Helping Professionals Series: Functional Nutritionist in Encinitas Helping Women.
Jen Martinsen, IFNCP, Founder of Nutrition Bliss
Functional Nutritionist, Holistic Health Coach, and Women’s Health Advocate
In my journey, when I was a younger mom, I experienced health issues. At the time, nothing seemed to help. Then I began working with a nutritionist in Encinitas and it changed so many things.
I began showing up with more energy, focus, and calm. It greatly impacted how I parented. Additionally, there was an overall trickle-down effect on my children and their mental and physical health as I made changes to our family’s meals. When people feel well, they can handle stress better.
So, I am excited to bring you this interview with Jen Martinsen. While not the nutritionist who helped me years ago, I’ve had the opportunity to glean wisdom from her through participation in a consultation group together.
Learn more about Jen Martinsen and Nutrition Bliss from our interview below!
Jen Martinsen, IFNCP is the founder of Nutrition Bliss, a functional nutrition practice focused on radically changing the way women engage in their health. Trained in functional and clinical nutrition, stress management techniques including breath work & meditation, mindset practices, and herbal medicine, Jen utilizes an integrative and tailored approach to support each client. In her practice, Jen partners with clients to offer individual functional nutrition consultation, group programs, and her signature program, The IntuitiveMethod ™, which combines nutrition, mindset, lifestyle, and stress reduction skills with your unique needs.
What do you love about working as a Functional Nutritionist, Holistic Health Coach, and Women’s Health Advocate?
By far, it’s seeing the transformation after working with a new client after a few sessions. Most clients come to me as a last resort after feeling disappointed with the lack of solutions from their doctor. Not only that, but carving out time in your busy calendar to go to see your doctor usually happens after you’ve tried all the things unsuccessfully on your own. And instead of getting help, you’re told that your labs all look normal and you’re healthy.
That is a hard thing to hear after you’ve been struggling with weight gain, fatigue, bloating, painful periods, or hormone imbalance for years. So when working with a new client, to see the changes that happen once she learns how to support her body - it’s pretty amazing. I’m so grateful that I get to guide women through that journey.
Who are your favorite types of clients to work with?
That’s a great question, because I think typically practitioners specialize based on a particular symptom or diagnosis, whereas I have found that the root cause of the symptoms is a better place to specialize. Nearly all of my clients are successful women who are high-achieving and stress generally plays a large role in their daily life.
Most of my clients exercise and are thoughtful about what they eat, and still can’t figure out the right balance to support themselves. They have usually tried more than one solution before coming to me and are frustrated because they think maybe how they feel today will just be their new normal. This can show up in any number of different ways from thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions and bloating to hormone changes and stubborn weight gain that won’t go away no matter how hard they try.
What do you wish women knew about nutrition?
That most influencers and experts talk about nutrition in a way that sounds like there is one best way to get the results you want. Or even worse, they will make it sound like if you do this one thing all your symptoms will improve. I can’t tell you how many messages I have received over the years asking me if this one supplement or adding or removing this one food is going to be the key to solving their symptoms.
It just doesn’t work that way. It’s a good marketing slogan to get people to buy, but not how it actually works. And quite honestly, ideal nutrition isn’t the answer by itself either. Yes, talking about food is a big part of my practice, but healing and feeling how you want really requires a holistic approach. That’s why I love the functional approach to health and nutrition. It’s not about just one thing.
Could you share how nutrition can impact how a woman manages stress?
This is a big one for so many of my clients. We are often taught to think about food in simple terms like macros & calories, but it’s so much more. A common daily routine I hear is skipping breakfast and starting the day with a cup of coffee instead. Around noon, finally having your first meal or a bar, and typically hitting the wall around 2 pm and needing another coffee, tea, or a Diet Coke to make it through the day. This is also when cravings start to kick in.
You can resist and be “good” all day, but in the evening will have a big dinner and finally treat yourself to the sugar you’ve been craving all day. Sadly, this routine usually ends with not sleeping very well through the night, and then the whole cycle starts again. This pattern negatively impacts our ability to handle stress, plus it increases cravings and wrecks our sleep. Learning simple strategies for balancing blood sugar throughout the day will help address all those issues.
What tips do you have for busy moms on taking better care of themselves?
An important tip is that it’s not about doing more. Most moms I know are already spread too thin, and adding more to the plate feels completely overwhelming. Instead, it’s about shifting priorities. That might mean taking a bath, relaxing, and taking time for yourself before finishing up a work project at night. It could be that after a long day, dishes are left in the sink and you don’t scroll Instagram because you need to get at least 8 hours of sleep. Or shifting your time on Sunday to spend 45 minutes prepping an extra meal or simple healthy snacks to make the week easier and less stressful. To say it even more simply, prioritize time and energy for yourself too.
What happens during a first appointment with you?
Many of my clients first do a free 15-minute “Get To Know You” session so I can learn more about what is going on for them and describe how a functional approach can help them achieve their goals. Functional Nutrition is still a growing field, and most women don’t yet fully understand how it’s different and why you can expect different results when you’re addressing the root causes of symptoms.
Once a client signs up, she completes a detailed intake questionnaire online and will upload any recent blood work results to the client portal. I review everything before our first session to get a better understanding of what might be going on and where to focus our time together. Our first session is 90-minutes and during that time we discuss the process and clarify details from the intake information.
We spend the final 30 minutes together talking about the initial plan for healing. Feeling better really requires a layered approach of adding new practices over time, which is why I only offer packages as opposed to single sessions. I offer a completely individualized approach, so each client’s plan looks unique because it’s specifically tailored for her.
Is there anything else you would like to share about functional nutrition and holistic health?
Women are not given the focus and support they need or deserve. Traditional medicine is good at a lot of things, and helping you figure out why you feel tired, your hair is thinning, and you’re carrying an extra 20 lbs. isn’t one of them. Functional nutrition is a systems-approach, which means we are addressing the root causes of your symptoms together. For example, to lose weight, we will support the nervous system, healthy digestion, hormone balance, and stress instead of focusing on intermittent fasting, high intensity exercise, and restricting calories.
Doing the latter can actually contribute to a weight loss plateau or even gain depending on the root causes, meaning it can actually make everything worse. An individual approach to address what’s going on in your body is so important - and that’s the core of functional nutrition.
Share one fun fact about you that most people don’t know.
People who know me now have no idea that I used to be a junk food queen. In my 20’s, my idea of cooking was mac & cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich. At one point, the drive-thru guy at McDonalds knew me as one of the regulars. I really didn’t care or know anything about nutrition at all. So truly when I say I’ve been through it all and it was a struggle for me to figure out too - I mean it!
What’s one of your favorite things to do in Encinitas?
It’s so cliche, but even after being here for 20 years, it’s still a beach walk at low tide. From Grandview all the way down to Beacons or Moonlight. It’s so peaceful. No matter what’s going on in my life that day, it always makes me feel better and more grounded.