Dietitians Day 2023

Andrea Holwegner, BSc, RD The Chocoholic Nutritionist^TM
CEO (Chief Energy Officer), Online Course Facilitator & Professional Speaker

Pronouns: She/Her

Andrea Holwegner is the energetic founder and CEO of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. established in 2000. Her mission is to empower people to create a healthy and joyous relationship with food and their body.

She has counseled thousands of individuals and groups, including Olympic athletes, CEOs and employees in all different types of industries. She is also known as the chocoholic nutritionist, believing anyone can achieve health without guilt or complexity, and that the secret to success is having fun.

She leads a team of experienced dietitians that help busy families with meal planning success, weight concerns, eating disorders, digestive issues, sports nutrition, heart health, diabetes and more.

Andrea is the creator of a one-of-a-kind online nutrition program The Pursuit of Healthiness^TM that focuses on helping busy people and time-strapped employees in companies achieve better health, meal planning success and move towards their personal best weight.

Andrea is one of a handful of Registered Dietitians in North America who are qualified professional speakers. She knows how to deliver relevant content mixed with humor and fun, capturing corporate, association and government audiences with a buzz that’s better than caffeine! Her simple ideas elevate productivity, work-life balance and health in a wide range of corporate, government and association audiences.

Andrea is a regular guest in the media and has been an on-air expert for Global Calgary Morning News, Breakfast Television, CTV Morning News, QR77 Radio and CBC News. She has written for the Calgary Herald newspaper and has been interviewed by CBC Radio in almost every province in Canada.

As a consultant on health trends and spokesperson for the food, grocery and restaurant industry, companies such as the healthy smoothie franchise Jugo Juice work and AG/Buy-Low Foods work with Andrea for her understanding of health-conscious consumers and to enhance credibility of marketing initiatives. Andrea is also the nutrition consultant for Brightpath Early Learning Inc., a publicly-traded company and leader in Canadian childcare.

Packed with knowledge, Andrea has/is:

• A Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition & Food Sciences and Dietetic Internship from the University of Alberta.
• A certified Craving Change™ expert specializing in strategies for problematic and emotional eating
• A member of the Dietitians of Canada, the College of Dietitians of Alberta, the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and the Global Speakers Federation
• A member of the Employee Health Insurance Advisory Committee and Private Practice Interest Group for the Dietitians of Canada
• Recipient of a regional award by the Dietitians of Canada: The Speaking of Food & Healthy Living Award for Excellence in Consumer Education.

In her spare time, Andrea enjoys skiing and mountain biking in the Canadian Rockies. As a foodie she also adores sipping wine with her husband over a delicious meal. Most of all, she loves being a mom and playing in the dirt in the vegetable garden she grows with her son.

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Alison Epp, BSc, RD Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist 
Specialty: Disordered Eating, Mental Health, Sports Nutrition & Fertility

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 a Certified Craving Change^TM 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 excited to introduce their growing family to sports as well.

Carlin Frimmel, BSc, RD Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist 
Specialty: Meal Planning, Weight Concerns, Metabolic Disease, Diabetes, Chronic Disease, Recreational Sports Nutrition

Carlin has a natural knack for connecting with people and making them feel at ease. She is known for her bright smile, sincere care, and infectious enthusiasm when working with clients. Carlin is passionate about supporting clients in their health journey, goals, and making peace with food and their body. She believes strongly in empowering people to make lasting change that suits their needs and lifestyle.

Carlin was born in Edmonton and has lived in South Africa for 7 years during her childhood. She returned to Canada to complete high school and university, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science (Dietetics Specialization) from the University of Alberta. During her dietetic internships, Carlin was able to explore a variety of clinical and public health settings but was immediately drawn to counselling work and took a keen interest in disordered eating, eating disorders, and mental health. She has experience providing ongoing virtual nutrition counselling to clients with metabolic syndrome, weight concerns, stress eating and meal planning for busy lifestyles. Through this experience, Carlin learned the value of trust building and consistent support between her and her clients, and strives to create a safe, non-judgmental environment with all her clients.

Carlin is a regulated member with the College of Dietitians of Alberta, the College of Dietitians of Ontario, College of Dietitians of BC and with Dietitians of Canada. She is committed to life-long learning and is currently enrolled in a year-long eating disorder course for Dietitians and has completed her certification as a Certified Craving ChangeTM Facilitator specializing in strategies for problematic and emotional eating.

Carlin enjoys cooking, bread baking, gardening, and outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, biking, snowboarding, and surfing. Her favourite foods to enjoy are anything bread related (sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and fresh bread, of course), craft beer, or a good slice of New York cheesecake. She combined her passion for the outdoors and cooking and started an outdoor food blog (Camp Kitchen), where she shares easy, delicious, and approachable recipes for camping and outdoor activities. She believes food is so much more than just fuel for our bodies, but can be the source of so much joy, connection, community, and creativity.

Carlin now calls Cochrane, Alberta, home, and you can often find her outdoors, enjoying the sunshine, good food, and seeking another mountain adventure.

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

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

Wan Xu BSc, RD Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist 
Specialty: Disordered Eating, Mental Health, Emotional Eating, Intuitive Eating, ADHD, Asian Diets, Weight Concerns, Chronic Disease

Wan is a non-judgmental, client-centered and weight-inclusive Dietitian. She enthusiastically believes that everyone can eat healthfully and soulfully (but how we define this will look very different from one person to another). She’s proud of being a practical Dietitian who’s skilled in simplifying complex science into easy-to-understand ideas and strategies you can take home and implement seamlessly. She enjoys connecting with a wide range of clients, especially those who struggle with mental health concerns, eating disorders and those that have a complicated or stressful relationship with food and their body. Validation, compassion and empowerment are ways Wan engages her clients to help them move forward on their eating and health journey at a pace they can manage. You can count on her to obtain feedback so that she can adjust her approach to best meet the needs of her clients.

Wan was born and raised in Shenzhen, one of the biggest cities in China and is fluent in Mandarin and English. She came to Canada alone to pursue her nutrition degree at the University of Saskatchewan. This unique experience was indeed challenging but has also inspired Wan to support others from different cultures on the best way to bridge healthy eating with their favorite cultural foods.

Wan completed her accredited dietetic internship through the Saskatoon Health Region and has experience working with both adult and pediatric populations.  She has worked in Saskatchewan and Alberta as a Mental Health and Eating Disorder Dietitian supporting people with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, yo-yo dieting recovery and emotional eating support. She has also supported people with other mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, trauma, bipolar disorder and personality disorder, to enhance their nutrition and health.  Given Wan has experience working in both hospital and community settings she has facilitated care collaboration among a range of healthcare providers such as physicians, pediatricians, psychiatrists, mental health therapists, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and pharmacists.

Wan is registered with the College of Dietitians of Alberta, the College of Dietitians of British Columbia, and Dietitians of Canada. Because of her special interest in mental health, Wan has also completed various levels of trainings such as intuitive eating, mindful eating, Health At Every Size, as well as continues to deepen her understanding in therapeutic treatment methods used by therapists she collaborates with including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, family-based therapy, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, narrative therapy, and solution focused therapy.

Wan lives in Red Deer, Alberta with her partner, who is also a Dietitian. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, dancing, swimming, berry-picking, and of course, being a foodie and exploring the tastiest foods in town. For fun Wan likes to show her pediatric clients images of her adorable collection of stuffed animals to show them they can still be a kid at times in a grown-up world. Despite missing the ocean and humid warm weather she grew up with, she has embraced winter in Canada and enjoys sledding (if checking out Christmas lights doesn’t count).

Britney Lentz BSc, RD Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist 
Specialty: Disordered eating, intuitive eating, mental health, IBS and digestive health, emotional eating, chronic disease

Pronouns: She/Her

One of the first things you’ll notice about Britney is her energy, zest for life and love of food! Britney is passionate about supporting her clients in developing a healthy and satisfying relationship with food and their bodies, allowing them to live life to the fullest. Her approach is supportive and compassionate – she will meet you where you are at and walk alongside you to find your joy in eating.

Born and raised in Calgary, Britney grew up with a love of science and the arts, spending most of her teenage years dancing competitively. Britney moved to Vancouver to pursue an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia and stumbled upon nutrition in an elective course. She found the intersection of food and science fascinating, and switched her major to Food, Nutrition and Health. After graduation, Britney sought to do more with food and nutrition, desiring to go deeper into clinical practice to help people fall in love with food and nourishing their bodies. She returned to the University of British Columbia for a second degree and completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Food, Nutrition and Health and completed her accredited dietetic internship with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

Britney has experience working in a range of areas, including executive medical health, family meal planning, heart health, digestive health and mental health in her previous role as a Mental Health Dietitian and Clinical Dietitian for Telus Health Care Centre. She has also provided staff relief in outpatient pediatric diabetes at BC Children’s Hospital and has written professional content for a digestive health agency. Britney first discovered her interest in mental health early in her career when she provided staff relief atLooking Glass Residence for residential treatment of anorexia, bulimia and other specified feeding or eating disorders. She went on to work as a Clinical Dietitian for Fraser  Health North Eating Disorders Program and since then, has been passionately interested in helping individuals heal from yo-yo dieting, disordered eating, and restrictive eating disorders. Britney’s philosophy is that all foods can fit into our eating patterns, recognizing that food is so much more than the nutrients it contains – it brings us joy, connection, flavour, and fun!

Britney is a regulated member of the College of Dietitians of British Columbia, the College of Dietitians of Alberta and Dietitians of Canada. She is currently working towards her designation as a Certified Intuitive
Eating Counsellor giving her a more specialized skillset in helping her clients make peace with food and rediscover the pleasures of eating. She is also working towards her certification as a Certified Craving ChangeTM Facilitator specializing in strategies for problematic and emotional eating and has specialized training in digestive health issues after completing training in the Low FODMAP diet from the Monash University..

When she’s not working with clients, you can find Britney out hiking in the mountains or trying to find the city’s best cinnamon bun. She also spends a lot of time with her pup and best pal, Parker, who hopes to become a therapy dog when he grows up!

Jamie Lee Kwong BSc, RD Registered Dietitian & Online Nutritionist 
Specialty: Disordered eating, pediatrics, mental health, emotional eating, family meal planning, chronic disease, anti-inflammatory eating, arthritis

Jamie will greet you with a warm and approachable smile that has a way of putting you at ease. You can count on her to be adaptive and collaborative in coming up with right-fit solutions that meet your health, mental health and family needs.

Jamie was born and raised in Calgary and destined to be a Dietitian given the food loving family she grew up in. She was inspired to pursue a career in nutrition by her mother, who previously worked as a Dietitian. Furthermore her Chinese grandma taught at a culinary school so Jamie learned from the best about the fusion of tasty western food with traditional Chinese food. Jamie was drawn to the idea of combining her passion for both food and science into a career, which led her to move to beautiful Vancouver, BC to complete a Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of British Columbia. Jamie then moved to Vancouver Island to complete her dietetic practicum, where she was able to explore a variety of practice areas in both clinical and public health settings.

Upon completing her degree, Jamie returned home to Calgary and obtained a casual Dietitian position at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and quickly grew passionate about working with families, infants and children of all age groups. During her time, Jamie has had the opportunity to provide staff relief in a variety of clinical settings, including Cardiology, Cystic Fibrosis, Oxygen and Neonatal clinics. Jamie has also spent time working at the Pediatric Centre for Weight and Health collaborating with a team of health professionals to promote healthy lifestyle habits for children and their families.

Jamie was introduced to the realm of nutrition and mental health when she began training to provide staff relief at the Calgary Eating Disorder Program. She gained experience providing both inpatient and outpatient care for adult and pediatric patients living with eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and unspecified eating or feeding disorder. Jamie’s pediatric and eating disorder experience eventually landed her further experience as a Pediatric Mental Health Dietitian at Alberta Children’s Hospital where she provides care for adolescents living with various mental health conditions including ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, somatic symptom disorder and eating disorders.

Outside of her clinical role, Jamie provides nutrition education sessions for clients living with arthritis at the Joint Effort program at the University of Calgary. She has also co-instructed an advanced nutrition course for fourth year students in the Faculty of Kinesiology for three semesters. Jamie values her role as a nutrition educator and helping clients and students translate the complex science of nutrition in ways that are meaningful and practical.

Jamie is a regulated member of the College of Dietitians of Alberta, the Saskatchewan Dietitians Association and Dietitians of Canada.  She is currently working towards her certification as a Certified Craving Change^TM Facilitator specializing in strategies for problematic and emotional eating. When not working, you can find her outside enjoying the sunshine or catching up on the latest episode of The Bachelor or Bachelorette. Jamie also loves to explore Calgary’s growing food scene and has been nicknamed the noodle queen as she is always on the hunt for the best bowl of noodles, ramen, pho, chow mein or pasta!