June 10, 2016 Staff Report
A registered dietician and yoga instructor who recently moved to Sunnyside is looking to bring her expertise to everyone’s doorstep.
Lisa Samuels, a certified nutritionist, moved to the area in May with the aim to provide nutrition and health education counseling to what she describes as a neighborhood that is becoming more health conscious.
“A lot of people know they want to take their health back into their own hands, but they don’t know where to start,” Samuels explained. “That is why I want to offer private nutrition counseling, cooking lessons with meal plans and general wellness consultation.”
Lisa Samuels
Her practice, named “Have A Bite Nutrition & Yoga,” began in Long Beach, Long Island. It involves extensive consultation that includes traveling with clients to local grocery stores and helping them shop from what can seem like overwhelming food options, to find the healthiest item for their diets that also fits their personal preferences.
“Ultimately I want people to learn this so they can do it for themselves,” she noted.
After grocery shopping, Samuel’s services extend even further, offering cooking lessons for one to five individuals at a time that can include friends and family members of her clients. She specializes in gluten-free baking, low-glycemic cooking, and vegetarian and vegan recipes, but will always work with individual clients to meet their specific needs.
Upon teaching clients to cook for their newfound diets, Samuels helps them construct a daily meal plan for them to follow so that they can keep their healthy lifestyles wherever they go. She said the idea is to make maintaining this change in their lives as practical as possible.
However, Samuels admits that there must be a physical factor to healthy living as well.
“A lot of people come to me for weight loss, so we also want to add a physical aspect to their new lifestyle,” Samuels noted.
In order to achieve this for all ages and body types, her company also offers yoga instruction at the homes or offices of her clients. For kids up to age 14, she offers meditative techniques to help combat ADHD and low self-esteem, as well as opening their minds up to what she describes as a different point of view of the world around them.
For adult beginners, she offers Hatha Yoga, which focuses on postures and breathing techniques, and for the elderly or disabled, Samuels teaches something known as “Chair Yoga.”
“Chair yoga is specifically for the elderly or those with limited mobility,” she explained. “It incorporates techniques so that the disabled and elderly are able to get the full benefits of yoga and meditation without having to strain themselves or their bodies.”
Samuels said that her long term plan is to open a wellness center in Sunnyside that incorporates yoga, nutrition and more all in one building.
“I love everything about Sunnyside. The people are friendly, it’s diverse, and there’s a lot going on,” she said of the neighborhood. “I think a lot of people in Sunnyside want to live a healthy lifestyle, and I want to make it as easy and practical as possible.”
Interested readers can visit her website to learn more.
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2 Comments
I find it ironic that the dietitian and Yoga instructor that is looking to promote a healthy lifestyle is herself overweight and unhealthy. Kind of need to practice what you preach here. Need to cut some calories hun lol
Easy to be mean behind a screen,huh, “Pawel”?