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Meet Registered Dietitian, Wan Xu
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Get to know Registered Dietitian & Nutrition Coach, Wan Xu on our team 

Mental Health Dietitian Wan Xu

This article introduces you to Calgary and Online Mental Health Dietitian Wan Xu. Wan is passionate about empowering and supporting people to live a healthy and enjoyable life. Her specialties include nutrition care for eating disorders, mental health, ADHD, emotional eating, disordered relationships with food, weight concerns, and chronic disease management. With her special background in Asian culture, she’s also keen on supporting the Asian population and providing services in Mandarin if needed. 

We asked her to share a few things about herself so you could get to know her below in this article. Learn more about Wan in her full bio here: Mental Health Dietitian, Wan Xu Bio

What is your background as a Dietitian?

I was born and raised in China but came to Canada alone to pursue my dream of studying nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan. I know this may sound crazy, but ever since I had my first nutrition class in middle school, I knew that I wanted to become a Dietitian as it combines perfectly with my passion for food and my desire to help people. 

Another life-changing moment occurred when I was first introduced to the mental health area in my practicum. The complexity of etiology and treatment of eating disorders caught my attention and soon became the focus in my career path. I enjoy working with both youth and adult eating disorder clients as I find many of my clients to be very talented and resilient individuals with so much potential. I truly believe my clients can change and can and deserve to live their best possible life with recovery. 

My other work experiences in both inpatient and outpatient Dietitian roles have given me the opportunity to see the different sides of the care continuum of care and enabled me to provide holistic and thorough nutrition care to those requiring long-term management of their diseases and/or conditions. 

Calgary Dietitian Wan Xu

What is your favourite part about being a Dietitian and Nutrition Coach?  

My favourite part about being a Dietitian is actually connecting with my clients. As I mentioned above, I love helping out people, the more the better! Despite all the challenges in life, I do believe that somehow everyone still has a unique awesome life that I would just love to learn about and be part of as their Dietitian. The fact that I can be helpful and offer meaningful resources to my clients in their journey of recovery fulfills me and makes me happy. I enjoy continuing to bust many myths about food and nutrition and remind many clients the reason dieting does not work is not because of them but the diet itself. 

Dietitian Wan Xu

What is one myth you want to clear up about Dietitians?  

There is no one perfect way to eat! And depending on your definition of “perfect eating” (i.e., if such a thing actually exists), Dietitians don’t eat “perfectly.” To me, healthy eating is all about balance, routine, intuition, and enjoyment. There’s no “one size fits all” in healthy eating, just ask different Dietitians and you will see they won’t be eating exactly the same. In fact, flexibility and variety are two key components in healthy eating. Therefore, as a Dietitian, I don’t “prescribe diets” but would love to help you find the eating style that suits you, your preference, your schedule and your health best. 

What is your favourite nerdy nutritious food chosen for health?  

It would be quinoa! And listen up my Asian friends, mixing in quinoa when you cook your rice, especially the coloured ones, is such a great and fun way to add in more nutrition, colour and flavour/aroma. Also, it doesn’t really influence the texture that much and somehow works better when using the leftover rice for stir-fry. 

What is your favourite soulful food chosen for taste, enjoyment, and social fun?

Bubble tea!  I enjoy bubble tea in Canada as it reminds me of home.  In fact, in my hometown, there’s a lot more variations of bubble tea (i.e., sweet drinks/soups), and my favourite one is the mango pomelo sago (in simplified Chinese, 杨枝甘露). I used to enjoy trying out different sweet drinks with my friends on the weekend, or stop by a sweet soup place when mom and I got tired from shopping. To me, it’s such a treat that has also been blended in lots of sweet memories. 

Mango bubble tea

Something that people may not know about me: 

Does it count that I took Calculus for fun while studying nutrition in university and got high 90s? I’m super grateful for my strong logical brain that has given me the power to analyze and summarize patterns in math and science.  I also enjoy simplifying and teaching these concepts to others to help them understand things better.

I will also give you a bonus answer if the above one doesn’t count – my partner is also a Dietitian.  We met and fell in love at school. It is lots of fun living with a Dietitian but our chats on a road trip can probably be really boring to another person haha! 

Dietitian Wan Xu Picture

Looking for more information on nutrition counselling or finding a Calgary Registered Dietitian or Global Online Nutrition Coach?

Want to learn more about Mental Health Dietitian, Wan Xu? Check out her full bio here.

If you want to book an appointment to begin nutrition counselling with Wan please contact us.

Find out more about our Calgary Dietitian and Online Nutritionist services here.

Don’t forget to check your health insurance! Many insurance plans cover Dietitian services.

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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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