Nutritional Therapy with Maria Powers, NTP
I help people feel better and do more with balanced and sustainable carbohydrate reduction strategies.
Are you tired all the time?
Do you have chronic pain and inflammation?
Uncontrollable snacking and sugar cravings?
Are you gaining weight?
Do you have high blood pressure?
Are you tired of dieting and counting calories?
I can help you!
I am Maria Powers,
A certified health coach and holistic nutritionist
Founder of “NOURISH TO THRIVE”
Biochem nerd
Educator
Author (published 2022)
Mom of 2 & Northern CA resident since 2021
I help my clients find their optimal carbohydrate amount to achieve optimal health.
What can carbohydrate reduction do for me?
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Reduced hunger and cravings
On a low carb diet our brain “hears” hunger and satiety signals better.
This naturally results in less overeating and better energy balance.
This is because on low carb your body always has access to fat energy onboard and doesn’t need constant “refueling” like it does with glucose.
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Easier weight management
Low carb diets naturally lead to “eat less and move more” behavior due to reduced hunger and cravings and increased energy.
Fasting, strenuous exercise and willpower are not required!
After fat adaptation, you naturally start eating less and can go longer between meals, encouraging fat burning. Increased levels of energy result in voluntary increase in physical activity.
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Improved blood glucose and blood pressure
By reducing the intake of the nutrient that has the biggest impact on glycaemic control - dietary carbohydrate, you can see rapid improvements in clinical markers (fasting glucose and insulin, HbA1c).
The reduction in insulin levels quickly gets blood pressure within normal ranges.
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Reduced inflammation
Chronic inflammation is at the root of many modern diseases.
By lowering insulin, which, in excess, can be proinflammatory and by removing proinflammatory fats, properly formulated low carb diet greatly decreases inflammation.
Ketones, in and of themselves, have potent anti-inflammatory qualities.
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Reduced visceral fat
Visceral fat (the fat in the liver and other organs) is often invisible to the eye, but deadly in its effect on your health and longevity.
Research shows that low carb diets reduce the amount of visceral fat – resulting in better health outcomes and longevity.
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More energy
Biochemically speaking, a molecule of fat produces more energy than glucose.
Excess glucose consumption results in spikes and subsequent crashes, which literally zap us of energy after the meals.
It also damages our mitochondria - organelles that provide us with energy.
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Improved lipid profile
High triglycerides along with low HDL are classic markers of dyslipidemia and are often associated with type II diabetes.
Research shows that getting the triglycerides and HDL into the normal ranges is important to prevent heart disease.
On low carb, in general, HDL-C increases and triglycerides decrease, and the LDL particles (aka “bad” cholesterol) transition from pro-atherogenic pattern B into much less atherogenic pattern A.
This, along with reduction in insulin, dramatically lowers the risk of heart disease.
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Improved mood and sleep quality
Many experience an improvement in mood because blood glucose doesn’t spike and drop after meals. You can be hungry, but you don’t get “hangry” anymore.
Additionally, low carb rebalances brain neurotransmitters by producing more GABA (the calming one) than glutamate (the excitatory one).
In general, sleep changes on low carb, too: you sleep less in duration, just more efficiently.
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Better productivity and quality of life
More energy,
Better mood,
Clearer brain,
Less symptoms of chronic disease,
Fewer sick days,
Fewer meals and less time spent cooking those meals,
No food coma after meals,
More efficient sleep…
All result in more efficient and enjoyable life.
After 7 years of experience guiding hundreds of happy clients,
I know how to help you feel your absolute best
with easily achievable food and lifestyle modifications.
Clients’ wins
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Antonina
I went low carb after chemo and radiation therapy in early 2019. I am 58 years old now.
I was worried about swelling of the legs, it was painful to walk, my digestion wasn’t working well, memory got worse, I had excess weight (at 5’4”, I weighed 191 lbs). I had insulin resistance and had trouble thinking clearly.
I was fabulously lucky to quickly find Maria.
These photos speak for themselves. Weight dropped to 152 lbs, edema and brain fog disappeared, memory began to recover.
I can say that my digestion has improved as well.
In January 2021, I was sick with Covid-19. No one expected that I would recover so easily. I did not end up in the hospital, had a fever for just a day, there was no debilitating weakness.
All my symptoms were much less severe than those of my friends’. The timely replenished nutrient deficiencies on low carb diet gave my body the opportunity to fight.
Proper nutrition supported my recovery.
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Irina
Hi Maria!
Here’s before/after photo of 2-3 months on Keto with you.
Perhaps not too impressive, but considering my background of hormonal imbalances, it was significant for me.
Most importantly, I see positive changes in my bloodwork: antibodies to the thyroid gland have decreased.
Back in 2017 my doctors said that this was not possible and that I had to live with them for the rest of my life.
But they dropped when I started keto in 2019.
Also, my TSH is almost back to normal, leptin has dropped significantly.
Thank you for teaching me how to practice keto properly!
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Anna
Before working with Maria, I had a negative experience of KETO, vegetarianism, low-carbohydrate nutrition and various elimination diets, which led to big health problems:
-dystrophy
-endometriosis with frequent bleeding
-anemia
-problems with digestion
After switching to low carb nutrition with Maria:
-Health has been restored: intestinal bleeding has disappeared and the digestive function has fully recovered
-Suffered mild Covid and recovered quickly
-I injured my coccyx while on keto and it recovered surprisingly fast - in 3 weeks, while doctors predicted 6 months
-The skin quality got better, the nails stopped peeling
-Energy and vitality increased exponentially
-I was able to normalize my weight
-The sweet cravings are completely gone
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Julia
Even in my case of almost no excess weight, there is work to be done on the body quality.
After 4 months of keto and after working with Maria I can report the following changes:
Hips: 37.4 in (-3 in)
Waist: 26 in (-3.1 in)
Bust: 32 in (-2.4 in)
Weight: 131 lbs (-10.4 lbs)
Fat: 27.1% (-5.2%)
Visceral fat: 4% (-1%)
I also have no more migraines, am stable emotionally, have lots of energy, my skin cleared up, my body is more toned.
Chronic inflammation is long gone, I have no edema in the morning, my face has clear contours.
Quality of life now (1-10): 9
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Olga
Hi Maria. Here are my results in 3 months:
Hips 39 in [-2.3 in]
Waist 32 in [-7.5 in]
Bust 38 in [-2.3 in]
Weight 143 lbs [-23 lbs]
I naively expected that the difference in the photos would be more impressive. On the other hand, minus 23 lbs and minus 7.5 inches at the waist - that’s not bad at all.
I hope that this is only the beginning and progress will continue, because new eating habits have only become stronger.
I can remember before I started working with you when I waited with horror for the summer and having to switch from a baggy down jacket that hides my figure to more revealing clothes. I avoided meeting with friends, and did not want to leave the house so that no one could see how fat I was! What a blessing to have it all behind me now.
Over the past month, there has not been a single “slip up”, because flour and sugar do not appeal to me anymore.
It was very important for me to find acceptable low carb options for "sweets" (cocoa, berries, nuts) with which keto is no longer perceived as a restrictive diet.
Thank you for helping me!
What is the right carbohydrate amount for me?
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Good question! I will perform a FREE comprehensive nutiritional asessment that will allow me to formulate a specific nutrition plan for you, including the amount of carbohydrates that are optimal for your body.
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Low carb simply means eliminating refined carbohydrates, which were never, ever available to us so freely during our evolution. Our bodies can not function well on a high refined carbohydrate diet. Most Americans eat up to 75% of calories in carbohydrates!
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Low carb diets can be practiced in a multitude of styles. Some people may require limiting carbs to the point of initiating the state of ketosis - where your body switches to a purely fat-burning state instead of a glucose-burning one.
The amount of carb restriction usually depends on a person’s physical activity and his/hers level of insulin resistance.
I can help you figure out the optimal carb amount for you!
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Yes, in fact it is the MOST evidence-based diet of all.
The key to proper implementation is whole foods and healthy fats.
I will teach you everything you need to know to practice low carb safely.
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It varies for each person, but in general my clients experience a noticeable increase in energy, mood improvements and, of course, weight reduction as well as an improvement in many health markers.
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In short, no. There are plenty of low carb options.
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YES!
The conventional medicine presents type II diabetes as a “progressive” disease that will get worse with time. But it doesn’t have to if you address the root cause!
We now have plenty of trials showing that full reversal of type II diabetes with the properly formulated low carb diet is possible.
Disclaimer: The information on this website is intended as professional advice only and should not be used in place of a medical provider to diagnose or treat any illness.