“Start the journey to a healthier you today,” runs the slogan for Amenta Nutrition, a virtual nutrition counseling practice and consulting firm that specializes in digestive health – also known as “gut health.”
Co-founders Christine Randazzo Kirschner and April Panitz are registered dietitians who help people manage their gastrointestinal symptoms with diet and lifestyle modifications. While Panitz is based in New York City, Kirschner is a longtime resident of the Hudson Valley and now lives in Hastings-on-Hudson. Business administration is conducted at the HudCo facility in Dobbs Ferry – another one of my best business choices — with virtual sessions via video conference through a client platform, Practice Better, using Zoom.
They see people from a large number of states, but the majority hail from New York and the metropolitan area. Clients tend to come from doctor or physical therapist referrals as well as dietitian listings on the internet and, of, course, word of mouth. As Kirschner put it: “When people feel better and have a good experience, they tend to shout it from the rooftops.”
Those experiences might include Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), which is defined as an evidence-based medical approach to treating certain chronic conditions, diseases and other diet-related disorders through the use of an individually-tailored nutrition plan. It’s a comprehensive approach, one that gives clients the education, counseling and feedback they need to meet their goals successfully. There is strong evidence, said Kirschner and Panitz, that MNT may reduce risk factors for chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and more – expedient in anyone’s book.
Clients are also offered help optimizing their microbiome (the collection of all the microbes that live on and inside our bodies), which can have a beneficial effect on mood, the immune system and energy balance.
Although primarily nutrition counselors, Amenta also offers several add-on options that can, as it says, “help make [the] journey easier.” These extras include kitchen and pantry “makeovers,” supermarket tours, dining out assistance, hands-on cooking demonstrations and customized, month-long meal plans.
Depending on individual needs and circumstances, clients meet with their dietitian every week initially and then usually biweekly, or as needed. Being healthy isn’t about one food, one meal or one weekend, they are quick to point out, and establishing long-term health habits requires support from professionals as well as a commitment by the client.
Perhaps surprisingly, the pair are positive about the new generation of weight-loss drugs, such as Wegovy, which they say can be extremely helpful for some people, although they “need to be coupled with lifestyle and diet changes.” Said Panitz: “You still need to learn how to eat in a balanced, nutritious way, increase physical activity and be mindful of stress and sleep habits.”
Most encouraging of all, however, is how at Amenta, food is not seen as a threat. As Panitz said, “Food is social, it’s family, it’s fun, it’s love. Food shouldn’t be feared or a source of shame. At Amenta, we believe all foods can fit into your eating pattern.”
For more, visit amentanutrition.com.
