Courtney Betsill

As an athlete growing up, I was always interested in nutrition and how it affected our bodies. I could notice that eating certain foods would either help me perform well or cause me to feel sluggish in the game. In high school, my father, who was always active and healthy, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. That is when I discovered that my love for nutrition could be a career to help individuals live longer and healthier lives. I then pursued my bachelors degree in nutritional sciences and dietetics at Texas Tech University and went on to my dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. I then completed my Masters in Science in Nutrition online at Texas Tech while working in acute-care hospital.

Through my education, I was experiencing my own journey of an imperfect relationship with food. I realized some disordered eating habits and skewed body image thoughts that were not healthy for me. As I worked to heal my relationship with food and transform my thoughts, which is still something I work on daily, I became passionate about helping other individuals learn to live a healthier life while still enjoying the foods they love. Balance is key and I do not believe in demonizing food or forcing anyone to eat a certain vegetable or whatever it may be that they hate. I work with each individual to understand their likes and dislikes, goals and barriers and figure out what we need to do to enhance their life through the power of nutrition. With a background in acute clinical care and now dialysis, I have ample experience with chronic disease prevention and management (chronic kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cancer, etc). I feel as if my personal experience with food has enabled me to better understand my clients and nurture their body and soul through food.