Health Coach Draws Crowd at Brookline Healthy Eating Workshop

Sue Levy will never tell you exactly what to eat, but she can help you lead a healthier life by making healthy eating a lifestyle choice instead of a diet.  

Levy, who attended the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and the Natural Gourmet Institute, coached a free workshop at the on Wednesday night that aimed to help people incorporate healthy living into even the busiest of schedules.

“Take the time to learn what healthy eating is, and it will transform your life,” she said.

According to Levy, eating should always be pleasurable and it’s okay to be indulgent with favorite foods as long as the food is eaten in smaller portions or less often.  

The health coach also encouraged people to adopt the mindset of a “Nutritarian,” or a person who views eating as an opportunity to maximize nutrient intake. By keeping food journals, she believes that people can evaluate and readjust their food choices accordingly.

“Every time you eat, it’s an opportunity to pull in micronutrients,” she said.

Levy acknowledged that healthy eating may seem daunting for people, but they can make the task simpler by doing things such as trying two new foods a week or preparing snacks on Sunday for the rest of the week.

“If it’s done and it’s there and it’s in your line of sight, you’ll eat it,” she said.  

Levy used to work on marketing and advertising campaigns for clients such as Pepsico and Pizza Hut until health complications led her to make a shift in her life. She later helped manage the national Truth campaign, which aimed to reduce teen smoking.

The natural foods chef also used the workshop as an opportunity to discuss the national problem of childhood obesity and diabetes.

“It used to be an adult disease, but they’re seeing type two diabetes in our children,” she said.

Levy, who holds a degree in psychology from Dartmouth College, has experience helping people manage health problems – such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and digestive diseases – through food. After that, Levy studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she studied more than 90 different dietary approaches to creating health.  

The event drew an enthusiastic crowd of people who asked questions about dairy intake and the safety of eating foods with pesticides, for example. One woman asked how to incorporate wine into her healthy eating.

Levy started her company Savory Living seven months ago, which provides one-on-one health coaching and healthy eating classes.

“Food should taste great, you should feel great, and you should enjoy every minute you have,” she said with a smile.

Visit www.savoryliving.com to learn more.  

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article did not include Levy's full credentials. The paragraph listing her Dartmouth degree has been updated to include a more complete picture.