Latham Thomas, holistic health counselor and founder of Tender Shoots Wellness, speaks about the role of a health counselor in weight loss, prenatal nutrition, and cleansing and detox strategies.
Q: What is a holistic health counselor?
A: A holistic health counselor is a wellness practitioner who examines your nutrition and all aspects of your lifestyle, to help you set attainable nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle goals to improve your overall health and wellbeing.
Q: What are the most common personal goals for which your clients ask for guidance?
A: I get a range of issues that people want to deal with, most commonly – weight loss, prenatal nutrition, and cleansing/detox strategies—for folks who want to give up smoking and cleanse or eliminate meat and dairy to cleanse their bodies.
Q: There is an emphasis on “green cuisine” in your practice. If you can’t be 100% green, what foods should you consume more of?
A: Green cuisine is really about celebrating the abundant whole foods that are available to us, in the way nature intended: fresh, seasonal, local, and unprocessed or minimally processed. I consider greens to be a food that most people need to be eating more of. Whether it’s bulking up on salad greens, green juices, or having them steamed or sautéed, people should eat more of this blood building, fiber and nutrient dense food.
Q: I understand you provide pantry makeovers. What are some of the most surprising things you’ve found?
A: I’ve found Harry and David brownies that were 6 years old that the client didn’t want to throw out because they intended to eat them- I insisted we dispose of them. I had a client who came to see me after developing kidney stones and I went to the home and found a pantry full of TUMS and TUMS in the fridge too, they were everywhere, I asked why and he said they helped him get through each meal—I knew right away what was causing the kidney stones.
Q: When educating clients about nutrition what is the most effective way you’ve found to get them to to a “light bulb moment” of understanding?
A: I teach children with their parents in the kitchen, that’s the best way and it works because its hands-on learning. When children get to use all of their senses to experience food, and get to participate in producing meals from the point of purchase—from the prep to the plate—they develop a real connection to food. Parents then see—wow, my kid really does like broccoli because they allowed the child to participate in creating the meal.
Q: How did you come to specialize in maternal and child wellbeing?
A: Once I became pregnant with my son, my quest began. I was always interested in maternal wellness, but it wasn’t until I experienced pregnancy did it move to the forefront of my work. I began working at B-Healthy, founded by Eco-Chef Bryant Terry, author of Vegan Soul Kitchen, and co-author of GRUB. He developed a 5-year initiative to teach youth about healthy eating and lifestyles and I developed the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies project within the program to teach basic cooking classes, Yoga, stress management, offering breast feeding support, etc. I went on to co-found Panela Productions, a company that helps kids and families get into the kitchen and cook. And finally I arrived at Tender Shoots Wellness, concentrating my energies on educating and empowering expectant and new mothers through food, nutrition counseling, and Yoga.
Q: One of your services is support with preconception detoxification. How does this detox prepare the body for conception?
A: The Preconception Detox program allows the body to clear out toxins by flooding the system with high fiber and electrically charged foods that will bind with the toxic build up and help carry it out of the body via the intestinal tract. Along with physical waste many of us harbor negative feelings or past upsets that create blocks in the physical body, so detoxification is a way to release toxins on all levels and allow the body to be supple and vulnerable enough for an event like conception to occur. The body has stores to pull from when you get pregnant—what you eat is the building material that makes your baby, so you want to eat the best. Since cleansing should not occur while pregnant, before pregnancy is a perfect time to clear the way and set the tone for your pregnancy.
Q: How necessary are healing herbs and do they offer benefits most foods can’t ?
A: I use them hand-in-hand. Herbs can be therapeutic and used for maintenance as well. For instance, I would suggest that an expectant mom drink raspberry leaf tea to tone the uterus. I might also recommend the use of supplements like Evening Primrose oil, which helps to ripen the cervix. The potency of certain herbs and supplements make them ideal for particular uses. I wouldn’t say they offer more benefits; it really depends. For instance, for swelling I have moms eat grapes, cucumber, or watermelon to rid the body of excess water—simple, yet super effective.
Q: Why did you choose Yoga as the preferred form of exercise for your program?
A: When I started my company I knew I wanted to offer Yoga because it gives one the platform to work on so many aspects of the self. For women entering into pregnancy, or at any stage for that matter, Yoga offers a balance of strength and flexibility, deep breathing techniques that are helpful during labor and postpartum, and a strong connection to what is happening within the body; this is so important. I value other forms of exercise and training, in fact I send many clients to work with trainers outside of my practice, but I can’t tell you how many phone calls, emails, and cards I get from students and clients raving about how their practice of Yoga really helped them with labor, how empowered they feel having the tools to deal with pain, stress, and discomfort. They can access these tools at any time because they’ve cultivated them from within. That is why I continue to do this work.
Latham Thomas is the founder of Tender Shoot Wellness, a holistic wellness practice for women during their child-bearing years. She holds a degree in Visual Arts and Environmental Science from Columbia University, and is a certified holistic health counselor and prenatal yoga instructor. Regarded as an expert on organic food and children's health, she teaches plant-based culinary classes, and has served as a program coordinator for the Healthy Mom-Healthy Babies project.
By Amanda H, Jul 26, 2009
how much vitam d is to much my doctor has me on 50,000u a day my pharmist said people normally take one a month