Meet Marcy Kirshenbaum of Enhance Nutrition

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcy Kirshenbaum.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Marcy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Twenty-eight years ago when I was pregnant with my first child, I realized that I was not just feeding my cravings but also nourishing my child. I followed the doctor’s suggestion to drink lots of milk, avoid alcohol, and not gain more than 25 pounds. That was it for dietary advice. Although I knew little about real nutrition, I slowly, and I mean slowly, began to consider what my family was eating.

I appreciated the convenience of jarred baby food, but I found it simple to make my own which gave me control over the ingredients. At the time my daughter began eating table food, I began reading food labels. She and I would walk down Diversey to a small health food store–this was a couple of years before Whole Foods entered the Chicago market.

As time passed, I’d incorporate more and more foods that I thought to be healthier options than the mainstream products. With the birth of my second child, organic food was becoming more of a staple in our home and less and less packaged foods. However, not until my third child was plagued with chronic ear infections did the reality that food truly is medicine hit home. At three months old, my son had his first double ear infection even though his only nourishment was breast milk which the doctors thought should have precluded him from such pain.

These infections continued as did multiple rounds of antibiotic until the doctor recommended a maintenance antibiotic (1-2 doses/day) and tubes in his ears. This advice just didn’t feel right. I found a book that explained how food reactions can contribute to fluid in the ears. So, my son and I both eliminated dairy and gluten from our diets. Within two weeks, the fluid was gone! The doctor had no interest hearing about the dietary changes we made but instead wrote it off believing that my son grew out of the chronic infections. This episode sent me deep into the nutrition for my family.

Just prior to this experience, I had met a friend who was a holistic nutritionist. As her career evolved into corporate wellness, I assisted her by doing research on the benefits of nutrition and employee productivity. My friend suggested that I go back to school in nutrition. My response was immediate, “I swore I’d never go back to school after finishing my MBA!” However, the thought of truly learning how our bodies use nutrients was intriguing. About two years later, I applied to the nutrition program at the University of Bridgeport. I chose this school because it’s an accredited program that focused on nutrition, not dietetics. My interest was in nutrition and the biochemistry of the body.

After three years of schooling, I began my nutrition practice. Along with my private practice in Northbrook, I was working two days each week at WholeHealth Chicago in Lincoln Park. Working with doctors who believe food is medicine gave me a jump start to working with clients who have a myriad of health conditions. In the last year, I’ve focused solely on my private practice using functional nutrition (food sensitivities, gastrointestinal testing, nutrient imbalances). A majority of my practice focuses on gastrointestinal issues since the gut is where so much starts.

Teaching people, even if it’s one person at a time, the importance of nutrition and how it can change lives is my passion. I had the good fortune of speaking on a panel at the Good Food Expo in March and this month will be addressing the role nutrition has in multiple myeloma at UIC.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I always tell people that I dove into nutrition head first with a blindfold. Because my undergraduate degree was in biology, I thought the education would be easy as would be giving people nutrition advice. Little did I know that I would be required to get multiple nutrition credentials in order to be a licensed practitioner in Illinois.

Illinois law states that anyone who gives nutrition advice must be licensed as a dietitian/nutritionist, nurse, or doctor. This process proved to be more challenging and time-consuming than ever expected.

Additionally, the information in the industry is so rapidly changing that I must constantly attend conferences, webinars, and read studies to stay on top of things. Additionally, listening to my clients needs to give them the personalized support and guidance is vital. Telling someone to eliminate seven foods that just happen to be the base of his/her diet is a set up for failure. I had to learn that lesson.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Enhance Nutrition – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Enhance Nutrition focuses on giving each client an individualized nutritional program designed to achieve health and wellness goals based on nutritional needs and health conditions. The nutritional protocol may include food additions, food eliminations, food preparation guidelines, supplemental nutrient support and lifestyle modifications.

I specialize in assisting clients to incorporate nutrition and lifestyle changes to address conditions such as cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal issues, autoimmune conditions, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, Parkinson’s disease and weight loss as well as other health issues.

I’m most proud of my clients who have incorporated the nutritional changes that enabled them to regain their health and quality of life. My skills in interpreting complex functional medicine tests to assist in identifying the root cause of symptoms along with my determination to help my clients find answers sets me apart from others.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Besides continuing to advance my skills and knowledge in nutrition to provide my clients with quality care, I’m working with a partner to create a platform where we will be supporting recent nutrition graduates who need to earn 1000 supervised hours in nutrition to earn the credential of Certified Nutrition Specialists, which in many states such as Illinois will allow them to be licensed.

Contact Info:

• Address: 350 Pfingsten Rd, #109 Northbrook, IL 60062
• Website: www.enhancenutrition.net
• Phone: 847-987-1128
• Email: marcy@enhancenutrition.net
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcy.kirshenbaum
• Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/enhancenutrition/

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