Foundational Journey offers a holistic approach in your wellness journey through figuring out the root cause of your symptoms and providing a personalized nutrition plan with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. This approach also utilizes knowledge in essential oils, herbs and spices, and offers referral resources in chiropractic care, yoga, acupuncture and reiki.
Meghan Rittmaster, MS, RDN, LD, CLT, IFNCP
“I want to help you get back on track to optimal wellness and to thrive because I am passionate about helping you enjoy life again and feel at your highest potential.”
Everybody has a journey, and everyone has a wellness journey. My wellness journey stems from the challenges I have experienced, ultimately setting the foundation that ignites my passion in supporting others on their journey to well-being.
My own health challenges started at a very early age, and it was nutrition that played a key role in my life since early development. I have struggled with GI issues ever since I was baby and they continued throughout my life until 2008, when I eliminated gluten from my diet. Bloating, stomach pain, nausea, rashes, mouth sores and constipation were a constant in my life until I was 19 years old and landed in the Hospital Emergency Room with the most excruciating stomach pain I had ever experienced. A doctor recommended that I get tested for Celiac Disease. All of the tests came back negative, but I decided to cut out gluten anyways in hopes that it could make a difference - and it did. While I felt better than I ever had before, it was not until I cut out dairy while nursing my son that my GI problems completely vanished and skin issues, which I had the majority of my life, significantly improved as well.
Throughout my life it has also become clearer to me just how much influence nutrition has on mental health. This realization comes from personal experience along with studying the gut-brain connection. What we feed our gut, feeds our mind and it can aid anxiety, depression, foggy mind, difficulty concentrating, etc., or it can help reduce those heavy impacts.
The firsthand knowledge and experience I gained through my challenges led me to follow my desire of guiding others toward optimal health. During my difficulties, I met with dietitians that had been through similar situations as myself and I realized I wanted to be able to make a positive impact on someone else like I had done for me. In order to do so, my first step was receiving my undergraduate degree in Dietetics at St. Catherine University. I then went on to fulfill the requirements of a dietetic internship through a combined Masters/Internship program in Springfield, MO from 2015-2017. In 2021 I became a Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT), where I am able to help individuals navigate foods that are least reactive to most reactive for them via well-researched lab testing. With the results from their Mediator Release Testing (MRT), I am able to come up with a tailored protocol to help lower inflammation within the body and improve severity of symptoms with my clients. I also received my IFNCP credential (Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner) through IFN Academy in Feb. 2023, further enhancing my knowledge as an integrative and functional dietitian where I can help clients get to the root cause of their issues.
My formal education validated what I knew and deeply expanded my knowledge of how much nutrition is a key factor in your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. I take a food as medicine approach and enjoy focusing on the person as a whole because I know first-hand how it is improves overall quality of life.
My goal is to look at the root cause of what is occurring and why, and help you take the necessary protocols to heal and reach your goals. I want to help you get back on track to optimal wellness and to thrive because I am passionate about helping you enjoy life again and feel at your highest potential.
When I am not supporting others in their journey, I am enjoying spending time with my family and being healthy allows me to fully experience this the way I deserve and allows me to be the best mom and wife I can be for them. I am blessed with a wonderful husband, 2 amazing kids and 2 awesome dog-fur babies.