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Registered Dietitian & Counseling Program Director

Registered Dietitian Saskatoon Alison Friesen Online Nutritionist

Anne Vaillancourt BSc, RD

Registered Dietitian & Counseling Program Director

Specialty: Management, Operations & Customer Care

Pronouns: She/Her

Passionate about all things outdoor and nature, Anne’s mission is to help people live their best life by supporting them through emotional and physical changes in body and mind. 

Focused on developing positive trusting relationships, you can count on Anne to listen, support you and guide you through the goals you create for yourself.

Anne grew up in a suburb of Montreal in a bilingual household.  In the winter she played street hockey and figure skated and spent her summer helping in the garden and swimming in the backyard pool. Anne is an accomplished equestrian who worked as a camp counselor, riding instructor and polo groom at the stable where she boarded her horse from ages 12 to 22. Growing up in a French-Canadian family, much of her time was spent helping her working mom make delicious but cost-effective meals. Anne’s favorite foods have always been cheese, bread and everything maple!  As an adult her new favorite food is now nutritional yeast on whole wheat toast with a cold glass of milk! (Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it)!

Anne graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences. Her internships included rotations at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, and the Saint-Anne’s Veterans’ Hospital.

Following graduation, Anne moved to Calgary to start her family and her career as a Dietitian. She quickly realized her talents expanded into managing people and organizations. Anne’s philosophy is to always lead with an open heart, in family, friendship, and business. Anne has co-owned two award-winning multi-location health franchises in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

She is registered with the College of Dietitians of Alberta and Dietitians of Canada. Anne also holds certifications in “Building Self-Esteem in Children and Adults” and “Train the Trainer.”

Having been a Dietitian in private practice for over 20 years, Anne joined Health Stand Nutrition as the Counseling Program Director. She is likely the first person you will encounter when inquiring about working with one of our Dietitians. You can expect to be treated with respect, warmth, and compassion. You can also expect timeliness and guidance to help you on your journey towards better health and wellness.

With physical and emotional health and wellness as a core value, one of Anne’s mission statements is “Every day I do something active – outdoors.” You can catch her hiking or camping with her two adult children and friends, walking her dogs, gardening, biking, rollerblading and kayaking.  She also enjoys playing and coaching girls’ basketball in the fall and loves winter sports such as skating, cross-country skiing and yes, tobogganing!

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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