Sign up for Sandi's free 90-minute Nutrition Introduction Webinar in which she covers the basics of plant-based eating, and cardiovascular disease in particular, as well as nutrition for athletes and pre-and post-workout nutrition recommendations. She also shares about her own experience with eating plant-based and subsequent improvements with cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides, reduction of pain and reflux symptoms, and much-improved workout recovery, as well as significant weight loss.
WED July 28th, 7-8:30 pm (via Zoom)
SUN Aug 1, 6:30-8 pm (via Zoom)
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HAMMOND WELLNESS
SANDI HAMMOND’S HEALTH STORY
I started life as a skinny athletic kid- but severe asthma and puberty changed that. I lost confidence in my athletic abilities somewhere in junior high, and my weight began to fluctuate during college. Prednisone didn’t help- massive doses regularly for asthma left me water-logged, hungry, both wired and tired, and in pain. At age 24 - after 7 straight weeks on prednisone- this led to what may have been a diagnosis of fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue- I’ll never really know- which somehow seemed to drop off later, although I continue to have lots of what I call “micro-injuries” and chronic pain (the fatigue went away) so who knows. In my 30’s and 40’s my weight sometimes went up and down by 80 pounds! I had chronic pain, reflux, asthma, 4 bulging discs, anxiety, and depression. At age 38 I took on fitness and weight loss in a serious way: over 3 years I lost 80 pounds, completed 9 triathlons, and worked for Jenny Craig for 3 years, coaching hundreds of clients on their journey towards better health. But in the back of my mind I thought “there must be a better way to eat”. Jenny Craig has some wonderful tools, but the foods were high in sodium, some of them were downright “low-calorie junk” and I knew it, and intuitively I thought “at some point, we should all go vegan”.
Fast forward to age 52: after taking on a high-paying high-stress corporate desk job, enduring a terrible breakup, and being 80 pounds overweight, I was spiraling. The 2020 pandemic hit and in October of that year, I had 3 health scares converge at once. I took charge and gave up salt, alcohol, and all animal products. I lost the weight, signed up for a triathlon, and got my certificate in plant-based nutrition at Cornell (see below). I also completed an 8-week course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. And now, I am confident that I have found a way to eat that is permanent and nourishing.
I’ve always had an interest in mental health: I’m now enrolled in a master’s program to become a counselor and music therapist, and depression runs on both sides of my family. I’m currently pursuing a certificate in personal training, and have been reading with great fascination about nutritional psychiatry. When I complete my master’s, my private practice will integrate nutrition and exercise with counseling; I just cannot separate mind and body ever again, and nor should you!
ONE CLIENT’S STORY THAT CHANGED MY LIFE: NUTRITION AND MENTAL HEALTH
While at Jenny Craig as a Weight Loss Consultant, I had a client who stole my heart. We’ll call her Jill. Jill was in her late 30’s and on some heavy-duty psych meds which contributed to weight gain. She also attended a day program for adults with chronic mental illness where the “rewards” were trips to a donut shop and pizza parties. But she was determined. She came every week to see me for a weigh-in and to review her menu and activity level (swimming several times a week). Jill lost a lot of weight and was so proud; when she hit her first major goal she beamed at me. She continued to turn down the snacks and stuck to her meal plan. But one day she missed her appointment, and then her mother called to tell me Jill had been hospitalized inpatient with a relapse. A few days later another call came into my Jenny Craig location: Jill called me from the inpatient ward- about her weight! It takes a lot to get hold of a phone inpatient, to get a call allowed, so I knew she REALLY wanted to talk. Jill had already gained some weight back, missed her swims, was eating foods high in sodium and low in fiber, and she desperately wanted to get back on track. Her nutrition options inpatient were pretty sad. Her med changes weren’t helping. I asked her permission to contact one of her psychiatrists about her weight and nutrition. Her doctor was a super nice guy, but basically at a loss: he said “yeah it’s frustrating” and “yeah most of my patients with chronic mental illness struggle with obesity, it’s unfortunate”. But he didn’t really have any solutions. That story stayed with me. What bothered Jill as much as if not more than the cuts up and down her arm, the major psychiatric issues that hindered her mood and cognition, the loss of work, and having to go on disability was her PHYSICAL HEALTH. Her weight, nutrition, her exercise- all of which of course affected her mood, her mental health. Jill could accept that she would probably never work again, that she was somewhat dependent on her parents, that a day program was a solution as to how to spend her time, that she would be in and out of hospitals with flares, but what she could not accept, and did not want to accept, was that she was sentenced to a life of obesity and physical pain and weakness. It bothered her so much that she called me from an inpatient psych unit, in tears.
I dedicate my practice to Jill, and to anyone else who has struggled with the intersection of mental health and physical health, including myself. At the height of my own bouts of depression, food was my comfort and companion, and I was unable in those times to view it as a source of nutrition and fuel. But that has changed; if I can turn it around, so can you.
MORE THAN WEIGHT LOSS
Not all of my clients come to me to lose weight. Some want to get their cholesterol and blood pressure down, manage blood sugar, learn more about cooking from scratch incorporating more vegetables, and some need to gain weight!- but want to do it with healthy foods and in a way that is good for their body.
WHAT I AM NOT
I am not a nutritionist. I am not a registered dietitian. I am not a doctor or medical professional. Before starting work with me, I strongly urge you to talk to your doctor about your nutrition goals, your numbers, and if you should see a registered dietitian who is covered by your health plan. I find for some clients seeing me in combination with a dietitian is a great way to go. And, in my opinion, everyone could use a personal trainer or physical therapist or both, even if it's just a few appointments to get a home routine outlined and going.
Here is what I CAN offer you:
I have a certificate in plant-based nutrition and am a NUTRITION EDUCATOR. I provide knowledge, tools, social support, and accountability.
I can speak from my own lived experience dealing with depression and anxiety, obesity, fitness, nutrition, goal-setting, weight gain, and weight loss.
When I become a certified personal trainer, you will be the first to know!
When I am a licensed mental health counselor and music therapist, you will also be among the first to know and I will blast that here!
DISCLAIMER: Sandi Hammond is a Plant-Based Nutrition Educator with a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell. The content and material on this website and in Sandi Hammond's nutrition education courses should not be considered medical advice nor medical treatment for any specific health conditions. Sandi Hammond is not a health care provider or clinical nutritionist. Consult your doctor before changing your diet and discuss any and all medications you are on including monitoring your health for positive changes that may affect the amount of medication you are taking.