Good Health requires a team approach.
Let me be your Chief Dietitian Officer. Let me work with you and your doctor.
About Me
Hello Friend,
I’m Eliana.
As a human, I wear many hats: a woman, a wife, a mother of two active children, a sister, a daughter, a friend.
Professionally, I am a Registered Dietitian whose desire is to help you reach your health goals while ensuring you are reaching them safely and sustainably.
Sometimes, this can be done with conventional dietary approaches and minor tweaks to lifestyle. Other times (more often than not, if I’m honest), this requires thinking outside of the box and trialing less-mainstream dietary approaches.
Low carbohydrate diet, ketogenic diet, paleo diet, very low energy diet, time restricted eating, intermittent fasting, vegan diet, mediterranean diet - nothing is off limits. And because you are so unique and individual, I tailor a dietary approach that is specific to your needs.
My goal is to help you find the most sustainable dietary approach that will help you improve your health, reverse your chronic disease and possibly even put it into remission! Yes, this is actually attainable through changing the foods we eat and moving our bodies more often.
How powerful is that?!
We also take the time to look at your past medical history, stress, sleep, and physical activity as these all determine which dietary approach will be appropriate for you. But here is the problem: often you and I cannot do this alone.
(this is because the food-first approaches that you and I will discuss actually WORK. They can help you improve your health to the point that you are overmedicated, which means we need someone monitoring and adjusting your medications.)
A Team Approach
Reaching and maintaining Good Health requires a TEAM. This team starts with YOU as the CEO. Your doctor(s) plays the role of Chief Medical Officer: overseeing your overall health, adjusting medications, etc.
What your doctor does not have the time or resources to do is help you adapt your diet specifically for your individual needs. This is where I (as the Chief Dietitian Officer) come in! I can help you adapt your diet to achieve the health goals you are looking for, while we work together with your doctor to adjust any mediations and continue to oversee your health. I take the time to keep your doctor in the loop (with your consent, of course) and ensure that any dietary approach we undertake is appropriate for you.
When necessary, I will even connect with your doctor about your case and as necessary provide scientific literature for them to review. This might be:
to provide evidence behind a dietary approach you and I are discussing,
if your medications need to be monitored or adjusted,
if you are struggling with any side effects (especially dehydration),
if we should consider ordering blood work
to assess your health status or monitor progress
to test for specific nutrient deficiencies.
Each step of the way, I communicate with the TEAM: you and your doctor.
Evidence-Based Options
There is no “one-diet-fits-all” approach.
The best dietary approaches (notice the plural!) for you (and your family) will depend on the types of foods you choose to consume (e.g. vegetarian vs omnivore), the stage of life you are in (e.g. infant, child, youth, adult, pregnancy, breastfeeding, athlete, etc.), the status of your health (e.g. diabetes, Celiac disease, arthritis, heart disease, etc.) and any medications and/or supplements you are taking.
Any dietary approach we discuss will be evidence-based. This means that I have reviewed recent literature around this dietary approach and/or connected with the leading experts and researchers.
My Contact Info for you and your doctor:
Email: eliana@eatdifferentrd.com
Phone: +1.647.456.7952
Secure Fax: +1.855.325.9933
Referral Form for your Doctor
Social Media
Twitter: @EatDifferentRD
Facebook: www.facebook.com/eliana.witchell
Instagram: @eatdifferentrd
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/eatdifferentrd/
Previous Speaking Engagements:
Online conference: “Evidence-based Carbohydrate Restriction: Using this tool in a safe and effective manner” hosted by Waterloo-Wellington Diabetes, Nov 27, 2020.
Webinar: Evidence-based Carbohydrate Restriction: Using this tool in a safe and effective manner” hosted by the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council and Institute of Health System Transformation and Sustainability, Sept 29, 2020; co-presented with Michelle Shepherd RD.
Webinar: “Evidence-based Carbohydrate Restriction: Using this tool in a safe and effective manner” hosted by the Institute for Personalized Therapeutic Nutrition on June 23, 2020; co-presented with Michelle Shepherd RD.
Webinar: “Evidence-based Carbohydrate Restriction: Using this tool in a safe and effective manner” hosted by the Consulting Dietitians Network through Dietitians of Canada, May 15, 2020; co-presented with Michelle Shepherd RD.
Webinar: “Therapeutic Nutrition: An emerging model for interdisciplinary collaboration” hosted by the Canadian Pharmacists Association on Nov 21, 2019; co-presented with Sean McKelvey, BSc(Pharm), RPh.
“A Dietitian’s Perspective of Carbohydrate Reduced Diets” presented at the Low Carb Real Food Show - Nov 3 2019, Vaughn, Ontario, Canada.
Therapeutic Low Carb Nutrition presented at Canadian Forces Base Trenton; Nov 2018, Trenton, Ontario, Canada.
Low Carb and Keto – A Dietitian’s Perspectivepresented at Canadian Association of Physician Assistants Conference; Oct 2018, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Fasting presented to Ellis Park Medical; Oct. 2017, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Common Nutrient Deficiencies [in Children]presented at Children’s Nutrition Conference; March 2017, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Is Sugar Making you Fat? presented at William Osler Health Center; March 2015; Brampton and Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada.
Media Appearances:
1. Radio: Sauga 960 AM, weekly on Fridays at 4:28pm EST; THE RUSH HOUR with John Scholes and Elvira Caria. For any segments, please check out my podcast page (coming soon!).
2. Podcast: Dietitian Rehab with Doug Cook RDN. Episode 019 on Oct 6, 2020, “Embracing a LCHF/Keto diet in nutrition practice. Click here to check it out.
3. Podcast: Low Carb Conversations with Jimmy Moore, Dietitian Cassie, and friends. Episode 107. Click here to check it out!
Publications:
Rysdale, L., Witchell, E., Keller, H., Randall Simpson, J., Turfryer, M., McGibbon, K., et al. (2011). Parent perceptions of NutriSTEP® and nutrition risk screening in a sample of Ontario preschool children. ICAN, 3(4): 197-204. Availble at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1941406411414292
Sheeshka, J., O'Reilly, L., Bauman, J., Strano, M., & Witchell, E. (2011). Canadian Consumers’ Understanding of Information on Food Packages: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 43(4): supplement 1, pS7. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1499404611001229
Witchell, E., & Sheeshka, J. (2011). Socio-environmental factors influencing food behaviour. Comprehensive Biotechnology (Second Edition)Volume 4:775-780, Elsevier. Online textbook chapter. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780080885049003238
Working Group & Aboriginal Cancer and Prevention Team. (2011). The Healthy Eating Guidelines for School Nutrition Programs – a Resource for First Nations Schools.Cancer Care Ontario. Available at: https://www.cancercareontario.ca/sites/ccocancercare/files/assets/ACCUSchoolFoodGuideline.pdf