Specialties
- Autoimmune disease
- Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
- Bariatric surgery
- Binge eating
- Celiac disease
- Crohn’s disease
- Diabetes or prediabetes
- Disordered eating
- Emotional eating
- Fertility
- Food allergies
- General health
- GERD / Acid reflux
- Gestational diabetes
- Gut health
- Healthy aging
- Heart health
- Help gaining weight
- Help losing weight
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Hormonal health
- Hypothyroidism
- IBS
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Menopause
- PCOS
- Pediatric nutrition
- Pre or postnatal nutrition
- Prediabetes
- SIBO
- Sports & performance nutrition
- Thyroid disorders
- Type 2 diabetes
- Ulcerative colitis
- Vegan/vegetarian
- Weight loss medications / GLP-1s
- Weight stabilization
- Women's health
Approaches
💚
Intuitive eating💛
Relationship with food🧪
Lab testing🔍
Research-focused
Cuisines / Diets
- Gluten Free
- Mediterranean
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Minimum patient age
About McKenna
Hi, my name is McKenna, I am a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Public Health Nutrition. I am based in the sunny mountain town of Flagstaff, Arizona. I enjoy working with a variety of conditions with the goal of supporting my patients health and over all quality of life. I hold a bachelors degree in Psychology and previously worked as a Behavioral Therapist and Yoga Teacher. I worked on organic veggie, fruit, and herb farms for many years and love the magic of growing food. Working as a dietitian is a synthesis of my interests and values. Nutrition has been a pivotal tool in my life. For a period of time I struggled greatly with GI issues and my mental health. Working with my nutrition freed me from feeling physically sick from food intolerances, helped me to understand the connection between my nutrition and my mood, and ultimately and allowed me to fuel my body to be able to do things that bring me happiness!
Approach to care
I have a rich background in Motivational Interviewing and utilize this frame work to facilitate patient led sessions to promote goal setting that feels valuable and relevant to each individual patient. I believe in the Non Diet approach and Intuitive Eating but also find value in discussing portion sizes, label reading, and educating on macronutrients. When patients are seeking information, I feel that pairing foundational nutrition education with intuitive eating practices provides my patients with a variety of tools for optimal outcomes. Discussing body image and our relationship to food is a vulnerable yet healing experience, I aim to cultivate a safe space for my patients to share, reflect, and grow.
Your first session with McKenna
Our first session is all about getting to know each other! I love to learn about my patients backgrounds and what feels important to them in life. Much of the session is an assessment where I will ask a variety of questions related to nutrition and lifestyle. I encourage my patients to dive deep and address what they feel like they never have time to talk about at quick medical appointments. We will have time to discuss your concerns and priorities related to nutrition, your current eating habits, physical activity, and other elements of your lifestyle. We will also review your current medications, supplements, and lab testing. Challenging topics like eating disorders, food insecurity, and body image may come up in the first session, I will be there to support you. Towards the end of the session we will address your questions, discuss relevant nutrition information, and work together to develop specific goals to work towards.
Location
📍 Flagstaff, Arizona
Education
Masters in Public Health Nutrition - Northern Arizona University Bachelors of Arts in Psychology - Cal Poly Humboldt Registered Yoga Teacher - Soma Yoga Institute
Hobbies
I like to spend my free time outside hiking with my german shepherd, swimming at the creek, skiing, and gardening. I like cooking, going to yoga classes, seeing live music, traveling, and cozying up with my cat to watch nature documentaries, anything sci-fi, stand up comedy, or wilderness challenge shows.
Licenses and Certifications
CHES - Certified Health Education Specialist
MPH - Master of Public Health
RD - Registered Dietitian
RYT - Registered Yoga Teacher