Nutrition Thyme 2024: Optimal Nutrition for Women

DeliveryRank meets Tara Durden, a passionate nutritionist dedicated to helping women optimize their hormones, mineral, and gut health. Tara's journey into nutrition began after realizing the damaging effects of diet culture and years of oral contraceptives on her own health. With a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Nutrition, she pursued her passion and became a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist. Using a functional nutrition approach, Tara transformed her own health and now strives to help others feel their best. 

Tara, what inspired you to become a sustainable wellness coach and functional dietitian-nutritionist, particularly focusing on helping women balance hormones and heal digestive issues?

I was influenced by diet culture at a young age. Little did I know the damage I was doing to my metabolism, hormones and overall health. Tack on over a decade of oral contraceptives to the equation and that was a recipe for disaster. I knew this was not a sustainable way to live. With my love for food and exercise, I began taking nutrition courses and almost immediately it clicked - nutrition is my passion. Fast forward several years, I graduated with both my Bachelor and Master degrees in Nutrition. I then sat for the credentialing exam to become a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist. 

Using a functional nutrition approach, I was able to optimize my hormones and gut health. Now feeling the best in my body that I ever had (even as a new mama with another baby on the way), I am passionate about helping clients feel their best. With almost a decade of experience, I help women optimize their hormones, mineral and gut health combining both holistic and scientific methods. I tailor my functional nutrition program with specialty lab testing unique to each client I work with. I guide and support clients on their whole body wellness healing journey. 

Can you elaborate on your philosophy of incorporating better habits into daily life to achieve happiness and wellness, rather than focusing solely on weight loss goals? 

When you join my community, you will learn to incorporate better habits into your daily life that will provide you a real sense of accomplishment and happiness. My programs are tailor made to fit the needs of each unique individual and teach them how combining holistic and scientific methods will have them well on their way to loving and appreciating themselves the way they should. I don't mention weight loss as the goal of my programs because it is simply a result of learning to listen to your body and treating it appropriately. That is the energy that drives Nutrition Thyme. The best part about Nutrition Thyme is there is no "after", it’s a continuous lifestyle change. 

How do you tailor your programs to fit the individual needs of your clients, and what holistic and scientific methods do you combine to promote their overall well-being? 

My role as a dietitian has been to provide the best plan of care and most sustainable wellness plan for clients. Since each client has a different health and lifestyle background, I determine what is best for them based on that. I utilize my Master of Science in Nutrition background along with my clinical practice experience and advanced laboratory training to pan out the best plan of care for them. 

Could you share a bit about your personal journey with nutrition and how it led you to specialize in functional nutrition? What were some key insights or experiences that shaped your approach?

Drawing from my personal wellness endeavors and professional experiences, I’ve learned that to achieve the optimal wellness I always sought, a personalized and holistic approach is required. I took the time to relearn how to be in touch with myself, how to eat regularly and balanced, and how sleep, self-care and joyful movement all play a huge role in my health. I knew I needed to close this gap for as many women as possible struggling to live their healthiest lives. 

Using a functional nutrition approach, I was able to optimize my hormones and gut health. Now feeling the best in my body that I ever have, I’m passionate about helping women feel the same. 

In your experience, what are some common misconceptions about nutrition and wellness, and how do you address them in your coaching and presentations, particularly in the context of worksite wellness programs? 

Most women are under the impression they’re supposed to eat X amount of calories (which is usually much lower than they need) along with try every diet out there. Simultaneously they are skewing away from their actual metabolic cues. When I join workplaces to lead wellness classes, I make sure to reinforce the basic nourishment fundamentals that our bodies need in order to achieve optimal wellness! The nourishment basics include (but not limited to) sleeping enough, eating balanced meals and enough in general, focusing on adrenal and gut health, stress management, movement & hydrating.

If you would like to find about more about Nutrition Thyme, please visit https://www.nutrition-thyme.com/