About

Mat Shalenko, Formally Trained Chef and Certified Health Coach:

I practice a holistic approach to health and wellness, which means that I look at how all areas of your life are connected. Does stress at your job or in your relationship cause you to overeat? Does lack of sleep or low energy prevent you from exercising? As we work together, we will look at how all parts of your life affect your health as a whole.

My approach is not to dwell on calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. It is not to create lists of restrictions or good and bad foods. Instead, I work with my clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and rewarding.

Together we’ll work to reach your health goals in areas such as achieving optimal weight, reducing food cravings, increasing sleep, and maximizing energy. As we work together, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the food and lifestyle choices that work best for you and implement lasting changes that will improve your energy, balance and health.

Here are some concepts that we will explore during our work together:

Bio-individuality™: The concept of bio-individuality is that each person has unique food and lifestyle needs. One person’s food is another person’s poison, and that’s why fad diets tend to fail in the long run. Working on the principle of bio-individuality, I’ll support you to make positive changes that are based on your unique needs, lifestyle, preferences, and ancestral background. I use a personalized, holistic approach to ensure that you will have great success!

Primary Food™: It’s easy to overlook all of the things that contribute to our sense of nourishment and fulfillment. It’s not just the food we eat, but all of the other factors present in our daily lives. Healthy relationships, a fulfilling career, regular physical activity and a spiritual awareness are essential forms of nourishment. When these “primary foods” are balanced, what you eat becomes secondary. I will support you in achieving all of your goals, from eating the right foods for your body to living an inspired, fulfilling life.

Integrative Nutrition™ Plate: The Integrative Nutrition Plate emphasizes the importance of local and organic produce, whole grains, high-quality proteins, plant-based fats, and water. It shows you how a plate should appear at mealtime and emphasizes the importance of proportions and portion size. To complete the picture, the plate is surrounded with lifestyle factors that create optimal health: relationship, career, physical activity and spirituality. I’ll introduce you to some of the healthiest foods on the planet and teach you how to find what’s healthiest for your unique body!

You can learn more about my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

Are you ready to start feeling better than ever? Schedule an initial consultation with me today!

 

Testimonials:
“Mat was recommended to me by a friend. Even though I was living in England at the time, Mat agreed to work with me. We did our sessions using Skype and spent a lot of time emailing each other. I was going through a particularly stressful experience and I knew I needed help because I was a big comfort eater. With Mat’s help, I was able to stop and think about why I wanted to eat before I would binge. During a time that I would have normally have survived on pizza and doughnuts, I kept myself distracted trying new things, feeding my body actual fuel, taking time to relax, and moved rather than sitting and feeling sorry for myself. Because of these things, I maintained my sanity, set up some good habits, and rather than gaining a ton of weight… I actually lost a few pounds. Now that phase of life has moved into a newer, happier time, my weight loss has really started and I have a three year old who knows what “organic” means and who asks for carrots as a snack. We are all busy people, but taking some time out for yourself doesn’t just make you feel better, it can improve the person you are. Mat is patient, flexible, and genuine. I appreciate the time we spent working together and can’t recommend him enough.”  – Beth B
“It’s difficult for me to remember a time when I haven’t been interested in nutrition, fitness and well being.  Approximately, 4 years ago, my husband and I made a health decision to incorporate a plant based diet into our lifestyle.  We already had a good base knowledge of what we needed to do, but we kept hitting a wall when it came to keeping our meals interesting.

About this time, I attended a cooking class at, “The Cooking Cottage.”  That’s when I met Chef Mathew Shalenko, with “June Health and Wellness.”  I was impressed with his knowledge of a healthy diet and cooking style.  When I decided to work with Chef Mat as my Health Coach, my perception of a “Health Coach” was of someone who gave you some new recipes!

What I received from having Chef Mat as my Health Coach was so much more than I ever anticipated.  Yes, he provided me with a wealth of healthy options to incorporate into my plant based lifestyle.  But what he helped me realize was my lack of balance in my life as it related to the body, mind and soul.

At our meetings he not only provided me with ample resources to achieve my goals, but his personal advice and ability to listen, support and empathize was a tremendous help bringing that needed balance to my life.  I not only benefited physically because of his coaching, but the way I handled stress in my life subsided greatly.  I was able to move forward with some life changing decision I needed to make, like retiring.

Chef Mat is not only a fantastic chef, but his ability to connect with people and share his knowledge of a healthy lifestyle makes him a great health coach and individual.” – Connie from Louisville, KY

“I came to Mat early in 2013 asking for help as I struggled to recover from an unhappy, unhealthy relationship with food.  I also knew he could guide me in making a then-trial of veganism, permanent and health.  But whatever I thought I might get from our time together, my experience with the program over the next 6 months far exceeded it!  I learned about primary foods and secondary foods and now experience a profound satisfaction in all the sustaining areas of my life, not just what I put on my plate.  Thank you Mat for helping me master my finances, reinvigorate my creativity, put work and food in their proper place and get back in the shape that makes shopping fun again!  I have highly recommended this experience to several friends and really think it should not be missed!”
-Carolyn H