Brooke Sprowl, LCSW, CNTS
Certified Nutrition Therapy Specialist
My LA Therapy
Santa Monica, CA
Brief Introduction/Tell Us About yourself (where you are from, etc)
Currently living and practicing in Santa Monica, I'm the CEO, Founder, and Clinical Director of My LA Therapy, and a functional nutrition therapy, psychology, dating, anxiety, trauma, and couples expert. My upcoming book, Why You SHOULD Date Emotionally Unavailable Men explores the idea expressed in the subtitle: Use Your Unhealthy Relationships to Transform. I've been quoted as a psychology and relationships expert in Cosmo, Bustle, Ariana Huffington’s Thrive Global, and dozens of digital and print magazines. I’ve been featured as a CBT and mind-body expert on Dr. Mark Hyman's documentary Broken Brain 2 with other industry leaders about functional nutrition and mental health, as well as many podcasts, radio shows, and network television series.
With no formal training in business, I became a psychotherapist at age 25, founding my company in 2012. Quickly expanding, I now lead a team of 15 elite psychotherapists and wellness professionals including those in the fields of hypnotherapy, massage therapy, fuctional nutrition therapy (gut-brain health), personal training, NLP, and life coaching. Our therapy team specializes in issues across the board, from anxiety, depression, and relationships to BDSM/kink/LGBTQ, spirituality and PTSD––and everything in between (see mylatherapy.com/specialties and mylatherapy.com/methods for an exhaustive list of our specialties and modalities).
Working for 10 years to affect change on the micro level through individual, couples, and family therapy, I am beginning the next phase to change the world on a larger scale through publishing my book, ramping up my speaking engagements, leading retreats, and promoting and getting involved in social change organizations.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in nutrition?
I began to purse a Certification in Nutrition Therapy when I noticed the limits of traditional medicine in treating mental health disorders. Traditional psychotropic medication simply deals with the symptoms without healing the root cause. This is often unsustainable as a result. Furthermore, people often experience side effects or decreased efficacy over time which leads to resistance to continuing to take medication in the long run. By contrast, Functional Nutrition gets to the root cause of the bodily nutrient deficiencies that contribute to nervous system dysregulation, gut health, immune health, and inflammation by addressing underlying causes. This is sustainable and heals the underlying causes rather than simply masking the issues with symptoms.
What kind of training did you undergo/certification you received?
Certfied Nutrition Therapy Specialist
What do people look for in a nutritionist or dietician?
People have different needs and preferences regarding nutrition. Some want a spefic and rigid plans, others prefer an Intuitive Eating approach that teaches you to connect with what your body needs and learn to listen to satiety cues rather than stick to a certain diet.
If you could persuade people to change three things about their diet, what would they be?
For me, it's all about supplementation because even healthy, organic foods often lack nutrient density as a result of the soil becoming less nutritive. Cutting added sugar and processed foods would be at the top of my list. Sugar and trans fat are two of the most harmful compounds for our body and brains.
What would you make as a quick and healthy dinner option, if you have 30 minutes of preparation time?
I love a simple salad: mixed supergreens, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and avocado with balsalmic vinegar and olive oil. You can throw in additional protein by adding a little cheese or some meet like grilled shrimp, chicken, salmon, or steak.
What is your favorite snack?
Steamed artichokes with ghee!
Plant based living is becoming more and more popular. When eating a mostly plant based / vegetarian diet, are there certain foods to focus on to make sure we’re getting enough nutrients and protein?
You need to make sure you get a variety of different natural protein sources to supplement what you're lacking from animal protein.
What’s one of your favorite organic/natural supplements or vitamins you recommended?
5HTP is an amino acid and a precursor to serotonin production and can help alleviate depression and anxiety.
Any favorite health / nutrition podcasts or books you recommend to our readers?
Where can our readers find you? (Instagram, Facebook, etc):
