IMAGINE THAT
Nutritional Consulting and Beyond
About Lindsay
Welcome to Imagine That, thank you for being here!
My name is Lindsay Dyck, I am a graduate with honours from the Edison Institute of Nutrition and a member of the Canadian Association of Natural Nutrition Practitioners (CANNP), granting me the designation of Natural Nutrition-Clinical Practitioner, NNCP. I am passionate about all things related to health and well-being and I take pride in being a lifelong learner. I love relationship building and opportunities that allow me to truly connect with individuals in inspiring and meaningful ways. My desire is to educate, empower, and encourage individuals toward joy, vibrant health, and overall well-being.
I believe everyone has a unique story and journey, and I am no different. I’ve zig-zagged, up’d and downed, changed, learned, fallen and grown my way through various and diverse life experiences, all of which, I feel, have contributed to my being exactly where I need to be right now.
As it relates to my health, I spent the majority of my 20s feeling less than optimal and unwell, mentally and physically. A Celiac diagnosis in 2012 finally helped to bring relief and answers, in addition to providing the fuel toward a more focused pursuit of health restoration. Through my delving deep into the world of holistic health and wellness and benefiting from working in a natural health store I was able to restore my health and vitality, granting me a new lease on life as I entered my 30s.
I experienced an improvement in energy levels, focus and clarity, the alleviation of brain fog, improvement in anxiety, tempered mood swings, a normalized menstrual cycle, alleviated body aches and feelings of sluggishness, significant improvement in an array of disruptive and problematic digestive issues including bloating, malabsorption, and frequent washroom visits, and even a halt to persistent UTI infections and allergies.
This experience, combined with my desire to help others, led me to pursue nutritional studies at an academic level, enrolling into Edison Institute of Nutrition’s Holistic Nutrition diploma program in 2019. To me, an understanding of diet, and food as the fuel for our bodies, is foundational and paramount in pursuing health. This was the natural next step in my continued learning quest.
Prior to my enrollment at Edison Institute, a natural curiosity and ardent interest to further understand the human condition on a soul level led me to pursue studies in the world’s major religions and faith traditions, graduating with a Degree in Religion in 2018 from Booth University College. The insight gained and that continues to grow in this area informs my day-to-day life, my heart and mind, and my worldview. I welcome and relish conversations that speak to this encompassing facet of human existence, especially as it relates to fostering health and peace of mind for individuals and relationships. If you should so choose, I welcome incorporating the exploration of this area into your wellness journey, through spiritually inclined conversations, thoughts and practices.
To me, life is a grand adventure, one we should meet boldly and with gratitude and joy. I am thankful for the experiences I've had up to date and I look forward with optimism and hope for what the future holds. As I wrap up I’ll leave you with a few tid-bits that reveal my day-to-day life as beautifully average and grounded. I enjoy cooking, spending time with friends and family, immersing myself in nature, being around animals, reading, laughing, soggy salad, and last but not least, playing with my dog Rosie. For me, it really is the simple things that bring the most joy. Thank you again for being here and allowing me to share a part of my story. I hope we can work together and that I can hear about, and be a part of yours, in the best of ways.
About Holistic Nutrition
Foundationally, the practice of holistic nutrition seeks to educate and inform individuals about the importance of food and diet, along with optimal digestion and absorption, in achieving health and addressing specific health concerns. However, Holistic Nutritionists view health through a whole person lens, taking into consideration not only food and diet but the physical, mental and emotional, environmental and spiritual factors that may contribute to a person's expression of health or lack there of. There is an inherent understanding that these areas of life are connected and interrelated and therefore treated as such in bringing to light obstacles toward health and well-being.
Honouring the unique biochemistry of each individual and the differing life circumstances of each person, holistic nutrition does not offer a one-size-fits all approach to health. Instead Holistic Nutritionists tailor health and wellness plans that suit each individual uniquely. This is done so in a supportive manner. A listening ear, empathy, education and empowerment are all primary tools in a Holistic Nutritionist's toolbelt. Furthermore, it is of primary importance for Holistic Nutritionists to encourage their clients to be active participants in their health journey, providing them with the education and confidence to listen, recognize, and trust the way their bodies communicate with them.
Pillars of My Practice
The values and philosophies that undergird my work
Responsibility
Do you believe that you have the power to participate in the direction your life and health take? Our time together only works if you believe this to be true. It only works if you truly desire change and take the responsibility to make the necessary changes to transform your life and improve your health. I’m here to support you and guide you through education, empowerment, and encouragement. It starts with you, but you are not alone. I am here for you.
Simplicity
I believe simplicity is key. I work with you to help cut through the noise, the information and misinformation, decipher trends, and look at the heart of what is true and true for you. In a loud and conflicting world, I’m not trying to make things more complicated for you. Let's work together to create the clarity and vision essential for ease and simplicity in your health and wellness voyage.
Sustainable Changes
Change looks different for everyone. It takes hard work, dedication, and patience to transform well established habits and mindsets, daily dietary choices and lifestyle patterns. Some individuals may work well with a leaps-and-bounds type of approach, making hard and fast changes. While others are better suited to a slower-paced, baby steps type of approach. All of it is okay, what is important is that the changes you make stick, and become your new lifestyle. I work with you to create change that is sustainable, that lasts and that becomes your new way of life.
Grace
My working model and philosophy accepts an understanding of 'being whole' as including the notions of imperfection, setbacks, and perceived “failures”. It acknowledges and takes these realities of the human experience and witnesses to them with humility and grace. Our journey together is not about perfection or endless striving. It is about presence and witnessing to where you are at any given moment and acknowledging and appreciating the work you have done up to that point. If things happen that "upset a plan", it's okay. Stuff happens. We accept, forgive, move on and keep going.
Connection
To help you, I need to know you. This entails forming a relationship based on care, trust, and connection. Your health goals are important to me and I desire to create a relationship with you that builds your confidence to share with me information that relates to and impacts your health and healing. This is a confidential, non-judgemental space. If you are tired of the disconnected, tech obsessed world we live in and earnestly desire in-person connection and support, look no further, that's what it's all about here at Imagine That.
Joy
Ultimately, I believe the common goal we all share is joy and the ability to enjoy one's life. Yes, there may be periods of time in our working together, where restriction and refrainment, discipline and will-power are crucial and key components in your wellness journey. However, my goal for you is not to live endlessly on these practices so that you feel zapped of the pleasures life has to offer. The goal is to get you to place where you can be both happy and healthy and not feel a sense of lack or chronic stress about your nutritional and lifestyle choices. We can design a happier and healthier life that you will enjoy and that allows your to experience life's bounty with ease and peace of mind.
Nutri-Body Analysis and Nutrition Symptomology
The Nutri-Body Analysis (NBA) is a highly recognized and advanced method of nutritional assessment designed specifically for professional nutrition practitioners by the esteemed David Rowland, an expert and authority in the field of Holistic Nutrition.
This sophisticated assessment tool is used by holistic practitioners to analyze and evaluate an individual's experienced symptomology, in order to help reveal areas of the body and physiology that are in need of attention and focus. The NBA enables Holistic Nutritionists to narrow down each person's unique biochemical weaknesses and potential nutritional deficiencies. It is an enlightening and informative process of connecting an individual's symptoms to their body's biochemical functions. The NBA's thorough deliverance entails the completion of a questionnaire that analyzes over 600 bodily signs of nutritional imbalance, enabling practitioners to determine which dietary recommendations, supplements, and lifestyle modifications are likely to be of most benefit to each of their clients.
The term biochemical individuality refers to how each of us differ nutritionally and in our nutritional requirements. We all require the same food constituents such as protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, however we do not all need them in the same proportions or from the same sources. There is no one-size-fits- all diet that is appropriate for everyone. Additionally, the ability to digest, absorb and assimilate nutrients can vary greatly from one person to the next. Each person's digestive system and internal organs can differ significantly in efficiency and in their need for specific nutritional support.
Nutritional symptomatology is the process of interpreting bodily symptoms to find underlying causes and nutritional imbalances. Your body is constantly communicating with you, through what we know and experience as symptoms. If we learn and take time to effectively listen to what are body is communicating to us we can use these symptoms as the guide posts to reveal and address underlying conditions and root causes. Nutritional symptomology is specifically helpful at detecting sub-clinical conditions which do not show up on conventional laboratory tests. Its utilization is also a powerful way to re-establish connection and trust with one's self and one's body, to re-assert the force of your intuitive understanding and knowing, allowing you to regain an empowered position in your own health and wellness journey.