Dixie Huey
Favor Fat, LLC
Nutrition Network Advisor
Master of Business Administration
Marco Island, FL
Brief Introduction/Tell Us About yourself (where you are from, etc):
I'm originally from Charlotte, NC and until recently, lived on the west coast for 20 years. I have a husband who is also an entrepreneur and author and young son. I've been interested in health and fitness for most of my life -- ever since I used this mindset to recover from an eating disorder in my teen years. In college I pursued a degree in psychology with the goal of helping people recover from eating disorders, and I worked as a personal trainer and fitness instructor. Right before graduation, I realized I didn't have enough perspective to help people and I was weary of entering graduate school for 3-5 years without a clear goal in mind. So I pursued another passion and joined the wine industry where I developed an appreciation for and love of food as a way to connect with others and learn about the world. This work led me to amazing people and places, and increased my knowledge of farming and the importance of sourcing quality.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in nutrition?
Three years ago, I was struggling with how to balance family and business ownership. Plus I didn't feel as inspired by the marketing company I'd spent 10 years building; I was burned out. At the same time, I found myself longing to return to my original dream of helping people achieve elevated health with nutrition. My husband gave me the book, Half-Time, which discusses how to make your next chapter more meaningful. My journey to return to my health and fitness routes took a lot of reading and study, and once I discovered the Noakes Foundation, I knew I had found my certification program.
How did you become passionate about healthy eating?
As a young girl whose dream was to be a ballerina but didn't have the correct physique, I had a bad eating disorder for a few years. I realized that I felt terrible and wouldn't likely be able to live like that much longer, fainting and feeling generally terrible. A dancer and mentor showed me that I must eat healthfully to fuel myself and introduced me to strength training, which helped me put on muscle as I gained the much needed weight. In short, I connected the improved feelings with the enhanced nutrition. And after that I never looked back.
What kind of training did you undergo/certification you received?
In addition to hundreds of hours of self-study reading non-fiction and textbooks, I became an Advisor with Nutrition Network, which is run by the Noakes Foundation. This is an online program using webinars and presentations by physicians and other experts to teach students. https://thenoakesfoundation.org/
https://nutrition-network.org/
What do people look for in a nutritionist or dietician?
As with any choice, people want to work with someone they trust. By the time someone is seeking professional help, it usually means they have tried and failed to achieve sustainable change many times, so they are usually frustrated and blaming themselves. I pride myself on offering my clients straight talk and removing the antiquated advice to count portions, calories, etc. By focusing on real, whole foods that nourish the body, the rest will follow. This stuff doesn't need to be complicated -- generations of people before present day did just fine with apps to count steps or food inputs.
If you could persuade people to change three things about their diet, what would they be?
Great question! Ditch or drastically decrease 1) sugar, 2) vegetable/seed oils and 3) chemicals/additives. This effectively means that processed food is out, but it simplifies the health equation to a focus on real, whole foods that people have eaten for generations.
What would you make as a quick and healthy dinner option, if you have 30 minutes of preparation time?
I would focus on choosing four things: meat (or another protein source), fresh vegetable, flavoring (think herbs) and most importantly, fat for cooking. Fat is extremely important as it creates flavor and satiety while providing perfect nourishment for your body and brain. A favorite is pan seared chicken (skin on -- whole animal, not measly breast) in bacon fat or olive oil which you can then finish roasting in the oven with carrots, mushrooms and rosemary. The drippings from the pan can be saved and whisked with bone broth, butter and cream for extra flavor and nourishment.
What is your favorite snack?
Ha! I try *not* to snack as I don't want to unnecessarily tax my body's insulin response, and I rarely need to because I eat satiating meals. However, if I'm truly hungry and it's not meal time I particularly enjoy an avocado drizzled with olive oil and himalayan sea salt... mmm. No plate needed -- just a spoon!
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?
This lifestyle can be accomplished in a healthy manner but it takes extra diligence to prevent B12 levels from falling. Most of the world uses 500 ng/ml and up as the threshold; we in the US tend to use 200-300 minimum which I believe is too low. For a stricter vegan, B12 must be supplemented and monitored because non real food sources are inferior. For a vegetarian, eggs, other dairy and fish are sources and these of course contain protein as well. The main thing for any person to focus on, vegetarian or not is real, whole foods versus processed.
Speaking of plant based, what are some of the benefits of drinking chlorophyll water / benefits of liquid chlorophyll?
According to Healthline, chlorophyll water can promote skin healing by reducing inflammation and bacterial growth in wounds and there are studies being done now to see if the tumor reducing effects found in animals can be replicated in humans. It may also aid in weight loss and improve gut health which is linked to overall health.
What’s one of your favorite organic/natural supplements or vitamins you recommended?
While I prefer to focus on read whole food nutrition because the nutrients are much better absorbed -- much of the swallowed vitamins are excreted in the urine, there may be reasons to supplement depending on diet and lifestyle. Examples might be B12 for a vegetarian or someone who doesn't like red or organ meat, and Vitamin D3 for those who live in a cloudy climate. When I personally supplement, I buy from Pure Vitamin Club as this company has eliminated the fillers typically used in vitamins.
Any favorite health / nutrition podcasts or books you recommend to our readers?
Great question and where do I begin?!! I love podcasts and regularly listen to plenty. Here are some examples: Diet Doctor, WISE Traditions by Weston A. Price Foundation, Sustainable Dish, Vinnie Tortorich -- particularly his Friday show featuring a health luminary, and Fat Emperor. Another great source of information is Youtube. Check out nutrition related content by Nina Teicholz (Ted Talk) Dr. Ken Berry, Dave Feldman and more.
Where can our readers find you? (Instagram, Facebook, etc)
@slimbooknotfat (Instagram)
