How FlyNutrition is elevating the standard for nutritional therapy

You’re flipping through a favorite magazine when suddenly you come across it – “Solve all your nutritional issues TODAY with this one trick!”. You panic. Didn’t you already know everything? Isn’t your big race tomorrow? Should you just “wing it” and try this one trick? Now what?

In a society plagued by diet-culture and misinformation, Kylee Van Horn, RDN offers a fresh and simplistic perspective to nutrition with her holistic and sustainable approach. A former Nutritional Health Coach at Natural Grocers, Van Horn recently branched out to start FlyNutrition, a Carbondale based nutritional counseling service.

“When people hear the word dietitian I think they get scared away because they think restrictions or diets,” Van Horn said. “Maybe they’ve had a bad experience in the past or from something they’ve read or seen — but I think that people need to see that not all dietitians are the same.”

For Van Horn, she believes her clients will find success when their plans reflect their lifestyles. Instead of hooking clients onto quick fix diet plans, Van Horn creates comprehensive nutritional packages built for longterm, sustainable success integrating Eastern and Western science.

“I think taking a holistic approach to nutrition is important,” Van Horn said. “I look at stress levels and if we need to include yoga or meditation into plans. I also look at clients’ sleep schedules to make sure they are on a good routine because that impacts their goals as well. If not, we come up with that as a part of the plan.”

Since starting FlyNutrition, Van Horn has been able to appeal to a wide variety of clients with specialities that include sports nutrition, GI disorders, eating disorders, and weight management. Additionally, Van Horn works at the Valley View Cancer Center providing nutritional therapy for oncology patients.

“I work with any clients — sports nutrition or medical therapy nutrition,” Van Horn said. “You can also use my services in a preventative way to improve your overall health, not just if you have a medical condition.”

Personalized nutritional care

At FlyNutrition, clients are able to choose a nutrition plan that works best for them. If a client has a sports-related goal — such as running the Four Pass Loop or competing in their first skimo race — Van Horn creates plans for everyday training and mid-competition fuel. Clients who are focused on medical nutrition — such as diabetes or weight loss — are able to jumpstart their routines with a one hour initial session and a 45 minute follow-up.

Van Horn emphasizes that each client is unique and there is no “one-size-fits-all” diet. With personalized care, Van Horn is able to regularly check-in with her clients, adapt to their particular schedules, and account for food allergies and intolerances.

“I really like to work with the person,” Van Horn said. “We are all individuals. You can be male, female, transgender — all of that needs to be kept in consideration when talking about what might be best for you. If you just get a plan online it isn’t going to do that.”

Customized meal plans that are tailored to accommodate one’s nutritional needs is an excellent option for people interested in preventive care. For busier or inexperienced clients, Van Horn creates slow-cooker meals that are both nutritious and easy to prepare, whereas the more intermediate clients might receive dynamic meal plans that have more ingredients to keep them interested and satisfied. The plans are offered in either one or three month blocks with the opportunity to change throughout the block depending upon the client’s desire and experience.

“The meal plans are based on what you can realistically do,” Van Horn elaborates. “We need to make sure it is simplistic enough that you can follow a plan. Keeping it simpler is typically better.” The goal, Van Horn notes, is to create sustainable plans that clients will enjoy and continue to follow.

As a research-driven dietitian, Van Horn also provides in-depth counseling for clients who are interested in supplements and herbal remedies. Clients have the opportunity to learn a wide variety of alternative medicines, and whether or not they will benefit the client.

“I have a strong background in supplements and herbalism,” Van Horn said. “I am happy to work with people who want to try alternative methods to compliment their health. If they want to work on their diets and also try turmeric or black cohosh, I know what those herbs do and the safety behind them which is important.”

Making nutritional therapy affordable

More often than not, nutrition is often overlooked when assessing health and wellness. For some individuals, this is a direct result of high healthcare costs that make it difficult to justify extra spending for nutritional services. Fortunately, to mitigate this issue, Van Horn said that clients can budget for one session and still see positive results.

“I think a lot of people might worry that if they don’t get the package they won’t see any changes,” Van Horn said. “Depending upon what they are using it for, I think they can get a lot of benefit from just one session. You then have the ability to choose a follow-up three months from now.”

Van Horn also stresses that nutritional therapy is a pivotal aspect of one’s health journey and should be available for everyone, regardless of economic status. Currently, Van Horn accepts most insurance plans as well as Flexible Savings Accounts. Some clients, depending upon their plans, are eligible for three free preventive nutrition visits per year with no deductible or co-pay. For individuals with no insurance, Van Horn offers discounted services.

“I really want to serve people,” Van Horn said. “By getting the word out that people can take advantage of benefits they already pay into helps them get the preventive care they need.”

So breathe easy, friends of the valley and beyond. Kylee Van Horn, RDN is here to help! Connect with Van Horn on Instagram @flynutrition3 or check out flynutrition.org for blog posts, services, and testimonials. Van Horn is also available for public speaking engagements at your next event.