Testimonial for Christine Straley I first met Christine in Feb 2013 when I decided to seek nutrition help. I was fed up with my weight and decided to take control. She was the nutritionist at my primary care Doctor’s office, so insurance covered the cost. It was a crap shoot, but I sure won! I had no knowledge of her philosophy prior to meeting her. The Thursday before I met with her, my daughter had just been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Leaky Gut Syndrome, which was a new term for me. At my appointment with Christine, she mentioned Leaky Gut within the first 15 minutes so I was intrigued. She recommended eating high-quality fat, uncured meats, gluten-free, and coffee with coconut oil and BUTTER!!! I really needed to lose weight so I went to Natural Grocers a few days later, after she sent me menus and other guidance. It was a long shopping trip, and not the cheapest one ever, but my health is invaluable to me. I noticed the produce was the best-looking I had ever seen, and the prices were lower than at my local Safeway. We bought some grass-fed beef, and starting making her recipes. I eliminated gluten and started watching the weight come off even though I was eating uncured bacon and eggs(our own free-range eggs) every day for breakfast, and eating well all day long. Since that time, I have lost a total of 35 lbs with very little exercise(I had a total ankle fusion in May). After surgery, I lost 7 lbs even though I was just lying around(although using crutches takes some effort). This way of eating is very easy – it’s sustainable and even eating out is possible. I never feel deprived and my cholesterol dropped 60 points in 3 months. I hope to be off the Lipitor soon, and my BP too is doing well. The only bad thing about all of this is that my clothes are falling off of me, and I really don’t want to spend a lot of money on new work clothes because I am retiring in 4 months! But it is a wonderful feeling and I am very grateful to Christine and her support! Thank you very much. Melissa Popp