Hi, I’m Heather. It’s So Nice to Meet You

Nutritionist, healthy cooking instructor, and menopause coaching specialist are some of my “official titles.” But really, I’m a mom, daughter, sister, spouse, and a woman in midlife who knows firsthand how it feels to get sucked into the false promises of diets, be tantalized by menopause marketing, and still do my best to navigate the challenges that come with this stage of life.

Can you relate?

It’s my mission to teach other women in midlife and the menopause transition how to find peace with their bodies, joy in the kitchen, and a healthy mindset when it comes to nourishing themselves.

Not for the kids, not for your partner. But for you.

We All Have a Food Story, Here’s Mine

I grew up in a family peppered with food stories and secrets. Candy was sometimes a reward; cookies were there to hold my hand through deep loss, and a steamy bowl of my grandmother’s matzoh ball soup comforted me and made me feel cherished.

Yet, I was also taught that women were not really supposed to like food. Women should always be watching their weight.

Starting at age 11, it was commonplace for me to dabble in the latest diet trend—losing and gaining the weight back, going round and round in a never-ending cycle of diet success and failure.

As I became a teenager, I found myself drawn to the kitchen. I enjoyed cooking and experimenting with recipes—but almost always with a diet focus. My first cookbook was called The No Fat, No Salt, No Sugar Cookbook (doesn’t that sound dreadful?). Losing weight was always the goal.

In high school, my hippyish, health-food-loving aunt came for a visit and showed me that food could be more than fat-free or diet-minded. She introduced me to “foreign” foods like brown rice and tofu and shared their healing properties. I was hooked on the idea that food could be more than the enemy—it could be nourishment.

My journey led me to health-supportive cooking school and clinical nutrition education, where I learned how to help women find their way with food, healing, and making peace with their bodies. It also helped me put evidence into action—especially after an overwhelming diagnosis of multiple sclerosis at 27. That diagnosis made me grateful to be in charge of my kitchen and, armed with knowledge, ready to support my body with food as medicine.

Soon after, the babies came—three of them, very close together (twins, and a third less than two years later). Exhaustion, extra weight, stress, and a whole lot of mindless eating and drinking became part of my daily survival. Although I knew a lot about healthy food and nutrition, I found myself losing my way. Soothing myself with food or wine was a deeply ingrained emotional eating habit. The food stories I had inherited as a young adult came back to take hold.

Sugar and wine failed me every time—leaving me even more tired, with more weight and more frustration.

I Got Back on Track

I had attended a cooking school that specialized in health-supportive cooking, and one of the top graduate schools in the country for Clinical Nutrition. I knew how to eat well and understood the science behind weight loss. Yet, I was letting life get in the way of what I truly needed: nourishing food to support my health and energy, and most importantly, a profound shift in my habits.

I needed the right mindset to make myself a priority—to reconnect with mindful eating, become a more intuitive eater, listen to my hunger cues, and return to the heart of my kitchen by consistently making real food.

I decided to stop letting emotions dictate my food choices and rediscovered the healing power of real, whole food. I stopped treating wine and sugar like my best friends and embraced meal planning while learning to enjoy cooking again. I committed to the process and cheered myself on every step of the way. I journaled to stay connected to my inner peace, and my kitchen became my sanctuary—a place of pleasure, not stress.

Through this journey, I lost 20 pounds, kept it off, and regained my energy—all because I chose to nourish myself with intention.

And now, in midlife, those core principles still guide me. The menopause transition brings new challenges—being an empty-nester, caring for aging parents, and facing another round of changes with my body, weight, and energy. Yet my connection to nourishing food, mind-body practices, and the pleasure of cooking will never waver.

Which Brings Me to You

With all the confusion around what to eat, body image, and aging, navigating through midlife and menopause truly takes a village. When the collective thinking tells us that weight gain is inevitable and that a decade of hot flashes and brain fog lies ahead, it’s easy to feel desperate and overwhelmed. This mindset can lead to chasing unproven diets, expensive supplements, and products that you just don’t need. If you’ve been a dieter in the past, those old fears and habits can come roaring back, making it even harder to find your way forward.

My focus is on midlife women because I understand this phase of life firsthand. You may be struggling to lose weight, trying to make sense of your changing hormones, wading through a sea of misinformation on the internet, managing a new health issue, questioning your alcohol use, or just trying to wrap your head around a new way of eating—especially since what used to work doesn’t seem to anymore.

I’m here to help you make peace with food and see the results you want to achieve. I meet you where you are and guide you toward a healthier, more nourishing path. You already have everything within you—I’m just here to support and guide you on your healing journey.

Through my 1-1 coaching, courses, membership, healthy cooking classes, corporate wellness events at The Green Palette Kitchen, my podcast, recipes, and blog, I’m committed to making a difference in women’s lives through the undeniable impact of real food and a profound shift in habits. It’s worked for me and for countless midlife women I’ve supported.

I know it can work for you, too.

GET IN TOUCH

Professional Bio

Heather Carey is a nutritionist, health-supportive chef, and menopause health coach who empowers midlife women to make significant shifts in their health and weight through nutrition coaching, cooking instruction, and real-life strategies. As the host of the Real Food Stories podcast, a blogger, and a healthy recipe creator, Heather shares practical tips and inspiration for nourishing midlife wellness.

In her teaching kitchen, The Green Palette Kitchen, she combines her expertise in whole foods cooking and clinical nutrition to guide both individuals and corporations toward lasting wellness. Heather’s approachable, evidence-based philosophy makes it possible to ditch diet culture and embrace a healthier relationship with food.

Heather holds a Master’s degree from New York University, one of the top institutions in the country for clinical nutrition, and a chef’s certification from The Natural Gourmet Institute, the premier cooking school for health-supportive cooking. She was also chosen to be part of the “Fairfield 25”, a group of the most giving, interesting, and talented individuals in Fairfield, CT.

Heather’s Credentials

New York University, MS Clinical Nutrition
Certification in Menopause Health Coaching, Girls Gone Strong
Chef Training Program, The Natural Gourmet Cooking School
Syracuse University, BA in Political Science, minor in Mediation and Communication
Owner and Chef Instructor, Green Palette Kitchen
Adult Weight Management, American Dietetic Association, Certificate
Food as Medicine, Mind Body Medicine Institute, Certificate
Food, Mood and Brain Health, Mind Body Medicine Institute, Certificate

Nutrition Coach for Women 40+