Balancing Motherhood And Clinical Nutrition Excellence – Exclusive Interview With Chanelle DeGraff

Chanelle DeGraff, MS, CNS, is a Clinical Nutrition Specialist and Captivating Nutrition & Wellness founder. She holds a Master's degree in Clinical Nutrition and is certified as a Nutrition Specialist, bringing a wealth of knowledge to her practice. Chanelle specializes in gut health, autoimmune conditions, and women's wellness, and she empowers clients through personalized nutrition strategies. As a mother of seven, she understands the challenges of balancing nutrition with real-life demands. Chanelle's approach focuses on intuitive eating and whole foods, encouraging clients to abandon calorie counting and adopt a natural approach to nourishment.

Chanelle DeGraff, Clinical Nutrition Specialist

Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.

Hello! I'm Chanelle DeGraff, a Clinical Nutrition Specialist, founder of Captivating Nutrition and Wellness, and a proud mother of seven. I'm passionate about empowering people to enhance their health through the transformative power of food. My journey in nutrition began with a personal experience - I was diagnosed with Discoid Lupus at the age of 18, which sparked my interest in understanding how nutrition impacts the body. For over 20 years, I have passionately pursued learning, adapting, and helping others understand the transformative power of nutrition in their lives.

Beyond my professional life, I'm a voracious reader who enjoys memoirs, historical fiction, and mysteries. I also love modifying recipes, especially desserts, to make them more delicious and nutritious. This passion for culinary creativity often finds its way into my work with clients, helping them discover the joy of preparing healthy, tasty meals.

My family is a significant part of who I am. My oldest daughter graduated from Grand Canyon University and currently works at Arizona State University while pursuing her MBA. My second daughter is a Dietetics major at Arizona State University, set to graduate in the summer of 2025. My third daughter also attends Arizona State University as a medical studies major, intending to pursue a Naturopathic degree upon graduation. My fourth daughter will be a sophomore in high school this fall, and my triplet boys are excited to be 8th graders.

As a family, we love spending quality time together. We enjoy watching movies, playing games, and enjoying the beautiful Arizona weather through walks, hikes, or family runs. These shared activities keep us active and strengthen our family bond, reinforcing the importance of a balanced, healthy lifestyle that I advocate for in my professional work.

Can you share what inspired you to start Captivating Nutrition & Wellness and your journey to becoming a Clinical Nutrition Specialist?

The vision to create Captivating Nutrition and Wellness stemmed from my own health journey and my commitment to helping others. Having dealt with Discoid Lupus, I've learned the important role nutrition plays in both physical and mental well-being. This, along with my academic studies and my desire to make a difference, inspired me to establish a platform through which I can empower others to transform their lives through nutrition.

I'm passionate about empowering people to find joy in creating nourishing meals for themselves and their loved ones. Cooking can be a powerful tool for self-care and building solid relationships. For those who enjoy cooking, I offer guidance on making their meals nutritious and delicious. However, I also understand that not everyone finds joy in cooking. For those individuals, I focus on helping them understand the purpose behind meal preparation and how it can help them achieve their broader health and wellness goals. This could involve simplifying meal preparation, teaching time-saving techniques, providing nutrition education, and offering meal planning strategies tailored to personal health objectives.

I help clients recognize the value of preparing their meals, empowering them to take charge of their nutrition in an approachable and purposeful way. I aim to make nutrition and meal preparation accessible and meaningful for everyone, regardless of their initial sentiments toward cooking. It's about harnessing the potential of nutrition as a formidable tool for realizing health and life aspirations.

How does your philosophy of intuitive eating and whole foods influence the personalized nutrition strategies you create for your clients?

My philosophy of intuitive eating and whole foods forms the cornerstone of the personalized nutrition strategies I craft for my clients. I empower clients to discard calorie counting and instead tune into their bodies and embrace real, whole foods. This approach paves the way for a more organic and enduring connection with food, even allowing for guilt-free savoring of desserts. Through tailoring strategies to individual needs and lifestyles, I assist clients in transforming their relationship with food, elevating energy, conquering sugar cravings, and uncovering effortless, nourishing meals that align with their hectic lives. I have a deep compassion for busy moms who frequently prioritize the needs of others over their own. I am dedicated to empowering these women to prioritize self-care alongside caring for their loved ones.

Could you elaborate on the specific challenges and successes you've encountered when focusing on gut health, autoimmune conditions, and women's wellness in your practice?

I've encountered various challenges and successes as a practitioner specializing in gut health, autoimmune conditions, and women's wellness. Helping clients navigate the complex relationship between nutrition and chronic conditions is a significant challenge.

However, I've seen remarkable successes with clients dealing with autoimmune disorders, diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol problems, Hashimoto's, ADHD, depression, anxiety, and peri/post-menopausal symptoms.

One significant challenge I encounter with clients dealing with chronic conditions is igniting hope. When you have felt horrible for years, it's easy to slowly accept that this is how you are destined to feel. I incorporate "tiny" changes that my clients can build upon to address this. These minor adjustments provide identifiable changes in how they feel, sparking hope that can drive significant transformations throughout their health journey.

My most significant success is when my clients have reached a sustainable level of education and understanding and can apply the tools and concepts we have developed over the time we've worked together. When they no longer need me and can advocate for and nurture their health independently, that's the best success possible for me. This empowerment and independence in managing their health is the ultimate goal of my practice.

My approach focuses on personalized nutrition strategies, emphasizing intuitive eating and holistic measures. My clients can make lasting changes that improve their overall well-being by saying farewell to calorie counting and embracing a more comprehensive view of nutrition. Whether managing food allergies, controlling stress hormones, or addressing hidden sugars in everyday products, I provide the guidance and support my clients need to heal from within and embrace their whole selves.

If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?

If I could change one thing about the nutrition industry, it would be to enhance the focus on personalized, holistic approaches to nutrition. One-size-fits-all diets often fail to address individual needs and can lead to frustration and disappointment. By championing more personalized strategies based on individual health status, genetics, lifestyle, and preferences, we could pave the way for better long-term health outcomes for more people.

Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today

One pivotal moment in my life that shaped my current path was the day I received a diagnosis of Discoid Lupus at the age of 18. This experience motivated me to seek knowledge that revealed the profound influence of nutrition in managing health conditions and ignited my passion for assisting others through nutritional interventions. It steered me towards becoming a Clinical Nutrition Specialist and ultimately inspired the establishment of Captivating Nutrition and Wellness.

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