Food as Medicine Certification Summit

Credit

Speaker

Cindi Lockhart, RDN, LD, IFNCP Related seminars and products

Lockhart Wellness Solutions, LLC

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Cindi Lockhart, RDN, LD, IFNCP, is board-certified as an integrative and functional nutrition practitioner with over 30 years in professional practice. She has trained nutrition, fitness, and medical practitioners throughout most of her career, yet maintains a personal practice with clients as she believes that the only way she can effectively educate and inspire other practitioners is through her own practical experience with clients. In addition to educating on how Food is Medicine, Cindi also specializes in coaching clients and practitioners on the importance of managing stress, optimizing sleep, proper exercise and movement, and reducing exposure to environmental toxins. Cindi has extensive expertise in women’s health issues including perimenopause/menopause and thyroid dysfunction as well as autoimmunity, gut health, weight management, cardiometabolic health (insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease), fasting, histamine intolerance, mold detox, and long COVID.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Cindi Lockhart is the owner and founder of Lockhart Wellness Solutions, LLC. and is a contributing author for Experience Life Magazine. She receives compensation from Fullscript. Cindi Lockhart receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations have been mitigated.
Non-financial: Cindi Lockhart is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians in Integrative & Functional Medicine, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and the Integrative & Functional Nutrition Academy.

Vanessa Ruiz, ND, RN-BSN Related seminars and products

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Vanessa Ruiz, ND, RN-BSN is a dedicated Naturopathic Physician and Registered Nurse, renowned for her holistic approach to mental health and chronic diseases. With a doctorate from Sonoran University in Tempe, AZ, and honors in nursing from Stony Brook University in NY, Dr. Ruiz blends evidence-based practices with natural treatments to provide comprehensive care for her patients. Her multifaceted background includes clinical research and extensive training in therapeutic modalities such as Homeopathy, Neurofeedback, and Mayan Medicine.

Dr. Ruiz utilizes her expertise in functional nutrition to address chronic illness and the impact of toxic stress on aging. She is deeply committed to improving the quality of life for older adults by tailoring nutrition and lifestyle strategies to enhance longevity and well-being. Her personalized approach to healthcare empowers patients to take control of their health and thrive as they age.

A national speaker on integrative health and resiliency, Dr. Ruiz has trained thousands of healthcare professionals on integrative and functional medicine, known for her ability to distill complex ideas into simple, easy-to-understand concepts for her audience. In this talk, she will share insights into the transformative power of nutrition in promoting healthy aging and managing chronic conditions.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Vanessa Ruiz maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with AZ Trauma Institute, Essential Therapy Training, and Nurses for Natural Health. She is the president of Integrative Wellness Strategies and a consultant with Integrative Mental Health. Dr. Ruiz receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She serves on the advisory board for Evergreen Certifications. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Vanessa Ruiz has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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Objectives

1. Apply quick patient assessment tools to evaluate nutritional status, stress levels, and autonomic nervous system function in clinical practice.
2. Analyze how oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and blood sugar dysregulation drive disease progression in patients.
3. Evaluate food labels, ingredient lists, and beverage choices to identify hidden sources of inflammation and guide patient education.
4. Differentiate between omega-3s, saturated fats, and trans fats to make evidence-based fat recommendations for patients.
5. Determine adequate protein requirements for diverse patient populations and identify when intake is insufficient.
6. Evaluate supplement quality, bioavailability, and evidence-based applications to build personalized protocols and avoid ineffective products.
7. Distinguish between food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances and apply the N of 1 approach to guide elimination protocols.
8. Assess gut function through digestion, intestinal permeability, microbiome health, and the estrobolome to identify root causes of systemic dysfunction.
9. Apply the 5R protocol (Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair, Rebalance) to create step-by-step gut healing plans for patients.
10. Compare the Standard American Diet to anti-inflammatory diets and determine which components drive or reduce disease risk.
11. Evaluate popular diets (Mediterranean, Paleo, Keto, Vegan, Intermittent Fasting) and determine appropriate applications based on patient health status and goals.
12. Analyze the roles of ghrelin, leptin, and insulin in appetite regulation and metabolic health.
13. Develop evidence-based nutrition strategies for patients on GLP-1 medications to optimize outcomes and minimize side effects.
14. Assess how lifestyle factors (diet, stress, sleep, exercise, environmental toxins) impact thyroid function, sex hormones, cortisol, and insulin sensitivity.
15. Apply behavior change frameworks to address food guilt, compliance fatigue, and homeostatic vs. hedonic eating patterns in order to build sustainable nutrition plans with patients.
16. Investigate the food-mood connection and apply nutrition strategies to support patients with anxiety, depression, insomnia, and chronic fatigue.
17. Design personalized food-as-medicine protocols for complex cases including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, autoimmunity, chronic pain, and post-viral syndromes.
18. Determine when histamine intolerance, mast cell activation syndrome, or other emerging conditions require specialized nutritional interventions.
19. Integrate sleep hygiene strategies, stress management techniques, and circadian rhythm alignment into patient care plans while recognizing red flags and appropriate referral criteria.

Outline

01 — Food as Medicine: The Foundation
The clinical lens that changes every patient encounter.

• Oxidative stress, chronic inflammation & mitochondrial health
• Patient assessment tools: interpretation, application & reassessment
• Diet recall methods: matching the tactic to the patient
• Reading food labels: what actually matters
• Beverages, sweeteners & hidden inflammatory triggers
• Psychology of food choices: homeostatic vs. hedonic drivers
• Food guilt, compliance fatigue & why knowing better ≠ doing better
• Building sustainable behavior change & long-term patient independence

02 — Sleep, Stress & Circadian Health: The Missing Pieces
The missing pieces that explain why everything else isn't working.

• Patient assessment tools for sleep & stress
• Nutrition's impact on sleep, cortisol & nervous system regulation
• Blood sugar stabilization, meal timing & circadian alignment
• When fasting helps — and when it harms
• Sleep hygiene & stress management for clinical practice
• Wearables & resources for ongoing patient support
• Red flags & when to refer out

03 — Gut Health: The Root of Everything
Fix the gut. Fix the patient.

• Digestion, absorption & digestive enzyme function
• Hypochlorhydria & long-term PPI consequences
• Leaky gut, zonulin & the gluten connection
• The microbiome: bacteria, hormone metabolism & inflammation
• Gut-immune-brain axis & healthy elimination (Bristol scale)
• The 5R Protocol: step-by-step gut healing framework
• Prebiotics, probiotics & postbiotics: which to use when
• Post-antibiotic gut restoration

04 — Macros, Micros & What Really Matters
Cut through the noise. Here's what the evidence actually says.

• Ultra-processed vs. whole vs. organic: quality over quantity
• Navigating the 2026 dietary guidelines with patients
• Fats: omega-3s, saturated fats & the real evidence
• Carbohydrates: when to restrict, what to include
• Protein: actual requirements & why most patients fall short
• Visual portion tools you can teach in 2 minutes

05 — Food Reactions: Allergies, Sensitivities & Intolerances
Know the difference. Know what to do next.

• Allergies vs. sensitivities vs. intolerances: clinical distinctions
• When to test vs. when to trial
• When & how to refer for elimination protocols
• Low FODMAP, AIP vs. SCD & Low Histamine approaches

06 — Diet Wars: Finding the Right Fit for Your Patients
Stop guessing. Match the diet to the patient.

• Standard American vs. anti-inflammatory: side-by-side
• N of 1 approach & nutrigenomics: precision nutrition
• Mediterranean, Paleo, DASH: when to recommend each
• Keto, low-carb & high-protein: evidence & application
• Intermittent fasting & fasting-mimicking: when they help vs. harm
• Vegan & vegetarian: preventing nutrient deficiencies
• How to know if a patient's diet is working — or isn't

07 — Metabolism, Weight & the GLP-1 Revolution
The clinical conversation has changed. Get ahead of it.

• Metabolic flexibility vs. caloric balance
• Weight loss resistance: it's not about compliance
• Appetite hormones: ghrelin, leptin & what actually works
• Nutrition for GLP-1 patients + post-GLP-1 transition
• Nutrition to support physical activity & recovery
• How underfeeding destroys metabolic function
• BMI in clinical practice: still useful?
• Reverse dieting: implications & application

08 - Supplements: Separating Science from Snake Oil
What to recommend, what to skip, how to explain the difference.

• The foundational five most patients could benefit from
• Quality: third-party testing, bioavailability & effective forms
• Drug-nutrient interactions: assessment & referral guidance
• Evaluating claims: what's worth the money
• Food first vs. when supplementation is warranted
• Building & sequencing personalized supplement protocols

09 - Food as Medicine for Common Chronic Conditions
The complex, multi-system cases most trainings leave out — covered in depth.

• Cardiometabolic: diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia & NAFLD/NASH
• Thyroid & hormones: hypothyroidism & nutritional support
• Mental health: anxiety, depression & the food-mood connection
• Energy & sleep: insomnia & chronic fatigue
• Pain & inflammation: chronic pain, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis
• Autoimmunity: IBD & anti-inflammatory protocols
• Post-viral syndromes: long COVID, EBV & related conditions
• Mold & toxic exposures: food & environmental factors
• MCAS, EDS & POTS
• Case reviews & complex multi-condition management

Target Audience

• Athletic Trainers
• Chiropractors
• Nurses
• Nurse Practitioners
• Physical Therapists
• Physical Therapist Assistants
• Physician Assistants
• Physicians
• Other Rehab and Healthcare Professionals