By ANDREA BUGBEE
Correspondent
JENNIFER GIFFUNE
WESTFIELD – As a complement to the enticing eateries on Elm and Main Streets these days, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist Jennifer Giffune has opened a downtown office serving one-on-one counseling topped with heaps of made-to-order, healthy advice.
“I like to tailor things to people so there’s no canned approach. And I don’t believe in diets,” Giffune said. “I like to make things simple. I believe in eating healthy for a lifetime.”
Fortunately, she said, “eating healthy” doesn’t mean never indulging in pierogi, burritos, cupcakes, or pho. “If 85 to 95 percent of the time you eat healthy, that leaves wiggle room. If you allow yourself some treats throughout, you don’t feel so restricted. There’s no cheating.”
Embracing Hippocrates’s rule, “Let food be thy medicine,” Giffune has spent the last 33 years helping people modify their diets to improve chronic health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, food intolerances, inflammatory bowel disease, hypoglycemia, and arthritis. She’s also been instrumental in helping hundreds of people wrangle their weight to meet manageable goals.
Though life often deals people diseases beyond their control, “When you’re faced with diabetes, or high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, there’s so much you can change just by what you eat and by exercising,” Giffune said.
One way this longtime Westfield resident helps people chew on better choices is by giving them “Jen Giffune’s Supermarket List.” Filled with practical tips and nutritious recipes, the list debunks marketing hooks and diet fads so people can purchase foods that are truly good for them, not foods that merely claim to be healthy on the box.
“There are thousands of new foods on the market every year, and sometimes you need help figuring things out,” Giffune said. “If you want to know what’s the healthiest English muffin to buy, it’s on the list.” (BTW – it’s Thomas’ Light Multigrain, or any Fiber One brand with more than 4 grams of fiber and less than 30 grams of carbs).
Giffune’s Supermarket List recommends heart healthy oils such as almond, avocado, peanut, and soy, and it warns that coconut oil isn’t the panacea it’s advertised to be. It suggests experimenting with flavorful spices such as chamomile, cardamom, cumin or clove when trying to reduce salt. And, it names All Bran Original and Post’s Big Biscuit Shredded Wheat as two, quality breakfast cereals for a great morning start.
Ideally, Giffune said, healthy shoppers should fill their carts with a variety of foods and food groups. Purchasing whole foods and making meals at home reduces fats, calories, sodium, and preservatives. However, she warned, even those who purchase the most nutrient rich fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains need to invite moderation to the table.
“Too much of a good thing makes too much of you,” Giffune said. “A serving of fruit should be the size of a tennis ball. If you’re eating an apple big enough to score a touchdown with, cut it up and share it with someone else.”
Whatever a person’s starting point, Giffune’s goal is to make healthy eating easy to understand and easy to incorporate into everyday life. “I personalize everything because everybody’s different,” she said. “Everybody has different needs, different medical problems, different social lives, different readiness. Some people are ready for change gung ho. Some people need me to help them make baby steps.”
Whether taking an enthusiastic leap or a tiny step, that first move toward better choices starts with a phone call.
Giffune meets new clients at her Elm Street office for a personalized, one-hour consultation. After that, she offers half hour follow-up counseling and 15 minute checkups as necessary. She accepts most major insurances, and offers a “Get Healthy” app so clients (if they choose) can schedule and change their own appointments, receive customized tips on topics such as carb counting for diabetics, and or out for guidance and support wherever there’s Wi-Fi.
“People can take pictures of their meals and send them to me,” Giffune said. “And for those unable to come to the office due to transportation issues, health complications, or simply bad weather, I’ll be able to do tele-health, which is like Skyping. We can do a whole, nutritional consultation online.”
“I like helping people,” Giffune said, adding that, with each new person she guides toward a healthier lifestyle, “Now I’ve helped someone become a role model for their children, or their spouse, or their coworkers.”
“I really like that I can make a difference,” Giffune said. “It makes it all worthwhile.”
For more information or to schedule a consultation, readers may contact Giffune at (413) 579-5450 or [email protected].
