As a seasoned Clinical Nutritionist with a 25-year career, I’m known in Los Angeles as a trailblazer in the realm of personalized nutrition and recovery from alcoholism and addictions. My approach goes beyond basic dietetic and clinical nutrition practices, as one of the first Nutritionists to include functional lab testing to create truly personalized food and supplement plans. With a commitment to physical, biochemical and emotional health, my philosophy transcends calorie counting, and restricting, focusing instead on macronutrient balance, nutrient density, and the power of a real food diet combined my super deep dives into each person’s health history, genetics and biochemistry for a comprehensive view of nutrition and a clear path for each to become optimized. I also encourage my clients to focus on a spiritual practice of some kind. This can be anything from being in nature mindfully, to meditation to prayer or organized religion as long as it connects us to something greater than ourselves.
Recovery from addiction (including alcoholism) is a multifaceted journey that demands a willingness to explore innovative avenues. Through decades of experience, I’ve had great success with those willing to try my personalized approach. While relapse can be part of the journey for some, and that is OK, many of the people I work with are still sober after years and decades from when we began. The best part of this besides assisting the addicted person in finding freedom, we also find the key to stopping the generational cycle of alcoholism and addiction. I am forever grateful that my own child has never seen me drinking, smoking or any of the other “isms” I partook in through my teenage years. Many of the people I’ve worked with have had the same or similar experience with their children and grandchildren. The combination of 12 Step recovery programs and a highly personalized food and supplement plan has been groundbreaking for me and many others.
Living in LA and starting my practice here in the later 90s, right next to a movie and TV studio, and where teams like the Lakers and the Clippers trained, made it inevitable that my practice would include many elite athletes and celebrities striving for excellence in their fields. Having worked with prominent figures from actors to rock stars, to YouTube personalities, professional poker players, to players for the NFL, NHL, NBA UFC, AVP, P1440, and Olympic gold winning athletes, my customized nutritional strategies optimize not only performance but also overall health. Tailored nutrition and nutrient supplementation plays a crucial role in enhancing physical prowess, mental clarity, and emotional resilience. While alcoholism and addiction can often be seen as just another co-existing health issue or bad habit, when it comes to optimized nutrition we have to see occasional alcohol and drug consumption as distinctly different from the addiction or the “disease” as many in 12-step programs refer to it. I use my questionnaires to help us identify who has a real problem versus occasional use that can be simply and easily modified. Once we identify the level of alcohol, drug or food addiction behavior we can factor that into our overall plan and nutrition solutions as well as plans for treatment or detox if needed. My custom tracking tools, questionairres and lab results are how we identify issues and create solutions.
Personalization through Lab Testing: A True Game-Changer
At the heart of my approach lies my revolutionary Custom Lab Test Evaluation Survey an innovative tool that I’ve meticulously crafted over years of practice. This questionnaire allows me to identify precise lab tests required based on individual symptoms, health history, past lab test results, and current goals. Through blood tests, saliva analysis, and sometimes stool sample analysis, I leave no stone unturned in unraveling underlying health complexities and getting to the bottom of each person’s biochemistry so we can support and optimize performance, health and moods.
Unleash the Power of my Custom App: Tracking and Transformation
Using technology for getting on track and sustaining success, my custom app serves as a support tool for my clients beyond and during our private sessions. Tracking tools, feedback mechanisms, and nutrition planning resources are conveniently accessible, empowering individuals to continue their journey towards a healthier lifestyle. I’ve also created Group sessions to create a more affordable option for those who may not be superstars but also to create the community and peer support that many programs don’t have. My Elite program clients have ready access to me through the app for tracking and support, and my Group clients have each other and my associate nutritionists to gain feedback and support when I’m not avialable. A large part of changing addictive or unmanagable behaviors and habits is becoming aware of them. This is what my tracking tools are designed to do. Help create awareness around drinking and eating behavior.
My holistic approach effectively bridges the gap between nutrition and addiction recovery. I recommend that people with true addictions partake of the treasure trove of recovery support available in 12 Step programs for free.
12 Step programs have been the most successful model for over 50 years and our modern day recovery coaches and others who are not really even abstaining (not sober) and or those who don’t follow a 12-step model give me concern that they are often money grabs and scams run by people looking for something for nothing. It is my opinion that you should not hire a recovering person unless they have both an education and credentials. There is no magic bullet or formula and it’s not hard to realize that most of these people have not been sober or off their alcohol or drugs for very long before they decide to show others how they have done it. For a price. I’ve personally seen people fail at sobriety while working with these people more often than not. Usually when 12-step programs don’t work for someone it’s because they have either been unwilling to continue working the steps and keeping themselves involved in helping others to find sobriety, or they have a biochemical or mental issue that is not getting proper treatment. I saw many people drop off of 12 step programs during the pandemic and it made me very sad. While the pandemic was very hard for most of us, it was never more than a moment in time that we can do endure. Many people quickly forgot about the “one day at a time” tool of AA and decided that drinking was an option again. Many of us did not do that. Most of us pivoted to online meetings using the amazing zoom technology and now we have a major blessing that happened during the pandemic.
Something else to consider is that Alcoholics Anonymous the 12 step program considered the grandfather of all of them including NA, Narcotics Anonymous, CA, Cocaine Anonymous, OA Overeaters Anonymous, and others run on 12 traditions that are designed to keep the organization running smoothly and unencumbered by any one’s greed, dishonesty or similar human issue. AA is a spiritual program, run on spiritual principles with morals and ethics. It is not a religious group and unlike religions it is a non-profit organization that does not ally itself with any outside affiliation. Ever. This brilliant tradition is much of why these programs are still around helping to save so many lives. When any AA member works with another member we do it for free. I personally spend hours each week doing this aside from and apart from my job as a Nutritionist. I don’t work specifically on counseling or “sponsoring” or even mentoring my nutrition clients. In fact I do refer them to 12-step programs if they are a good fit but then I pass them off to the care of their sponsor. I handle the biochemical and nutritional part and the rest is their 12-step program. Even with my client’s in OA or the Food Addict programs I am not their sponsor or spiritual guide. I am their nutritionist and the roles are delineated clearly. This is for my own peace of mind, integrity and the health of my spiritual program as well as theirs. Anyone who thinks they have AA, 12-steps, their addictions or any spiritual matter “figured out” is headed for a crash. I can only pass on what I have learned and I hope to always know that I have more to learn and be willing to do so.
Another big issue that got worse during the pandemic was food addiction and the crossover many had with addictive eating, drinking, weed smoking and all the things to gain a false sense of comfort and try to stuff emotions. The problem is then when the world seemed to start back up, we have all these people who have left 12 step meetings and programs, gained weight, started bingeing and purging again, sunk back into anorexia or excessive restricting and now we currently have client’s trying to get off of and or work around the side effects and withdrawal issues with the newest weight loss drugs. Wegovy, Mounjaro etc. Even the shortage causes more panic for people. We need to find a holistic model that works for each person and includes physical, biochemical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social. This includes a deep dive into food and nutrition.
With over three and a half decades of active recovery, and working with others, I understand the challenges intimately. My recovery journey, characterized by spiritual growth and the biochemical facets of my nutrition programs, have paved the way for my approach. I am dedicated to empowering those who seek sobriety and true recovery, ensuring that they not only overcome obstacles but also thrive with optimized nutrition and restored well-being. I hope to have my book out soon which is a guidebook for eating in recovery. So that anyone who is in recovery or considering it can work proper nutrition into their lifestyle as well. When we eat better we feel better and then it’s easier to eat better and stay sober. I often say “We did not get sober and stay sober all these years to feel like crap”
For inquiries and further information, feel free to reach out to my team at JuliKeeneCN@gmail.com.