Melissa has completed a Bachelor of Science in Applied Human Nutrition Dietetics from Mount Saint Vincent University and is currently enrolled in the IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition. 

Along with working with a general population of patients requiring dietary services, Melissa has a special interest in sports and nutrition. She is currently an ambassador for NUUN Canada and works with groups like the Wanderers and Dalhousie’s Women Hockey Team. Melissa, a lifelong athlete, has performed at an elite level in endurance sports including road cycling, trail running, adventure racing, and cyclocross. This wealth of personal experience helps Melissa to understand the balancing act that athletes face between training, nutrition and normal life.

Melissa’s treatment approach includes establishing a complete understanding of a patient’s dietary history and needs, goal setting, meal planning and motivation. The objective is to set patients on a path to eating for energy and maximum mental and physical health.

Melissa’s passion is guided by her belief that the food we eat helps to make us stronger in all aspects of our lives. She strives to empower clients to make changes in their diets without the restrictive nature of most fad diets.

In this Episode Melissa and I discuss a variety of topics including:

What is a dietician? The difference between a dietician and a nutritionist.

What does it mean to use a human first approach to nutrition?

The confusion and controversary in social media with extremes in dieting 

Breaking the misconceptions of dieting by eating more.

All or none approach is difficult when losing weight 

Being kind to yourself 

Tips on feeling full and body shape changes

Recognizing our biases around weight and body shapes 

Nutrition in disease prevention 

Recommendations for fiber and protein intake 

Tips in adding protein throughout the day 

Processed Food 

Your food doesn't have to be Pinterest worthy to be nutritious 

How emotions and stress impact digestion

The importance of reading and understanding nutrition labels 

Mindful and Intuitive eating 

Distracted eating takes away from the enjoyment of food 

There is no morality in the food that we choose to eat. 

https://covesporttherapy.ca/melissa-allen/