Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Henderson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My passion for nutrition began in college, the very first time I learned how powerful food truly is — how it can heal, energize, and restore balance in the body. I was fascinated by the idea that nutrition isn’t just about eating right; it’s about understanding how food works inside us to nourish and support keeping us healthy from the inside out.
My path to becoming a dietitian wasn’t a straight line as life took me on a few unexpected detours. When I became pregnant, my focus shifted to being a mom first and a wife second. Later, after my husband passed away, I found myself raising three children on my own. For a long time, I poured everything into my family. Yet that quiet spark for nutrition never left — it was just waiting for the right season.
With my children’s blessing, I decided to return to school and finally pursue the passion I’d set aside. I earned my Master’s in Nutritional Science, became a Registered Dietitian, and completed specialized training in Functional Nutrition and Nutrigenomics — the study of how our genes interact with food.
I began my career as a Clinical Dietitian, and that experience taught me a lot about resilience, compassion, and the incredible ability for the body to heal with the right nourishment and support. In the hospital, my focus was helping people recover and regain their health so they could go home to their loved ones. It was meaningful work, but my heart kept pulling me toward helping people before they reached that point of crisis. I wanted to teach others how to restore their health and well-being through the everyday choices that nourish and sustain them. To me, food and lifestyle are the most powerful forms of medicine, and my mission became helping people use them intentionally to support their bodies through every season of life.
Over time, though, I started to feel the same imbalance I saw in my patients. Working full-time in the hospital while building my private practice left me exhausted, gaining weight, navigating menopause, and feeling disconnected from myself. That was my wake-up call. I realized I couldn’t keep teaching others about balance while living out of balance myself.
So, I stepped out in faith, left the hospital, and devoted myself fully to Rethink Your Meal. The business had already existed, but everything shifted — It stopped being just what I did and became who I am. Rethink Your Meal became a reflection of my own healing journey, my purpose, and the way I serve others through personalized nutrition coaching.
Now, every day I get to do the work I love — walking beside my clients, helping them reconnect with their bodies, and teaching them to approach nutrition and health not from a place of judgment, but with curiosity and understanding. I remind them that life choices aren’t failures; they’re feedback opportunities to learn, grow, and come back into balance.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road — but I’ve learned that the best things in life rarely come easy. When I decided to step away from my hospital job and focus fully on Rethink Your Meal, I was terrified. I didn’t have a marketing plan or a team behind me — just a conscious choice to choose faith over fear, trusting that if I showed up, served people well, and stayed true to my purpose, the rest would follow.
I’ve built my business organically, the old-fashioned way — through word of mouth, referrals, and people finding me through their insurance plans that cover Medical Nutrition Therapy.
I’ll never forget one client who left a review that brought me to tears. Their words touched something deep inside me — a gentle reminder that this work isn’t just what I do; it’s what I was shaped to do. That message felt like confirmation from above that I was walking the right path.
From that moment on, everything felt aligned. I knew my purpose was to help people improve their health with small, meaningful changes — one day at a time, one meal at a time. And since then, I’ve never looked back. Every day, I get to do what I love, and love what I do.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Rethink Your Meal?
My business is called Rethink Your Meal, and honestly, the name says a lot about what I do. It’s about learning to look at food — and yourself — in a completely new way. My tagline, “Nourish with Purpose,” captures that perfectly. Because what you eat matters. Food can either nourish and heal the body or weigh it down and create imbalance. My goal is to help people use food intentionally — as their most powerful form of everyday medicine.
I work with adults who are ready to feel better but don’t quite know where to start. Many come to me with prediabetes, diabetes, heart health concerns, fatty liver, autoimmune disease, digestive issues, hormonal changes, chronic kidney disease, or stubborn weight that won’t budge — conditions where nutrition and lifestyle make the greatest impact.
What makes my approach different is that it’s never just about food. I specialize in functional nutrition and nutrigenomics, helping individuals heal from the inside out. Together, we look at how stress, sleep, hormones, and genetics influence how the body functions, then create a plan that fits into real life — not a quick fix or one-size-fits-all diet, but a personalized, compassionate, and holistic approach designed uniquely for them.
I teach my clients how to build balanced meals, find rhythm with food, and support their bodies with what they truly need during the season of life they’re in right now. My approach is deeply personal and rooted in science — we uncover the why behind symptoms and create realistic, sustainable plans that honor the body’s natural rhythms.
When I opened my practice, my goal was simple: to help people see that true healing goes far beyond what’s at the end of your fork. It’s about connection, awareness, and understanding what the body is truly asking for. I want every client to feel supported in uncovering the root causes of imbalance and empowered to take small, meaningful steps toward lasting change.
Because at its core, Rethink Your Meal isn’t just about food — it’s about helping people nourish with purpose, restore balance, and feel at home in their bodies again.
What truly sets my work apart is how personal it is. When someone works with me, I’m not just looking at what they eat — I want to understand their whole story. I listen for the small details, the patterns, and the things that might seem unrelated but often connect everything together.
So many people come to me feeling frustrated or overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition advice out there. They’ve tried what worked for someone else and wonder why it isn’t working for them. The problem isn’t their body — it’s the idea that one plan should fit everyone. My role is to quiet that noise, simplify the process, and help people figure out what their body is truly asking for.
I’m known for taking the science of nutrition and making it simple and relatable. I use real-life examples and analogies that make things click — so instead of getting lost in “scientific jargon,” clients finally understand their bodies in a way that makes sense. That clarity changes everything.
I’m most proud that Rethink Your Meal has become a space where people feel seen, supported, and understood. It’s not about rules or perfection — it’s about grace, progress, and learning to trust your body again. Every small choice matters. Every meal, every walk, every better night’s sleep adds up.
Consistency creates change. It’s those small, steady shifts that lead to new, healthy habits — the kind that actually last. My mission is to help people see that Rethink Your Meal isn’t a diet — it’s a lifestyle transformation. It’s about learning how to eat, live, and care for yourself in a way that supports your body and restores lasting health from the inside out.
As your nutrition coach, my promise is to be both your educator and your advocate — someone who helps you explore new mindsets and approaches with encouragement, honesty, and practical guidance. Your story matters. It shapes every part of your well-being, and my role is to help you connect the dots and create meaningful, lasting change that naturally touches every area of your life.
When you begin nourishing your body with care and intention, everything else starts to shift. It’s about restoring balance and coming back into alignment with how your body was naturally designed to thrive.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are a few different ways to connect with me through Rethink Your Meal, depending on what someone needs most. I work one-on-one with adults who want personalized nutrition support — whether that means improving energy, balancing blood sugar, supporting gut health, or managing chronic conditions. Every session is tailored to the individual, and we go at a pace that feels sustainable.
Because I’m licensed to provide insurance-covered nutrition counseling in 29 states, I can work with clients virtually across much of the U.S. If you have family or friends outside California who could benefit, the most meaningful way to help is to spread the word and have them email me directly at [email protected] (a quick “Hi, I was referred by ___” is perfect).
I also love collaborating with other professionals and organizations — healthcare providers, wellness practitioners, or community programs — through group talks, workshops, and community events. There’s so much power in combining expertise and supporting people from every angle.
Every bit of connection helps share the message that food and lifestyle can be used as medicine — not in a complicated way, but in a way that restores confidence, health, and joy in living well.
Pricing:
- I offer virtual nutrition coaching that’s convenient, confidential, and flexible — with both day and evening hours available from the comfort and privacy of your own home. All services include a comprehensive nutrition assessment, medication review, nutrition education coaching, and a customized nutrition wellness plan designed around your individual goals and needs. For an additional out-of-pocket cost, you can add traditional or functional lab testing or a comprehensive lab results review if you’d like to take a deeper dive into your health. My goal has always been to make functional nutrition accessible, personal, and judgment-free for everyone. That’s why I’ve partnered with major insurance plans such as Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem, UnitedHealthcare, and many more — many of which include preventative coverage for Medical Nutrition Therapy. This means clients often pay little to no out-of-pocket cost to receive evidence-based, professional nutrition guidance designed to help them get back on track and achieve their personal health and wellness goals. For those whose insurance doesn’t include nutrition benefits, I also offer private-pay options, discounted package rates, and flexible payment plans to make care affordable and accessible for everyone. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to schedule a 10-minute Discovery Call to see if Rethink Your Meal — which focuses on using food and lifestyle as your health medicine of choice — is the right fit for you. Just visit rethinkyourmeal.com and click on Get in Touch.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rethinkyourmeal.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinemhenderson/
