Heidi Paulsen

About Heidi

Hi, I'm Heidi, a Registered Dietitian. I use the Nourish platform to help you meet your health and wellness goals. My practice background includes Sports Nutrition working with individual athletes and teams providing nutrition for physical performance, recovery from injury, management of medical conditions (including cardiovascular, bone, gut, brain and skin health) and weight management. Here at Nourish, I specialize in nutrition for general health, weight loss, and cardiometabolic health, which helps protect your current and future health by focusing on nutrition care supporting healthy blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood glucose levels, the gut microbiome and overall general health. When not at Nourish, I teach Medical Terminology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Pathophysiology.

Approach to care

I work (help you set goals, educate, counsel and recommend) from a data-driven, evidence-based, science-forward, and sometimes even cutting-edge perspective, but I lead with empathy and warmth. My approach is direct and action-oriented, giving you clear steps, accountability, and practical strategies that you can choose from to fit your life. We'll follow the Nourish pathway that you've chosen (such as a healthy eating pathway, cholesterol or blood pressure lowering pathway), but with a freedom for you to ask for a deeper dive along the way. I might even take you there myself as things that look simple on the surface may further exploration and other conditions may also need addressing. Change takes time. I want you to feel understood and supported along the way, with a clear sense of direction, flexibility, space to just be where you are, and have confidence in the plan we build together.

Your first session with Heidi

Expect a quick chat to get to get to know you. We'll then move on to data gathering for the Nourish pathway that you've chosen - whether that is help losing weight, improving cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood glucose levels, tackling prediabetes or metabolic syndrome, or eating for better health. We'll be reviewing your medical history, and other indicators including labs. I'll encourage you to upload any labs you've had taken within the past six months into your Nourish app or obtain labs for missing or those older than six months, as labs allow tracking of progress and to make decisions based on data. We can use the Nourish free basic panel and/or low-cost targeted labs. We'll create some goals - both short and long term. Before the session ends, we'll set up four recurring weekly sessions to support your health goals. Looking ahead, we'll add more sessions as we go, whether at the same weekly cadence or wider cadence, as we make progress in your Nourish pathway(s).

Education

Master of Science: Exercise Physiology (Southern Illinois University). Bachelor of Science: Nutrition and Dietetics (Saint Louis University). Dietetic Internship: Loyola University Chicago. Other credentials/education include: Sports Medicine: Athletic Training (Lindenwood University). Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) credential. Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork; Sports Massage: Chicago School of Massage Therapy. Board Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (BCTMB).

Hobbies

Walking my dog, exercise, reading, and going for a drive to view the scenery - growing up in Washington state, what an incredible life experience it was to see all of the natural beauty of the state.

Licenses and Certifications