Nutrition does not need to be complicated.
Our philosophy is straightforward.
Eat real food—primarily plants.
Much of the food produced today is highly processed and, as Michael Pollan says, wouldn’t be recognized by our great-grandparents as food at all. MNC teaches clients to eat whole and minimally processed foods from the highest quality sources so that your cells will know what to do with the food you eat.
Move a little.
Even a modest amount of physical activity and exercise can make a significant difference in health outcomes. Our approach is to help you find activities you enjoy and will want to engage in, improving your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems along the way.
De-stress.
We talk a lot about the social determinants of health—the influences that come from our jobs, families, relationships, and socioeconomic positions—all of which affect our health for better or worse. Learning evidence-based strategies to de-stress throughout the day can be helpful in achieving healthy longevity.
Sleep.
“Sleep debt” is the price we pay when lost hours of sleep accumulate over time. Getting less-than-optimal sleep quality and duration interferes with our weight, immune system, and mental health. You don’t have to be perfect, but improving in this area will bring healthful rewards. We’ll discuss ways to maximize your sleep experience.
Hydrate.
Hydration is one of the single most important factors affecting cell function in the body. Unfortunately, many of us struggle to meet hydration needs throughout the day for many reasons, while the marketplace is full of “empty-calorie” beverages—those that add unnecessary calories but few if any nutrients. You’ll learn how much hydration you need based on your lifestyle.
Understand gene-environment influences.
You are not destined to have heart disease, diabetes, or many other diseases. Few diseases are caused entirely by genes themselves; most occur from gene-environment interactions, which is why improving external influences where feasible can have enormous health benefits. We will work with you to make improvements where the evidence says it counts.
Travis McKinney, M.S., M.A., C.N.
Travis McKinney is a certified nutritionist (C.N.), licensed by the Washington State Department of Health, and is a member of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. He has a Master of Science in Nutrition Education from American University, a Master of Arts in English Literature from Rutgers University, and is currently an assistant professor at Bellevue College, where he teaches English and interdisciplinary-focused courses in the health sciences and humanities.
Travis became interested in health and human behavior from a young age, particularly while watching his father suffer through 30 years of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic complications, to an untimely death. This experience led Travis to study the numerous influences that often cause people to make decisions against their own health interests as well as strategies to counter such behaviors. Though heart disease, diabetes, and cancer all run in his family, Travis has tried to manifest a different health destiny by fulfilling the behavioral components that often lead toward a higher and healthier life expectancy.
He lives in Seattle with his spouse and two cats.