Hi, I’m Lexi
If you've tried every diet, followed every rule, and still ended up right back where you started, you're not alone and don’t have a willpower problem. The same goes for you if you're a new mom trying to sort out what you and your baby need, or a woman in menopause wondering why everything that used to work suddenly doesn't. Mainstream nutrition advice tends to treat everyone the same and I don't think it should.
How I Got Here
I'm an engineer by training. Early in my career, I worked on a quality team where the safety and quality of our products directly affected the people who used them. I loved knowing my work made a real difference to real people. As my career moved on, I lost that direct connection to the impact of what I was doing, and I missed it.
At the same time, I kept coming back to food. I've always been the friend who's cooking up something new, and people started asking me more than just "what's for dinner?" They wanted to know how I lost 40 pounds and kept it off while still eating carbs and ice cream, and why I eat so many vegetables. (The short answer: fiber. The long answer is a whole blog post.) I realized that nutrition was where I could have the kind of direct, personal impact I'd been missing.
Engineers are trained to ask why. Why does this system work, what happens when one part changes, and what's the root cause of the problem? That's also how I think about the body. Nutrition affects nearly every function your body depends on, and it plays a powerful role in preventing and managing disease. But no two people are the same, so there's no single answer that works for everyone. I think of it as a toolbox: there are a lot of tools available, and different ones work for different people. My goal is to show you what's in the toolbox and help you find the tools that work for you.
Why an engineer makes a good nutrition nerd
Where I Am Now
I'm currently earning my Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences through the Dietetics program at North Carolina Central University, on my way to becoming a Registered Dietitian with a functional nutrition focus. This blog is where I share what I'm learning along the way: the research behind the headlines, the "why" behind common advice, and plenty of recipes that are so yummy!
A few more things about me
I live in North Carolina with my husband, James, and our four cats. We love to travel, dance, and volunteer for disaster relief.