Wendy Shah, BSc, RD - Co-founder of Craving Change™
Wendy is devoted to helping people make informed, healthy food choices. She loves the challenge of creating innovative ways to excite both individuals and professionals about nutrition and eating. Wendy has worked for over 20 years in the area of chronic disease management and has always had a strong interest in the psychosocial and environmental factors that influence our eating behaviours. She is a strong advocate for patient self-efficacy.
Wendy is recognized for her outstanding ability to write with an entertaining and thought-provoking style, while providing research-based, practical messages. She is the Nutrition Columnist for Apple Wellness magazine and is a frequently requested author for professional and consumer articles for the Dietitians of Canada. Wendy is a past regional recipient of the Dietitians of Canada and Kraft Canada Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award: Excellence in Consumer Communication for her project entitled Personal Investment in Cardiac Health.
Known for implementing original ideas in her practice, Wendy was very keen to collaborate with Dr. Colleen Cannon in the development of a psychoeducational program to help individuals who struggle with their eating. She recognizes that we are all “mind-full” eaters whose eating behaviours are influenced by the many thoughts and feelings filed away in our mind. Wendy believes that addressing the important question of “why” we eat the way we do is the key to developing a healthier relationship with food. She has seen both clients and professionals enthusiastically embrace the refreshing and provocative approach of Craving Change and is keen to share the ground-breaking program with her peers.
Wendy is also a very versatile speaker and has had the pleasure of presenting at a variety of national and regional conferences. This includes a very well-received session on cognitive-behavioural approaches to problematic eating entitled, Food and Mood: Learning to Manage Emotional Eating at the 2007 Dietitians of Canada conference.
Wendy volunteers a considerable amount of her time to the field of dietetics. She is a very active member of the Blood Pressure Canada Public Education task force and recently co-developed a video on hypertension and a slide kit on dietary sodium both of which are available online to health professionals across Canada. Wendy has been a reviewer for a number of Dietitians of Canada projects, including their latest cookbook.
Wendy is a highly respected member of Dietitians of Canada and the College of Dietitians of Alberta. She is currently working with a multi-disciplinary team at a regional Diabetes, Hypertension & Cholesterol Centre. Wendy is a Master Trainer with the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Program.