Laurie Hatch, RD

As a cancer dietitian and a cancer survivor, I understand the struggles of moving beyond health struggles. I spent over 15 years working in cancer care where not a single patient just has cancer. She has diabetes, heart disease and other health maladies. He also has family challenges of who makes meals, shops for food, and emotional and social needs impacting food choices and eating styles. Because of my professional and personal experience with disease, I pride myself on allowing space for change and growth. I perceive nutritional counseling as a practice of patience--in myself as a client grows, and as a gift to this client who is developing the patience to make important changes to food choices and beliefs. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was 10 years into my career as a cancer dietitian. For years I approached my work with patients as the one directing a patient's diet, meals, and food choices. The cancer care world makes it easy to dictate "this is what you need to eat to manage your nausea/taste changes/swallowing problems". Following my diagnosis, I learned that a softer approach, one of collaboration, asking more questions, looking at the total picture of a persons life to guide them toward these changes to manage treatment side effects. With my breast cancer sisters, I became keenly aware of the highly personal experience they were embarking on and I spent time listening, not adding my two-cents so quickly. I found it worked and I changed my whole approach to cancer care--head and neck, colon, lung, prostate, gastrointestinal--you name it, I had reworked my style. I am proud of this and now I seek to do the same in a private practice. My ideal client is one who desires long-lasting changes to her relationship with food and has an open mind to how food is medicine, yes, but food is also comfort, celebration, culture, and family. I am a survivor, a certified specialist in oncology nutrition for 18 years, a lifelong learner with a Master's in Nutrition and most of all a passion for people and health.