Featured Member: Cindi Lockhart, RDN, LDN, IFNCP

May 8, 2018

We are happy to share about DIFM Member Cindi Lockhart, RDN, LDN, IFNCP with you this month! After growing up, overweight in a family whose meals were centered around convenient, processed foods, Cindi was 16 when she got inspired to abandon her family’s unhealthy way of living to engage in a daily exercise and nutritious, whole foods program after a tonsillectomy (and resultant weight loss).   She completed her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics at the University of Illinois – Urbana and began her professional practice as a hospital-based registered dietitian in 1991.  It wasn’t until after her son was born that she had every symptom of hypothyroidism with a TSH >5.0, yet her doctor refused to treat her.  Unwilling to settle with the disabling symptoms, Cindi's search for an answer started and she found Functional Medicine.  Cindi was finally able to manage her symptoms and condition holistically and get back to her life!  Cindi's blood family of 4 (parents + 2 brothers) were all overweight or obese with multiple chronic health conditions and medications, so she vowed a personal mission to ‘not’ fall victim to her genetics.  Cindi also vowed to empower and inspire others to take control of their lives to live each day to it’s fullest.  We all deserve a long, vibrant life journey.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading (always practice-related), working out, hiking, practicing yoga, and being out in nature.

What is your area of practice and how do you incorporate integrative and functional nutrition into your work?

My professional practice has evolved over the years. However, my passion and expertise remains in Women’s Health issues, including infertility, autoimmunity, gut health, hypothyroidism and of course stress management since women today wear a lot of hats!  My approach is focused around ‘root cause’ identification and resolution through comprehensive subjective assessments, functional objective assessments (lab testing), and a customized holistic lifestyle program.  Depending on my client’s needs and readiness to change, we partner together to optimize their nutrition and supplementation, activity, sleep, stress, and environmental exposures.  It all comes down to practice – it’s one thing to learn ‘what’ to do; however, without learning ‘how’ to do it, success is challenging.  Another important aspect of my practice is education around a client’s health condition or symptoms with an explanation around the WHY behind the lifestyle changes I recommend.  A really interesting and frustrating recent exposure was my opportunity to work with 2 long-term type 1 diabetes clients (over 40 years each) who never had a practitioner explain (or even bring up) what autoimmunity was and how it could be managed.  One of these clients thought it was 100% genetic!  The good news is this confirms we as Integrative and Functional Dietitians have a huge opportunity out there to both educate and inspire Americans to take charge of their health holistically.

What is your area of practice and how do you incorporate integrative and functional nutrition into your work?

My professional practice has evolved over the years. However, my passion and expertise remains in Women’s Health issues, including infertility, autoimmunity, gut health, hypothyroidism and of course stress management since women today wear a lot of hats!  My approach is focused around ‘root cause’ identification and resolution through comprehensive subjective assessments, functional objective assessments (lab testing), and a customized holistic lifestyle program.  Depending on my client’s needs and readiness to change, we partner together to optimize their nutrition and supplementation, activity, sleep, stress, and environmental exposures.  It all comes down to practice – it’s one thing to learn ‘what’ to do; however, without learning ‘how’ to do it, success is challenging.  Another important aspect of my practice is education around a client’s health condition or symptoms with an explanation around the WHY behind the lifestyle changes I recommend.  A really interesting and frustrating recent exposure was my opportunity to work with 2 long-term type 1 diabetes clients (over 40 years each) who never had a practitioner explain (or even bring up) what autoimmunity was and how it could be managed.  One of these clients thought it was 100% genetic!  The good news is this confirms we as Integrative and Functional Dietitians have a huge opportunity out there to both educate and inspire Americans to take charge of their health holistically.