Hi! I’m Cheryl.
I’ve helped thousands of people who’ve had a heart attack or related problem learn to eat better for life. I understand the impact a heart event can have on your relationship with food, not to mention emotional health.
I’m a Registered Dietitian and author of the bestselling 30-Minute Heart Healthy Cookbook*. I’ve specialized in this work for 17 years now, working both in Calgary’s cardiac rehabilitation program and in private practice.
If you want to address…
- the fear of food that many people feel after a heart event,
- frustration with contradictory advice, even from the experts,
- risk factors like high blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugars,
- boredom and cravings,
- a lack of time, or
- old habits returning,
…then you’re in the right place! You don’t have to figure this out on your own.
Together we can make sense of nutrition science, build your confidence, take the stress out of meal planning and preparation, and get you back to enjoying food, but in a way that supports your heart.
If you want to lose weight
If you’ve been told you should lose weight for heart health, know that I unconditionally respect, welcome and support all people and bodies in my practice and follow Health at Every Size® principles.
Weight doesn’t define health to the degree conventional wisdom would have us believe. And even if it did, for most people, diet and exercise are frustratingly ineffective for long-term weight loss.
My solution is to shift our focus to what we can more readily control. What you DO is more important than what you weigh anyhow.
I will support your wellbeing and if you’re ready, help you develop eating habits that have been shown to reduce your risk of future heart problems and help you feel better, whether you lose weight or not.
The Sweet Spot approach
Do you love food? Me too!
My Sweet Spot approach to eating for life means heart-healthy food that is also satisfying as well as convenient and affordable, if that’s important to you.
Sometimes you have to compromise on one to attain another, and that’s okay. But when we can, we try to live in and expand that Sweet Spot. Food is one of life’s great pleasures — you deserve to enjoy it.
Other ways I can help you find your Sweet Spot
I can help you in many ways, listed here from free resources to more intensive support:
- Browse the blog for practical tips. It’s organized by category, for easy access to help with topics like blood pressure and weight concerns.
- Download my free e-book, The Sweet Spot Guide to Eating Well After A Heart Event.
- Join the free Sweet Spot Heart-Healthy Cooking Club on Facebook to exchange recipes with others interested in making great heart-healthy food.
- If you want to make a lasting change, join my paid community, where we go step-by-step through the fundamentals of understanding, planning, and enjoying heart-healthy eating, The Sweet Spot Kitchen.
- If you’d like personalized, one-on-one support in making a plan to address your nutrition concerns, book a virtual consultation. More details on that here.
- Or Sign up for my weekly(ish) updates, which include the latest blog posts as well as a behind-the-scenes peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen.
Our work together will be a collaboration. I may know cardiac nutrition, but you’re the expert of YOU, and that matters most. I’ll help you learn to trust your wisdom.
More about me
Since 2005 I’ve worked on and off with Calgary’s fantastic cardiac rehabilitation program operated by Total Cardiology at MNP Centre (formerly Talisman and then Repsol).
Over 2000 people with heart disease go through the program every year, and I’m honoured to have worked with many of them. If you’ve had a heart problem, it helps to work with someone who understands what you’re going through.
In 2014 I went into private practice and started the Sweet Spot blog, to support people in ways that cardiac rehab doesn’t. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking at numerous conferences, appearing in the media, and writing the 30-Minute Heart Healthy Cookbook*.
I share tips and recipes, and opinions on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, if you’d like a little heart-health inspiration in your social media feed.
If you think I can help you, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can email me here or book a free 20-minute Meet & Greet.
Happy eating!
(*That’s an affiliate link to my cookbook. If you buy through that link, Amazon shares a small amount of the purchase price with me.)