Hello. I am Danielle Omar. I am a Registered Dietitian and passionate nutrition educator. I teach busy professionals and families how to be confident eaters. I do this mostly by helping them discover how food feels in their body.
It’s important for everyone to know what types of foods are healing, satisfying, and nourishing and which foods promote disease and deplete energy and vitality. I love to help people upgrade their food choices and elevate their health, no matter what the starting point.
STUDIO BE: Tell us a little about your nutrition philosophy and how it’s evolved over time.
DANIELLE: My website is called foodconfidence, and it’s really my philosophy as well. I believe that we all have a choice in what we eat, even inside a busy and stressful life.
I teach people how to create food principles to guide them so they know what to choose and eat in every eating situation. This can really vary from client to client, as every client has different needs and nutrition goals.
My philosophy has evolved over the years to include getting people back into their own kitchens and relying less on other people to choose their food for them. I’m very passionate about that piece, and it can be the most challenging.
STUDIO BE: Food is such an emotionally-laden issue for people. Talk a little bit about the associations people have with food and the role food plays in our lives.
DANIELLE: I think people often check out when it comes to food. They don’t really take responsibility for their choices and eating becomes a very mindless, unplanned activity. I also believe there is so much built-in habit and customary eating that goes on for people, and it usually has nothing to do with food itself.
I encourage my clients to look at their food histories to try and figure out what is really fueling their eating habits and food choices. I often quote Oprah when I say to my clients — when you know better, you do better.
STUDIO BE: The term “clean eating” is being thrown around quite a bit these days. Would you explain what that is and why it matters?
DANIELLE: It’s upsetting that this term is overused because it’s one that I believe in as a food principle. My definition of clean eating means that you choose food in its purest form first. This means choosing whole foods versus foods that have been processed down to their component parts.
For example, I would rather you choose whole grain quinoa versus quinoa pasta. Just by making this switch you will eat less processed food and foods with very long ingredient lists containing words that you don’t recognize. This includes sugar, too! Choose sugar in its most pure, unprocessed form as much as possible and avoid artificial sweeteners.
A plant-focused diet consisting mainly of vegetables, greens, fruits, whole grains, raw nuts and seeds, fermented foods and moderate amounts of grass-fed, organic and free-range meats and low-fat dairy products is what I would consider clean eating. All as tolerated, of course!
STUDIO BE: Tell us about your book, Skinny Juices. Why should someone pick up a copy?
DANIELLE: The heart of Skinny Juices is the 101 recipes that emphasize super foods and health-promoting ingredients, along with guidelines for creating a personalized clean eating detox plan.
I was asked to write this book and learned so much while doing so. I was not much of a juicer before the book but now I really understand the difference between juicing and blending and the amazing health benefits that juicing can bring about.
My book is perfect for that interested person who wants to get into juicing but just doesn’t know where to start. The book outlines all you need to know to start juicing — how to choose the right juicer for your lifestyle, which foods to juice for specific nutrients, how to juice on a budget, how to incorporate juicing into a weight loss plan, and much more!
The recipes are categorized by cleansing and detox, weight loss, glowing skin and anti-aging, digestive health, super immunity, and cancer fighting juice. There’s something for everyone!
STUDIO BE: What are some common myths about weight loss that you’d like to dispel?
DANIELLE: I think the biggest myth going right now is that by avoiding gluten you will lose weight. There are definitely quality issues with the gluten in grains and breads, and you can always look at upgrading your choices, but unless you have a sensitivity or allergy to gluten, avoiding it is not going to make you lose weight.
STUDIO BE: Weight loss is so hard for women over 40! What can women over 40 do to manage their weight?
DANIELLE: Manage your hormones! I have found women in their 40’s need a hormonal tune-up, especially if they are trying to lose weight.
Checking cortisol, thyroid, insulin and estrogen levels is a great way to look under the hood and see what might be out of balance. These hormones play a huge role in weight management and getting them back in balance can save a lot of time and frustration when weight loss just isn’t happening!
STUDIO BE: Tell us about your nutritional services and what’s available to Studio BE clients.
DANIELLE: I love working with groups. My most popular group program is my 21-Day Clean Eating Detox. It’s an online program that I’ve been hosting since 2012. It’s a great jumpstart to weight loss, as well as for discovering if there are any underlying sensitivities that could be causing digestive and/or weight management problems.
Right now I am developing a new 6-month group program called Out of the Diet and Into Your Life that will launch in January. This curated health and wellness experience will be a great second step after completing my 21-Day Clean Eating Detox and will encompass nutrition coaching, monthly challenges, cooking classes, a healthy lifestyle gift box, and stress management strategies.
I also offer nutrition counseling privately both in person and virtually. Right now I offer a Nutrition Strategy Session and several package programs.
I also teach monthly cooking classes in Chantilly. The food is delicious and simple – we make everything from the Vitamix blender and the food processor! It’s a great way to meet like-minded people and get inspired each month to eat healthy and try new recipes.
I also write a blog called Food Confidence where I share mostly plant-based recipes and nutrition tips each week.
I am excited to work with Studio BE clients in the coming year!