Hi, I’m Kristen Yarker, MSc, RD
Knowing what to eat is more confusing than ever. And, knowledge alone isn’t enough to create long term habits. That’s why I, and the team I’ve hand-picked, provide professional and practical nutrition for busy people.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Our clients are intelligent people like you who know the value that they contribute within their own areas of expertise. Who recognize they need professional expertise to help them get un-stuck in their eating. We’ve helped doctors, surgeons, midwives, entrepreneurs, CEO’s, lawyers, accountants, engineers, dentists and nurses.
“Nutrition knowledge alone isn’t enough to create healthy eating habits that stick.”
I know this because, despite being a registered dietitian (with an MSc in Human Nutrition), in my mid-30’s, I found myself post-divorce, barely sleeping, emotionally drained, deeply lonely, and completely heartbroken. I was existing on Starbucks cookies (I earned a gold rewards card I ate so many), cupcakes from the bakery around the corner, bread, and cheese. And, my weight was climbing.
One day I looked at myself in the mirror and I didn’t recognize the person standing in front of me.
I decided I needed to expand my expertise and apply it in my own life. By changing my eating, reigning in cravings and emotional eating, and adopting habits to make me happier, I turned the scale around. I even achieved a life-long dream: really learning to surf (no more beginner waves for me)! And, at 42 years old I ran my first marathon.
Now I’m confident in a bikini, have amazing energy, and I’m happier than ever before! Yes, even during COVID-19.
I want you to be as happy and healthy as I am. To love your body. And, enjoy food.
I want to teach you how to eat in a practical way that fits your individual body’s needs. In addition, I’ll support you to get the psychology right and create habits that will really stick.
Here’s the real situation: Diets, “challenges”, and meal plans surround us. It’s normal to think that since they’re ubiquitous, they must be right. But here’s the truth - they don’t work. And, not only don’t they work, but they cause harm.
They don’t work because they expect you to make elaborate meals (different from the rest of your family). They make you give up foods you love. On top of that, they don’t address the underlying factors that got you here in the first place.
In fact, I go even further to say that not only do they not work, but they actually drive you to eat worse. Because they ruin your relationship with food, drive up your cravings through depriving you of favourite foods, make you feel like a failure when they don’t work (I’m a huge fan of Brene Brown’s work on shame), and can slow down your metabolism.
Instead of “diets”, challenges, and meal plans, to help you achieve good nutrition, I bring you my expertise in:
The science of nutrition for kids, adults, sports performance, and eating disorder recovery.
The psychology of food. How we think about food and our bodies. Including "picky eating", emotional eating, and eating disorders.
Behaviour change. As in, supporting you to have success in creating healthy eating habits that actually stick.
I became this expert through over 25 years of nutrition experience: a Bachelors of Applied Science in Applied Human Nutrition (from U of Guelph); a Masters of Science in Human Nutrition (from UBC); and, in 2023 I’m celebrating 20 years as a registered dietitian.
I’m a member of the College of Health and Care Professions of BC and a member of Dietitians of Canada. I’m Co-Chair of the Consulting Dietitians Network of Dietitians of Canada. And, I’m proud to be one of the 1st ever dietitians (and only Canadian) to be chosen as an Affiliate of the Ellyn Satter Institute. (To see more of my education and resume, please check out my LinkedIn profile). Learn more about how I got started in nutrition here.
I want to empower you and show you that eating healthfully without deprivation IS POSSIBLE.
“You CAN have a healthy relationship with food. And, BE PROUD of your body.
YOU CAN DO THIS. My team and I can help you.
It’s time to get healthy eating habits that stick. And, to create a body you love.”
I’ll show you how via nutrition counselling. For:
Healthy weight,
Preventing/ managing a health concern (e.g. blood sugar control/ Type 2 Diabetes, cholesterol),
Sports nutrition to maximize your performance,
Support for recovery from eating disorders, or
Meeting your child’s nutrition needs when feeding your kids isn’t going well.
I’ll support your group with nutrition workshops - for groups large and small.
I’ll share my expertise with you through writing. In 2019 my 1st cookbook was published: The Easy Sugar Detox.
Click HERE to book an information call so that I can find out more about your situation and together, we can determine if we’re a good fit.
Where I’m located:
My team is spread across Victoria, BC, Nanaimo, BC and Vancouver, British Columbia. We serve clients via private and secure video call throughout BC and across Canada.
I acknowledge that I am an uninvited white settler living with gratitude from both treaty and unceded Coast Salish Homelands.
Click HERE to book an information call so that I can find out more about your situation and together, we can determine if we’re a good fit.