Wendy Barrett, BSc., N.W.S.

My passion for good food started when I was growing up in the farmlands and vineyards of Cape Town, South Africa. I grew up in a ’non-North American’ culture with NO access to fast food as no such option existed at the time in that country. A Mediterranean-style healthy diet of balanced meals prepared using local produce with a heavy emphasis on fresh vegetables, fruit, seafood, cheeses, olive oil, whole grains, and local wine was the order of the day!

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With an intense fascination for life sciences and particularly the human body, I enrolled in a pre-med BSc. degree at the University of Cape Town and graduated 4 years later with a major in Applied Anatomy and a minor in Chemistry. Years later, after moving to Toronto, my passion for fitness, health and nutrition further inspired me to get certified through CanFitPro as a Personal Trainer / Fitness Trainer and then as a Nutrition and Wellness Specialist. In addition, I later certified as a nutrition specialist for adults over the age of 50 to enhance my understanding of the changing nutritional and lifestyle needs of this important demographic. 

Over the past 10 years, I have worked as a nutritionist providing Nutrition Counseling services to clients both in Toronto and Collingwood with a focus on: eating to balance blood sugar, boost metabolism, gain and lose weight to achieve a healthy weight, optimize energy levels, balance gut microflora, treat chronic systemic inflammation and manage disease.

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I am also currently in the process of becoming a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (R.H.N.) to continue to further my knowledge in the constantly changing field of functional nutrition through the frequent publications and seminars available to me.

I find it tremendously uplifting to be able to help clients make concrete and lasting improvements to their health, through sustained nutritional change. I recognize that preparing nutritionally balanced meals can be very time consuming and I have heard this concern from my clients many times over the years. This ongoing problem led my husband and I to start a nutritional catering service a few years ago called The Second Brain Co. Although we no longer run this service, we greatly enjoyed our time providing high quality & nutritious, ready-made meals for busy working professionals throughout Collingwood and the surrounding areas. 

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I am very excited to be working with the Be Well Collingwood team! Both Dr. Lia Sonnenburg and Dr. Aranka Jones have such a wealth of knowledge in functional medicine, and extensive naturopathic medical experience and I look forward to being able to play a part in supporting clients on their nutritional journey to optimal health!