Welcome!
We genuinely appreciate you taking the time to visit our site today; making time for yourself is sometimes one of the hardest steps, so it’s wonderful to have you here.
Our Business
At Balanced Gut Nutrition & Health, we help people find and/or create balance both nutritionally and holistically. When our bodies are in balance, we are generally in a state of health; when we become unbalanced, that is usually when we experience signs/symptoms of being “unwell”. A balanced gut microbiome plays a big role in our overall health - both physically and mentally. Our gut is in constant contact with our brain (click here for more info), so if our gut microbiome is imbalanced, it can impact our mood as well as GI issues, and vice versa (our mental state can impact our physical being as well). Through balancing your gut microbiome via diet, supplements, and incorporating general wellness practices, we can help those looking to reduce GI issues, stress, anxiety, and other physical and mental concerns. Our goal is to use nutrition and wellness as a way to improve your overall quality of life.
Elyce Shapiro
Hello there! I’m a licensed Integrative Nutritionist (more detail on this role in the FAQ section) who embraces a holistic approach to nutrition, health, and wellness. The importance of recognizing and respecting the whole-person is a core value of mine and as such, I support a balanced approach to healing, embracing all parts of you and your lifestyle, not just your symptoms.
My personal health journey is the reason I’m here today. I suffered a trauma a number of years ago which led to both physical GI issues and mental issues (PTSD being the main one). I spent many years going the biomedical route to resolve my GI issues, went to hospitals around the country, tried endless pharmaceutical interventions, none of which helped, some of which made things worse. I was also working with a therapist for the mental health aspect who helped me understand how important (and necessary) it is to be your own health advocate. I have always preferred more natural routes to healing, so started embracing more holistic practices such as acupuncture, yoga therapy, mindfulness, meditation, and art therapy (to name a few). All of those brought stronger and more effective improved outcomes - mentally and physically - than any of the biomedical experiences. Through my own education within the holistic world, I learned about the gut microbiome and its impact on mental health and was intrigued. I had also begun embracing and understanding the importance of balance and self-care. I sought out to balance my microbiome and in doing so, found my path to healing - both physically and mentally.
This was a life-changing experience for me (my “ah-ha!” moment) and made me realize that while I was on a promising path forward in my corporate career, it wasn’t fulfilling and didn’t speak to what felt right in my heart. I knew then what I really wanted to do, and that was to help guide and advise others through their own health struggles, so they don’t have to experience all the negative things I did over the course my health journey. Helping people has always been a passion of mine, along with food, so I decided it was time to make a big career and life shift. I quit my job and went after my Masters in Nutrition & Integrative Health at Maryland University of Integrative Health to become a licensed Integrative Nutritionist. And…here we are! I am thankful for your consideration of me for your health exploration and look forward to working with you, if you feel this is a good fit!