Heidi Tissot, Registered and Licensed Dietician

My story begins in high school when I was a ballet dancer putting in countless hours of training and at times beating up on my body. I did not have any real clue how to feed my body appropriately for the activity I was doing. I was eating the wrong things at the wrong times. Sometimes skimping and eating too little and other times compensating for the activity I was doing.

 Fast forward to college where I attended the University of New Hampshire and decided to study nutrition science, graduating with honors.  I became fascinated by the concept of food and fuel for every tissue and cell in the body. I started to learn about minerals, micronutrients and healing antioxidant plant compounds. There was a total paradigm shift. I decided to go the registered dietitian track which entailed a 4 year bachelor of science followed by a 12 month dietetic internship, culminating with a national board exam.

I finished my internship in 2012 and began working at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. I found the inpatient clinical setting to be very rushed and it felt like simply checking a box after a patient had a 5 minute nutrition consult. I was blessed to start working for Hannaford Supermarkets as a retail Dietitian where I have been educating consumers on better choices and practical food solutions since 2013. Almost around the same time, I began working with private clients where I could dig deeper into their nutritional needs and goals.

Change is messy, but I love the process! After seeing firsthand the healthcare crisis of an over medicated and often sick population, I began to delve into functional nutrition to understand metabolic challenges, the role of the microbiome and the amazing world of dietary supplements and therapeutic nutrients. I am constantly learning and am in the process of 20 month certificate of training program through Next Level Functional Nutrition.