Nutrition

What Is Nutritional Coaching?

Nutritional Coaching is more than just education on what you should or should not eat. At Botanica, our nutritional team of Erica Viggiano and Christine Straley work synergistically to modify personal eating patterns and underlying behaviors as well as create detailed and effective meal plans for you.

What we take into our bodies and the manner with which we eat has an impact on all parts of our system: our organ function, physical performance, emotional balance, and mental capacity. Transforming the way you eat, and your relationship with food can have an positive effect on multiple aspects of your life!

Nutritional coaching is an intentional exploration of food, its effect on our body and mind, and a focus how we can best nourish ourselves to gain or maintain a healthy functioning in body, mind, and spirit.

Erica Viggiano- Nutrition & Mindful Eating Coach

Erica uses an approach that moves us away from prescriptive diets and restrictive eating plans and toward an enhanced awareness of our body’s hunger and satiety signals. Once we hone these mind-body “listening skills” we can embrace and respond to the information our body give us about eating. Rather than “overriding” the natural rhythms of our eating patterns, we can bring them into balance with greater knowledge of healthy whole foods, and habits that nourish our body and affirm a positive sense of self.

With a health centered approach, we can nourish ourselves with greater balance and self understanding as the way we choose foods and practice new behaviors. The healing process can unfold as we develop skills that build trust in our own personal wisdom and capacity to take care of ourselves. To read more about Erica, please visit her website at: www.integrativelife.net.

Erica’s approach involves:

  • Understanding the pitfalls of weight cycling or “yo yo dieting”
  • Using Mindfulness and other skills to learn how to “listen” more attentively to hunger and satiety cues
  • Finding supportive and joyful forms of movement that feel good
  • Exploring your exercise and eating habits to find what IS working as well as things you’d like to change.
  • Gaining new understanding of food products and labels
  • Learning about healthy whole foods and which foods nourish you most fully
  • Strategies for shopping and meal preparation
  • Developing positive self talk and transforming attitudes about weight and body image
  • Learning the facts about diet, food and nutrition myths
  • Learning sustainable ways to practice a “health centered” approach
  • Understanding and healing from emotional eating, compulsive eating or disordered eating


Christine Straley- Master Nutrition Therapist & Meal Plan Developer

Christine uses an approach she calls “intelligent eating for the conscious mind.” She believes that we posses an innate intelligence that guides us towards health. In today’s fast pace society we have forgotten how to trust our innate intelligence, instincts and gut. She believes we have the power to heal ourselves, and she is compelled to lead people to that understanding.

Christine works with food as the foundation to health, supplementing when appropriate. She believes in eating clean food, foods free of chemicals, additives, preservatives and foods that are genetically modified. Our beautiful earth has provided us with everything we need to sustain health and vitality. All foods found in their natural, original state are clean foods that feed the body pure health and also the foods that discourage disease and illness. She has a passion, a desire and a drive to help people heal, help people connect to their innate ability to heal themselves and help people pass that gift of healing to those they love.

Christine’s appoach involes:

  • In depth 3 to 7 day food diet diary with nutritional analysis
  • Customized menu plans including supplement recommendation and specific food recommendations that enhance the quality of one’s health and well being
  • Individualized detoxification and cleansing program that clears the body of harmful toxins and substances, which in turn provides the body a clean slate and new road to health
  • Detailed and condition specific handouts are provided as a resource to help educate as well as align one with their health goal
  • Grocery store tours provide a great insight into the many faces of food labels, genetically modified foods, packaged foods, frozen and canned goods, but also a great look at the powerful foods that offer nourishment, life and vitality
  • Recipe analysis takes a classic and favorite recipe and creates a more health conscious and clean meal
  • Conscious eating is an approach that offers insight into what is placed in ones bowl and really taking a moment to taste, touch, smell and explore the precious gift of food. This is a great time to explore mindful meditation and food journaling.


Follow Christine on her personal site at www.rootedinnutrition.com

Erica and Christine encourage you to attend a free consultation to see if their approach is right for you!

Please call Botanica Wellness Sanctuary at 720.279.8726 to arrange a complementary 20 minute consultation, we would love to hear from you.