, get outside, and go float down a river together. 🤍

Tag a mom who needs to hear this today. Hugs.🤗 you are doing the right thing.

This is part of wellness, too.

The FDA just approved the ability to make man made egg protein from fermented yeast🧬🍳

Here is the question I think we’re forgetting:

Is matching a protein the same thing as recreating a whole food?

A pasture-raised egg isn’t just protein.

The yolk provides choline, phospholipids, essential fatty acids, cholesterol, vitamins A, D and E, lutein, zeaxanthin and other bioactive compounds packaged together in a complex food matrix.

And here’s what I find fascinating:

The way the chicken is raised can change the nutrition of the egg.

Research has shown differences in omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6:omega-3 ratios, carotenoids and antioxidant nutrients depending on the hen’s diet and access to pasture.

In other words…

🌱 The soil influences the plants.
🐛 The plants + insects influence the chicken.
🥚 The chicken’s environment influences the egg.
🧬 And the nutrients we eat interact with our cellular signaling and gene expression.

This is nutrigenomics.

I mean that nutrients provide signals that can influence which genes are turned up or down and how our metabolic pathways function.

That’s why I don’t look at food simply as:

Calories + protein + carbs + fat.

I look at the food matrix, nutrient density, sourcing and biological information that comes with it.

Technology may be able to replicate a protein.

But replicating the complexity of an entire food created by God?

That’s a very different conversation.

Food is medicine.

And food is information for your DNA at its core. Let’s not forget that in the process of making everything more convenient. 🫠 Do you want to know how your genes interact with your environment? 🤓

His testosterone came back at 430 ng/dL.

He was tired.
He struggled to lose weight.
His cravings were out of control.
His liver enzymes were elevated.
His fasting insulin was high.
His blood sugar wasn’t where it should be.

Many people would have stopped there and assumed:

“I guess I need testosterone.”

But we asked a different question:

Why is his testosterone low?

So instead of jumping straight to TRT, we focused on the root causes.

✔ Improved insulin sensitivity
✔ Reduced inflammation
✔ Supported liver health
✔ Optimized thyroid function
✔ Strategic nutrition instead of cutting more calories
✔ Strength training and recovery

A few months later…

* 20 pounds lost
* Fasting insulin: 16.1 → 5.7
* HOMA-IR: 4.4 → 1.4
* TSH: 3.98 → 2.36
* Inflammation cut by more than 50%
* Testosterone: 430 → 603 ng/dL… naturally.

Did he “need testosterone”?

No.

His body needed a healthier metabolic environment to produce and regulate hormones the way it was designed to.

Not everyone with low testosterone can avoid testosterone replacement, and some men truly benefit from it. But if you’re overweight, insulin resistant, inflamed, or your liver and thyroid aren’t functioning optimally, it’s worth addressing those factors first.

Sometimes low testosterone isn’t the root problem.

Sometimes it’s a symptom.

Test. Don’t guess. Find the root cause.

thyroidhealth liverhealth rootcausemedicine foodismedicine registereddietitian shepperdingwellness

🦆 Mama… I see you trying to keep all your ducks in a row.

Then one thing changes…
The ducks scatter.

That’s what health can feel like.

One person tells you to cut carbs.
Another says eat more carbs.
Go gluten-free.
Try keto.
Fast longer.
Eat every 2 hours.
Take this supplement.
Don’t take that supplement.

I hear this ALL the time with clients.

The truth is, there isn’t one perfect diet.

There is only the right approach for YOUR body.

Your symptoms are clues, not character flaws.

Maybe your body needs:
✨ Better blood sugar balance
✨ More protein
✨ Key nutrients like iron, magnesium, zinc, or selenium
✨ A healthier gut to absorb those nutrients
✨ Less inflammation
✨ More sleep instead of more willpower

You don’t have to chase every new health trend.

When you understand what your body is asking for, the chaos starts to settle… and those ducks begin to line up again.

That’s what functional nutrition is all about.

🌿 Let’s find out what YOUR body needs specific- not just chase symptoms or guess.

“My doctors told me nutrition doesn’t matter.”

She had already been told that.

Her psoriasis? Just take Rinvoq.

Her reflux? Take Pepcid.

Her food reactions? Just avoid what bothers you.

Her fatigue, bloating, skin flares, and weight struggles? “That’s just part of getting older.”

But when we looked deeper, we found so much more.

✔️ Significant overgrowth in the gut
✔️ “Leaky gut” (elevated zonulin)
✔️ An overactive gut immune system
✔️ Gluten immune reactivity based on labs
✔️ Food chemical sensitivities
✔️ Genetics showing slower histamine breakdown
✔️ Genetics associated with chronic inflammation
✔️ Genetics contributing to insulin resistance and weight loss resistance
✔️ Genetics affecting methylation and detoxification

All tell us where we can support the body.

So instead of asking, “What medication can suppress the symptoms?”

We asked:
➡️ Why is her immune system so activated?
➡️ Why is inflammation so difficult to resolve?
➡️ Why is her gut barrier damaged?
➡️ Why are foods triggering symptoms?
➡️ What can we do to support healing?

Now we have a personalized plan:
✨ Heal the gut
✨ Calm the immune system
✨ Reduce inflammation
✨ Improve digestion
✨ Support her genetics
✨ Build resilience from the inside out

Medication absolutely has its place—and for many people, it’s an important part of treatment. But nutrition, gut health, lifestyle, and personalized care matter too.

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs happen when we stop asking, “What’s wrong with you?” and start asking, “Why is your body struggling in the first place?”

🌱 Food is medicine and a BIG piece of rhe puzzle.

Happy Father’s Day to the man behind it all. ❤️

The strong hands that build our home, the steady presence our children depend on, and the reason I am able to do what I do every day.

He works so hard, sacrifices often, and loves our family fiercely. I am sorry thankful for him carrying so much so that we can thrive.

Happy Father’s Day to this man Guy Shepperd . ❤️

Just a little reminder today… 🍀

You are not meant to live exhausted, inflamed, anxious, bloated, overwhelmed, and disconnected from your body forever.

Sometimes the body is simply asking us to slow down.

When we support the gut, reduce inflammation, balance blood sugar, improve nutrient absorption, and care for the body the way God designed it — healing can happen.

You can feel better. Start somewhere today. Hugs.