I’m Grace, your
Dietitian Nutritionist

Grace Aguirre, Registered Dietician Nutritionist and Founder of Lens of Grace Nutrition

Grace Aguirre, MS, RDN, IFNCP

I specialize in integrative approaches that address the root of your complex metabolic and nutrition challenges.

Putting YOU First.
Your Path to True Wellness!

Welcome to LGN…

WHERE IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU.

Drawing from experience in my own health journey and experience in assisting hundreds of individuals like you to discover lasting solutions, I've realized one crucial thing: it's not about me, how awesome I can present myself through all my credentials and fancy words.

IT’S ABOUT YOU.

At LGN, I harness my specialized training and experience to understand you truly – the specifics of what's happening, including your unique circumstances, everything you've attempted to get well, and precisely where you aspire to be.
And now, here comes the thrilling part...

WE GET YOU THERE!

I get it, you're at a crossroads of health, trying to navigate symptoms that refuse to budge. If you're nodding along, know you're in good company. Countless individuals, including myself, have faced the same intricate web of health struggles and overwhelming online advice, all while seeking a way out.

PICTURE THIS…

A day where energy and clarity greet you every morning, and your body feels like a partner in life. Where food is no longer your enemy, but both a friend and warrior on your side! Imagine stepping into a world where restrictive diets and excessive amounts of caffeine and supplements are distant memories, not daily requirements.

IT’S TIME TO MAKE THIS VISION A REALITY.

The struggle you face – from relentless fatigue to stubborn extra pounds in the midsection– has roots deeper than you might realize. I understand the frustration, the search for answers, and the desire to regain your vibrancy.

At LGN, I don't deal in quick fixes. I offer a fresh perspective on healing, one that addresses multiple dimensions and true root-causes. As a Functional Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I guide you through a journey of discovery, uncovering what exactly is going on in YOUR life that is interfering with your ability to reach your full potential

What to Expect on Our Journey Together…

The LGN Roadmap

CoreTenets

Mindset Cultivation

Optimized Movement

Circadian Rhythms

Personalized Nutrition

Stress Management

Environmental Detox

Frequently Asked Questions

  • MS - Master of Science (Nutritional Sciences)

    RDN - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

    IFNCP - Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner

    CLT - Certified LEAP Therapist

  • Functional nutrition is an approach to nutrition that focuses on the functions of the body and underlying imbalances in the body's systems rather than just treating symptoms. It takes into consideration an individual's unique biochemistry, genetics, lifestyle, and environment to determine specific nutritional needs.

    The goal of functional nutrition is to address the root causes of health issues by promoting optimal functioning of the body's systems. Practitioners of functional nutrition use a personalized and holistic approach, considering factors such as nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, gut health, and inflammatory responses.

    Functional nutrition often includes dietary changes, supplementation, lifestyle modifications, and stress management to support overall health and address specific health concerns. It aims to empower individuals to take an active role in their health by understanding and addressing the unique factors influencing their well-being.

  • Yes. Because LGN is a Functional and Integrative practice, functional and specialty tests are leveraged to aid in pinpointing exactly what is going on. This helps us get to the true root-cause of your health challenges and allows us to set up a custom plan that is not only effective, but saves lots of trial and error time. And let’s be honest, few of us have “non-precious” time that we want to waste. All of our time is precious!

  • No. Some clients choose to skip testing for one, or multiple reasons. In many cases, the direction we need to go is obvious and testing may not be necessary in the beginning, or even at all. Because tests are an additional financial investment and results might not always change course of action, we might identify and choose a healing plan together that can take you to your destination before testing, then perform tests later if/as needed.

  • Absolutely! LGN has the options for healing plans that include special genetic considerations. Since everyone is unique in their genes and may have some unique metabolic challenges and consideration, we are always excited to include 3x4 genetic tests as powerful tools for those who are interested.

  • Yes! As a Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT) I believe that identifying and removing food sensitivities can be one of the most important steps in one’s healing journey. For my ideal candidates, I use Oxford Biomedical Lab Mediator Release Test (MRT) which is one of the one validated and most reliable tests available for identifying true food sensitivities. This test is different from other common tests which are less reliable and only look at antibodies against foods rather than how your cells ACTUALLY react to foods. This test guides us in building your custom eating plan designed to combat chronic symptoms that may be triggered by food sensitivities. This protocol is called “LEAP” which stands for Lifestyle Eating And Performance.

    While the LEAP protocol is not for all individuals, I do often recommend this for those suffering from chronic symptoms that have proven to be resistant to other routine therapies. We can discuss this option for you in more detail during our first call together!

  • I am a Certified LEAP Therapist (CLT). I believe that identifying and removing food sensitivities can be one of the most important steps in one’s healing journey. For my ideal candidates, I use Oxford Biomedical Lab Mediator Release Test (MRT) which is one of the one validated and most reliable tests available for identifying true food sensitivities. This test is different from other common tests which are less reliable and only look at antibodies against foods rather than how your cells ACTUALLY react to foods. This test guides us in building your custom eating plan designed to combat chronic symptoms that may be triggered by food sensitivities. This protocol is called “LEAP” which stands for Lifestyle Eating And Performance.

    While the LEAP protocol is not for all individuals, I do often recommend this for those suffering from chronic symptoms that have proven to be resistant to other routine therapies. We can discuss this option for you in more detail during our first call together!

  • Great news for you, the answer is — not usually! What happens is people who have chronic inflammation triggered by food sensitivities are often unable to get their inflammation under control as long as they are eating these foods in intolerable doses, which keeps their immune system in an overdrive state. If we can remove food triggers to help calm the immune system and heal the gut lining it is not uncommon for people to develop a new (higher) tolerance level for the foods that previously they were more sensitive to.

    The LEAP protocol is all about identifying your tolerable threshold for a more flexible and diverse diet, and then monitoring this overtime to ensure the least amount of restriction in your diet as possible. This differs from most other elimination diets, which struggle to identify what exact foods are triggering systemic symptoms, and could leave a person stuck on a cycle of continuously applying an extremely restrictive diet unnecessarily. And as we know, not only are highly restrictive diets the remove too many foods from the diet, incredibly stressful on an individual which could even further exacerbate symptoms, they also often result in an inadequate nutrient intake, which could cause a person to feel and become even more ill in the long run.

  • Great news for you, IBS is my jam! Part of my story includes a long personal history of IBS as well as an advanced training and professional experience in this area. Together you and I will look more closely at your symptoms and investigate the root cause of your IBS so that you can begin living a life free of annoying and even debilitating symptoms! No avoiding social or new situations because you never know when a flair will happen!

  • Yes! In working together we will go over your symptoms, complete health history, any tests/labs you have had already, and your current diet and routines. If necessary, we will order a breath test (most recently considered more of the “gold standard” of SIBO diagnosis) and base your treatment plan based on our overall assessment.

  • Yes! LGN is all about sustainable health and nutrition while using a root-cause approach. Weight loss diets are proven over and over again to be UN-sustainable and most people who lose weight on restrictive diets end up gaining back more than they lost while on the diet. If you ask me, this means they do NOT work and usually cause more damage than healing. Part of the issue with restrictive weight loss diets is that they are usually not getting to the root of the issue. If you are not getting evidence-based answers to the questions of WHY there is a weight issue in the first place, then weight loss strategies are going to be a miss. At LGN we get to the core of more weight issues which is usually a combination of psychology and physiology and needs an individualized approach. Let’s get you the support you need to tackle weight issues once and for all!

  • Because LGN is a results driven practice, we operate in packages to ensure that you have all the support and resources you need to identify and remove roadblocks and transport yourself all the way to the end goal without getting derailed by setbacks.

  • While I truly believe in complete transparency, I also believe that each client is unique and requires the best quality care, which does not look the same for each person. It is preferred that you book a free call with me so that together we can talk about your exact needs and I can make the best recommendations for you. In other words, packages are assembled and presented based on the clients needs.

    During your free call with me I will provide some actionable steps that you can take right away for your situation and let you know what services I have and feel will best meet your needs. I can also provide referrals to one of my amazing colleagues who might be more specialized in your exact needs!

  • LGN is an out-of-network (OON) provider. This means that in order to receive insurance coverage for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) services from LGN, you must submit a “superbill” to your insurance for reimbursement. I provide superbills to my clients which is a receipt for the services received and includes service codes (CPT codes) and the applicable diagnosis/conditions (ICD-10 codes).

    To help aid you in the process of getting reimbursement, I also provide call scripts that you can use with your insurance. This script will help you verify what services are covered and how to submit claims for reimbursement.

  • Yes! As a healthcare provider, FSA/HSA cards are accepted here! We are also happy to provide all necessary documentation needed for your card holder to ensure eligibility of the transaction.

  • Hiring a health expert is a big deal and a highly personal decision. You work hard to acquire resources and are less likely to want to gamble it all away. This includes time! It’s important to do your homework to determine what your needs are and build up the team of experts around you to help support you in all the ways you need. Each professional has a unique skill set which includes their training, experience, personality and personal story.

    I share some information on my home and about page with my potential clients in hopes of helping them determine if I am a good fit for them based on their needs. I also start all of my clients with a clarity call which helps me learn about you and offer the resources I have. Ultimately, I want you to choose what is best for YOU, whether it is with me, one of my esteemed colleagues or someone/thing else you found that is sure to get you where you want to go.

    I am happy to play a role in your journey any way I can! My clarity calls are free so feel free to book any time you wish to discuss your options 😃

About Me

Since we’ll be working closely together, I’d love to introduce myself and tell you a little more about my own personal journey. 

I grew up in Sacramento County, where I currently reside. I first became interested in nutrition as a teenager, when I started paying attention to calories and trying to “be healthy,” which was code for lose weight. 

I grew up surrounded by diet culture which had permeated every aspect of my life since a very young age. Since body image and emotional issues around eating are our culture’s jam, I witnessed all the women in my life, including my mom, hate their bodies and fight against the power that food seemed to have over them. They continuously started a new diet and complained about how hungry they were, how “bad” they were, or how guilty they felt every time they ate something (that I perceived as good) and praised themselves when they ate something boring. Well…at least it looked that way to me, “boring.” Food always seems to be a moral issue which was confusing to me at first. Until one day I began to embrace this unfortunate perspective.

Meanwhile, life is so busy busy busy all the time so I also got to witness the damage caused by those trying to balance work, parent, complete all the chores, serve at the church, help others in need, maintain a social life, and attempt to squeeze in exercise (to burn calories of course) all while trying to maintain another restrictive diet and constant negative self-talk. What I was actually witnessing was my role models burning the candle at both ends with not enough fuel for the flames! But as a young lady, all I knew was that this was a normal and applauded way of life. The life I was soon to attempt to live. 

Fast forward to me in college. Extreme stress (relationships, family, finances, school, housing, depressing media, etc.), a love-hate relationship with myself and my body (but mostly hate), a full blown eating disorder, restrict-binge dieting cycles, intense food preoccupation and cravings, intense exercise (to burn calories, or build muscle to burn calories and get “toned”), a diagnosis of GERD, severe stomach pains (ulcers), gas, bloating, abnormal bowel movements, hair loss, anxiety, and a list of other symptoms. 

The astonishing part was I had no idea anything was wrong! I genuinely considered myself pretty healthy and happy (which I’m grateful for!) Sure, I saw the doctor for my GERD and bloating and landed myself in the ER from stomach pain, but in my mind, that stuff just happened to me, and wasn’t really that big of a deal. The stress, anxiety, stubborn pounds that came and went no matter how hard I tried to keep it off, and need for caffeine to keep me going all looked just like my peers and role models so, you know, keep on keepin’ on! I “knew” I was healthy because I was doing all the things healthy people are supposed to do and if asked, I was quite pleased with myself and my honest efforts! Plus the doctor gave me some awesome stomach acid-reducing pills I just needed to take every morning before eating which made my stomach feel better.  Boom. Problem solved. Not!!  At the time, I had no idea that my honest and educated attempt at being “healthy” was directly related to the issues I was having (and getting worse), or that I was even having issues! I needed a mindset check and a fresh perspective on how to heal my damaged metabolism, naturally. 

It wasn’t until I landed into the lap of a functional registered dietitian in one of my internship rotations that my eyes were opened to the world of integrative and functional nutrition therapy. It was this preceptor that helped me see health and dietetics from a whole new lens. I started to see how my health was not actually optimal and how my current lifestyle and Western medicine mindset/beliefs were at the root of it all! My life was changed from that point on. I began studying more and more, far beyond what I was taught in school, about the intricacies of the human body including the gut microbiome which makes up almost 90% of the DNA in our body! My life and career was changed for the better. I must also emphasize that my faith played a significant role in my journey to recovery. Especially as it relates to the mindset and mental health aspect of it all. 

Now, fast forward to me, 10 years later, without delving into too many details. After I slowly dug myself out of the lies I believed about myself and how to take care of my body and mind, I am now honestly healthier and more at peace than I have ever been or ever dreamed I’d be. I once heard it said that we should not be getting more UNHEALTHY as we age, we should be getting HEALTHIER as we have more time to learn and apply wisdom on how to take care of and support our amazing bodies! I actually always believed this which played a key role in my pursuit to better health and better practice and a registered dietitian that is committed to my clients 100%!

As a client of mine, you can rest assured that you will receive the same level of care and understanding that I applied to myself throughout my personal journey. With years of advanced training and experience serving hundreds of individuals, I bring a unique approach to nutrition that encompasses compassion and grace. I believe in digging deep and using my keen detective skills to uncover hidden blind spots and address root causes that may be hindering your progress. Together, we will navigate your health concerns, weight struggles, and other challenges, working towards sustainable and transformative results. I am committed to guiding you on a path towards optimal well-being and helping you unlock your body's innate ability to heal.

From the Blog…

Is My Food Real?