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Meet Registered Dietitian, Alison Epp

Registered Dietitian Saskatoon Alison Friesen Online Nutritionist

Alison Epp, BSc, RD

Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist

Specialty: Disordered Eating, Mental Health, Sports Nutrition, Fertility, Pre/Post Natal, Women’s Health

Empathy and kindness are two things you will notice about Alison, oh, and her love of good food and sport! Alison is known for her client-centered approach that looks at a person as a whole in all aspects of physical, mental and spiritual health.  She uses a blend of nutrition research and behavior change principles to help individuals create meaningful and lasting change. While she has diverse experience in a wide range of areas, she specializes in eating disorders (such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder) as well as sports nutrition and fertility. She is compassionate and certainly won’t expect you to be perfect in your journey to achieve a healthy pregnancy, recover from an eating disorder or improve sports performance. She is passionate about helping you find peace with food (including soulful foods chosen for taste such as her favorites like a bowl of buttery popcorn or a burger with fries).

Alison grew up in Cochrane Alberta playing sports competitively starting from a young age.  This background allowed her to understand the importance of fueling her body to improve energy and performance. After attending the University of Saskatchewan she worked full-time for the Sport Medicine and Science Council of Saskatchewan. This allowed her to work with a large range of competitive athletes including national level teams, Paralympic athletes, the NHL/WHL as well as University, provincial and club sport teams. This gave Alison a wealth of experience and sparked her to start her own private practice in Saskatoon.

As Alison continued to work in the area of women’s health and sport nutrition, she saw some of the great challenge’s athletes face, specifically in the area of mental health. This pushed her to work with more clients struggling with their relationships with food and body while still understanding the desire to compete as an athlete. She even started a podcast, The Warrior, with hopes to inspire and educate individuals with stories from those who have overcome significant challenges.

Alison has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan and completed her accredited dietetic internship through the Saskatoon Health Region. She is registered with the Saskatchewan Dietitians Association (SDA) and College of Dietitians of Alberta. She is also a member of the Professionals in Nutrition for Exercise and Sport (PINES), Dietitians of Canada Sports Nutrition Network, Saskatoon Weight Attitudes and Disordered Eating Committee and the International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians (IFEDD).

Alison is certified as a Certified Craving ChangeTM Facilitator specializing in strategies for problematic and emotional eating.  She is also currently taking her Master’s of Counseling Psychology through Providence Seminary to fulfill her goal of working as both a Dietitian and Psychologist to better support her clients.

When Alison is not working, she is a mom to a vibrant and strong little girl. She has stayed a sport enthusiast enjoying swimming, volleyball or snowboarding (or really any new sport introduced to her). Her and her husband are pleased they now get to share their love of sports with their growing family.  

Alison practices as a Licensed Registered Dietitian in Many Parts of Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, NWT, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, and the Yukon)

Alison practices as an Online Nutrition Educator in Certain Parts of Canada (BC, Ontario, PEI, Quebec and Manitoba) and in the United States / International Borders

Looking for an Eating Disorder Nutritionist Online, or Virtual Fertility Nutritionist or Sports Dietitian?  Alison can help!

Success stories

"I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
Adele Fox, Psychologist
“This is the first time I feel satisfied; my cravings have diminished dramatically and I have a whole new relationship with food. I am eating guilt-free for the first time in my life. My energy has also dramatically increased and I feel great!
Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
“The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“I spent 3 hours when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I learned more from my Dietitian about food in those 3 hours than I had learned in all the years of my life. I also love the newsletter, there is always something to learn.”
Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

“I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

ARC Resources Ltd.

“Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant
 

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