January 2, 2020

Meet Mary Beth Gudewicz of Bella Nutrition Services in Parker

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Beth Gudewicz.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Mary Beth. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The first sign that my health was failing began in college when I came down with a bad case of the flu during finals. This led to never getting my energy back and a diagnosis of kidney disease in my late 20’s. I met with my doctor’s dietitian and we revamped my diet which led me on the path of deeper research into nutrition and lifestyle choices. I learned so much and realized I wanted to go back to school and teach others how to make better choices and start to feel better.

Meanwhile, my health challenges kept coming when I was faced with adrenal fatigue. Each time I got a new diagnosis, I would deep dive into why – what are the root causes? I would make some shifts in my individual plan with great results. I found myself sharing with others what I was learning and knew I needed to get the credentials to get out and really help others in the same boat as me. I knew I had discovered my calling, so I started pouring my energy into finding the right nutrition school. One that did not look at nutrition as a one size fits all approach but instead looked at the science, energy system and mechanics of the body, in order to look at a person as a whole.

I found a program that offered a holistic health approach to nutrition with a very heavy science-based curriculum that included anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, disease pathology and used nutrition to support gut health, weight management and more. I witnessed this holistic approach at work first-hand when I was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr and autoimmune disease. This time, I had the tools to manage my conditions through nutrition and lifestyle.

Today, I am board certified in holistic nutrition and I work as a Master Nutrition Therapist (MNT) and a Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Practitioner (FNLP) who looks at you as a whole.

Has it been a smooth road?
My road to health was not smooth. There would be roadblocks that I had to look at and decide do I go through, around or over? I learned to stop asking “why me?” and instead asked “what do I need to learn from this” because inevitably there was something to learn from each of the steps in my healing journey.

An example of this happened to me in 2016/2017 when I came down with this awful coughing virus that left me unable to sleep at night – so I was not only sick but sleep-deprived. I remember waking up one night and just asking to be taken out of this life. That is when I stopped and realized I had really hit rock bottom and the fight had left me. As the virus was running down its course, I never felt the same. I couldn’t find the energy to get through the day. I daydreamed about being in bed and sleeping. There was no motivation – just the motivation to crawl between the sheets and sleep. I would finish work for the day and be in bed.

During the weekends I would sleep until 11 a.m. and then two hours later was taking a two-hour nap and in bed by 8 p.m. This was no quality of life. So I started digging into my research and came across information about Epstein-Barr. I asked my doctor to run the test and sure enough – it was positive. The next steps were for me to find the proper supplement, food and lifestyle cocktail that would help me find my quality of life. After four months of work, I finally started to see the light of day. My energy was coming back, I stopped thinking about my bed all of the time and had the motivation to jump back into life.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Bella Nutrition Services story. Tell us more about your work.
I am a board-certified in holistic nutrition Master Nutrition Therapist and Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Practitioner who specializes in helping people with a host of symptoms from gas and bloating to joint aches, weight gain and fatigue. I work with the systems of the body to find the root causes. What sets me apart is that I create tools for individuals that are specific to them.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next 5-10 years, we are going to see a shift in people wanting to be heard when it comes to their health. They are going to want practitioners who listen, see them and are able to get under the pieces and help them find their quality of life. Choice medicine and preventative care will be on the rise.

Contact Info:

Website: www.bellanutritionservices.com
Email: bellanutritionservices@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellanutritionservices/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marybeth.gudewicz.3
Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bellanutritionservices/

Image Credit:
Elana Spraguer Photography: https://elenaspraguerphotography.com/

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