Meet the RDs
Specialties
weight management
nutrition for digestive syndromes and disorders
food allergies and intolerances
nutrition for autoimmune conditions
diet and detoxification
blood sugar management
Hello there! Thanks for visiting.
I am Gretchen Spetz, registered and licensed dietitian and creator of The Functional Kitchen. I am honored to be able to share my passion for nutrition with you. Ever since I was little, I loved to cook. I firmly believe in the importance of balance between cooking healthful meals and forming food habits that do not require you to spend all day in the kitchen.
Throughout the course of my career, I have come to learn that the key to better health through food is not a simple equation of eat less and exercise more. Like many other women, I have experienced the fatigue, difficulty losing weight, anxiety, and digestive problems that seem to go hand in hand with the juggling act of motherhood, career, and countless other responsibilities. When I discussed this with my doctor, I was told I was "normal." I sure didn't feel normal! I felt like a shadow of my former self.
Enter functional nutrition. At this point, I started learning everything I could about this food-as-medicine approach to diet and health. Instead of using nutrition reactively to combat chronic disease diagnoses (example: cut sodium intake when you have high blood pressure), I learned to use nutrition to influence the root cause of chronic diseases. Getting the right balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals can assist the body's natural regulation mechanisms and bring everything back into balance. This translates to you feeling amazing!
I have a BA from the University of Notre Dame and a master's degree in public health nutrition from Case Western Reserve University. I worked as an outpatient dietitian specializing in weight management, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and autoimmune disease at two of the country's top hospitals. In 2022, I was recognized as an Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner (IFNCP) after completing the most comprehensive certification program in functional nutrition through the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy.
I am the proud mom of two girls. Motherhood was the catalyst for helping me discover functional nutrition, and I am thankful to them for this! I love being active by lifting weights, walking, CrossFit, stand-up paddleboard, and yoga.
Specialties
weight management
anti-inflammatory diet
blood sugar management
lipid management
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Hi there, I'm Renee Cooper, registered and licensed dietitian. When I went through my schooling to become a registered dietitian, the take home message to give to patients who were trying to lose weight and help manage other diseases was "eat less, exercise more". As I started my career and applied this body of knowledge into practice, I continually witnessed patient's struggles and frustrations as this approach did not work for them. There is no one size fits all system to achieving health and wellness. Each individual has a story and these stories are what led me here to working with Gretchen at The Functional Kitchen.
My goal for my clients is total wellness. I want to help you move towards disease prevention and living a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. This approach supports you so you can the life you want without any restrictions or limitations physically, mentally, or emotionally. This is where functional nutrition comes in.
It took a long time for me to realize that all food is not created equal and that the quality of food is incredibly important. Five years into my career, I became a mom for the first time and sleep immediately took a backseat to everything in my life: taking care of a baby, exercise, working full-time. Fast forward 2-3 years and the extreme fatigue and GI symptoms that had popped up seemingly out of nowhere could no longer be attributed solely to just being a new sleep deprived mom. I took a deep dive into behavioral, lifestyle, and dietary habits that needed to be addressed and changed. That is what functional nutrition is about-looking at the big picture. To this day, it continues to be an ongoing process as life is constantly throwing us curve balls, but it is one that I feel well equipped to handle. I want you to know that you are not alone! Together we can find the answers that make sense for you.
I am also a CrossFit Level 1 trainer and am passionate about both nutrition and exercise. I hope to help clients realize that each of these are two big pieces in the puzzle to total wellness when balanced correctly. The journey to leading a healthy lifestyle is ongoing and can be fun, eye opening, and incredibly empowering. No one has the same destination, so let's enjoy the journey.
I have a BA from Miami University and completed my dietetic internship at the Cleveland Clinic. I have worked as an outpatient dietitian specializing in weight management, diabetes, cardiovascular health, lipid management, and gastrointestinal disorders.
I have two beautiful daughters that keep me on my toes and push me to strive for optimal health so that I can enjoy every moment I have with them with vibrancy and vitality.