About Christine Sawyer, RDN, CLT

My Son

I knew long before the diagnosis came through. I always knew he was special.  I had seen how he was different. We went to doctors, specialists, therapists – our days were filled with appointments.  I had tried eliminating various foods. Nothing seemed to work.

My son was diagnosed with autism at age 5. The experiences I have been through with him, and doing everything I can to give him a normal life, has given me huge compassion for my patients and some sense of what they are experiencing going through.  

The gift in it all has been I have developed much more patience than I ever thought I had in me.  It has taught me that plans are great but I also need to be open to what happens and let go of perfection.

Christine’s Story

I had been sick as long as I remember.  Often, as a child, I would lay on the bathroom floor with gut wrenching pain.  I was nauseous all the time. Then in my late teens I started to get migraines.  As an adult, my nausea worsened and I could barely function.

Tests, tests and more tests.  I suggested testing for allergies and sensitivities but the idea was brushed off by the GI doctor.  Instead, I had one high normal test so he suggested to remove my gallbladder. Out it came and the nausea, and pain still remained.  

I asked again if I could test for allergies or sensitivities.  This time the answer was “It won’t hurt.” That was the last time I saw that doctor.  My results came back, and most notable was the reaction for corn – which meant giving up the late summer corn on the cob and any foods with the word corn in it.  Avoiding corn also meant losing my Dr. Pepper, Snickers, Mexican food and so, many more foods on the grocery store shelves. (I know I am a nutritionist, but I have my weaknesses too.)  Within a week, my nausea, stomach pain, and migraines had subsided. Overall, my health took a tremendous turn for the better.

The positive in it was I never had to worry about taking my gallbladder out in the future, it was already gone.  I also had to learn to cook, really cook, from scratch since so much of our food supply has corn in it. I also very quickly realized I had to question and really know what I was eating.  Did you know that vinegar can be made from wheat, apples or corn?

I had to learn where our food came from. I really was a food label detective decoding mystery ingredients.  These are things I wasn’t even taught in school.

My own experiences have taught me how to be a better patient and better nutritionist. I listen closely to what my patients are saying and dig deep to uncover what really is going on.  I have learned to speak up for myself, my children and my patients and be an advocate for all.

Pulls at My Heart

I have worked with hundreds of children and their families.  One that sticks out for me was a Zac, boy with a rare brain development disorder which causes serious delays in growth.  Among other serious issues, he was having trouble swallowing. The mom had seen a nutritionist before but she was not happy with the results.  She felt she was not being heard.

Mom’s biggest fear was her child getting pneumonia.  Her son would choke on his food during feeding time and some would get into his lungs.  The physician, speech therapist and I were able to work together to determine an appropriate course of action for him. When we formulated a way to make mealtime safe for him and grow appropriately, a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders.  

More good news, the family had put off their dream vacation because mom had no idea how to make it through security with large amounts of food and formula, adapt normal vacation activities, such as swimming, and figure out how to pare down all the equipment for travel.  As soon as I realized this was something the family really wanted to do, we started planning their big trip.

The family did take the vacation and discovered that Zac loved the water.  The family quickly learned they could include water activities to help make his therapy at home more enjoyable.  

My Work

I love being able to work with families and improve the health of all members.  I am amazed at how families will bend over backwards to help their child heal and be well.  

My solutions begin where a family is.  I need to know the family’s activities, routines, outings, favorite restaurants, and places they shop for groceries.  Also key is how much cooking can they make time for? I don’t assume, judge or jump to conclusions. I concentrate on looking for ways to change and help my patients feel well, happy and healthy.   

In reality, food affects most aspects of our lives.  I can’t just hand over a menu or list of foods to avoid and expect this will make a patient healthier. I know this will never work.  I listen, find out what a family is doing, look to find out what matters to them, and set goals so they can feel normal, well and happy.   

Professional Biography

I received my undergraduate clinical dietetics and completed an accredited dietetics internship program at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.  I passed the rigorous national dietetics credentialing exam in 2003.

I started my first intense experience helping children, newborns and their families improve their health and well-being as a clinical dietitian for the an early intervention program.  The children in this program had some sort of a developmental delay or a diagnosis that could lead to a developmental delay.

For the next seven years I saw hundreds of patients and their families, in both their homes, their community and in the medical center focusing on finding solutions to heal them, get their growth back climbing steadily and feeling healthy again.  

I recently moved across country to the East Bay area.  My boys attend school in Lamorinda and I started my own nutrition private practice helping families.  I love being in Lamorinda where I can hike Briones or the rim trail at the Lafayette Reservoir with my family.  

Get started on your journey to better health and happiness.  Schedule an appointment now.