Testimonials

Private Coaching Testimonials

• “Gina was a great coach! She has the knowledge and ability to use it in a caring and non-judgmental way. She was not pushy and was sensitive to what I was thinking and feeling. I was going through a life changing event surrounding food. When I started, I was addicted to sugar and tried to eat a no-fat diet - I wondered why I was hungry all the time! Sugar was overtaking my health. I now do not eat any processed sugar (intentionally anyways). I see a direct correlation with the eating of fat and my hunger and the stability of my energy throughout the day. The food choices I have made is a complete 360 degree turn around. I am excited to know that I do have control over what food I eat. During my time working with Gina, I realized that she was taking me to another level of awareness and the change was slow and steady. Without the understanding of what I learned, I would have never been able to make the changes I have made!” - R.L., Burtonsville, MD
   
• "I want to also say how much I have appreciated everything you've done for me over the past 5-6 months. During my darkest times, you were there to pull me through. I don't know if I would have survived this whole ordeal without you. You have given me hope. I feel as if you've given me the tools to continue to move forward. Thank you so much, Gina." - Carol V., Frankfort, IL
   
• "The quality probiotics Gina has educated me on and have helped me get, have been a life saver! Being constantly deployed and unable to control the "food" that I have to eat used to cause great distress to my gut, even with the generic store brand probiotics I had. Now I feel a lot healthier while deployed, and feel that I recover a lot faster after getting back home. Thank you Gina!" - Alex P., Hanover, MD
   
• “I wanted to share an update - I had blood work done last week and the news is great! My CRP was 0.5 and my SED rate was 9. 7 months ago, right before we started working my CRP was 2.9 and my SED was 23! My numbers haven't been that low since I was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2006. Your help was instrumental in getting this far. You have given me such great tools and knowledge and I am continuing to learn and refine and add new things as I go along.” - J.H., NYC, NY
   
• “I had been wanting to change my eating habits. I knew I wasn’t eating a balanced diet but I wasn’t sure how to go about getting on a healthy balanced diet that was sustainable. While seeing an Integrative Medicine doctor, she recommended that I see a nutrition coach. One of my relatives had gone to some of Gina’s classes, so she recommended I contact her. I had talked to some nutritionist in the past so I had some idea of what to expect but Gina wasn’t what I expected, she was actually much more. Gina provided an in depth explanation as to why certain foods are good for my body and why others are not. She went way beyond calories and ingredients. She provided education in why certain foods can’t be digested and how certain foods affect the body. Her explanations of current health conditions in the United States made sense and she had statistics to support her teachings. I feel much better prepared to shop for healthy foods and to prepare a balanced diet for myself and my husband. I’m also much more aware of a wider variety of healthy foods available to me.” - S.S., Greenville, DE

• "I was thinking today about how in our initial consultation I said I didn't like to cook and you told me that I would probably come to enjoy it. And that's true, I am coming to enjoy cooking. So to revise my previous statement, I hate low fat cooking:) Turn me loose with butter, coconut oil and bacon fat and I enjoy it because everything tastes so good and leaves me filled up! Before I thought of food as sort of a necessary evil, I had to eat to live but didn't like to waste the time on it and often I'd come away from a meal feeling worse. I remember times where I'd eat because it was meal time and I felt low blood sugar but my stomach felt so bloated and crampy that nothing sounded appealing. I'd end up eating (the wrong things) and a few hours later I'd be back in the crashed blood sugar, upset stomach place again. No that I realize how good I can feel from eating the right foods and fats, preparing and eating good food is a privilege!" - M.B., Forest Hill, MD
   
• "I am so excited! I hardly feel any hunger nowadays because of all the healthy fats I am eating. You were right. I stopped the addiction, have more energy and am constantly losing weight too!" - S.C., Silver Spring, MD
   
• "Whether you are looking to heal an unhealthy gut to promote your general health, or are looking to change your food intake to whole natural foods and away from processed foods, Gina is a great resource. Try out a class (she offers them on fermenting or eating traditionally, among other things), or see her as an adviser for a few months. Eat better, feel better." - L.K., Columbia, MD.
   
• “I just had a heart check up and I’m doing much better, thanks to you and your diet tips. The Doctor took pics, X-rays and I had to do a treadmill test and I did the whole 10 minutes and the X-rays looked very good. I didn’t know it, but I was at a 35% rate when I had my heart attack and now I’m at a 70% . I feel great and am working at full throttle again...Lost about 18 pounds too!” - J.L., Columbia, MD
   
• "Fellow health coach Gina Rieg was totally fun to work with. Given that we are both certified health coaches you may ask, what the heck? We all have our areas of expertise and Gina's specialty was of particular interest to me and my practice. The GAPS diet helps my eczema, asthma and allergy clients and Gina is an expert having experienced the ups and downs, recipes, side effects and benefits for herself. How better to learn than to work with someone like Gina? My clients are already seeing the benefits of adding GAPS foods into their diet and they have no idea that is what they are doing. My most recent client said, wow I had no idea "health foods" were so delicious! Gina is patient, professional and always follows through with her promises of recipes and website links to find more information. I highly recommend Gina's health coaching services.” - Jolie McShane, President, MidAtlantic Health Coach Association, Timonium, MD
   
• “I had found myself being prescribed with yet another drug to take to address cholesterol and triglyceride counts plus diet and exercise; but which offered only partial successes. The normal gut issues I had been living with since my 20’s were still here and my cycles of stomach discomfort (bloating) as well as my embarrassment of taking yet another pill – pushed me to look at alternatives. My time with Simplistic-Wholistic started with a search for a nutritionist* and I was lucky to find a professional looking website (key for me), with a clinical and holistic approach and made a call to get an initial consult. Within a few days I spent an hour with Gina, who professionally laid out a plan of ‘treatment education’ via a series of discussions. As the course continued, I must have sat there with my mouth open in astonishment such was the shaking to the ground of my existing ‘dietary knowledge’ – which in part is cultural and media based.
  Within a month my bloating and seemingly allergic food reactions began to recede with the introduction of a number of key food types as well as an injection of food choices to enable me to restore my health. I now know the triggers of my complaint – and the best part is that I learned this with Gina rather than getting a diagnosis – hence reinforcing the learning experience and embedding the knowledge.Many of us shop the aisles buying those good to help with diet – what I did not realize; and have now experienced is a higher level of knowledge as to why a certain product may appear to have a dietary effect but instead is aggravating my system in order to clean-out and not support the repair of. So, quickly began the process of unraveling not only my own personal gut issues, but of my clinging to well-regarded dietary codes of behavior. If you want to learn more – go ask Gina!” - T.M., Olney, MD
   
• “Six months later and 20+ pounds lighter, Gina led me through a learning process that was challenging, but life-changing. Gina was very encouraging and willingly answered my questions. Whether it was a technical/metabolic question or a preparation question, she eagerly provided or researched the information I needed. She enthusiastically provided me with recipes to try so that I had a great chance of success preparing foods that were entirely new to me. I would recommend working with Gina if you are willing to lose weight without feeling deprived, and willing to discover or rediscover the satisfaction of preparing and eating ‘real food’. Thanks, Gina, for setting us on this journey. - P.M., Laurel, MD
   
• "Working with Gina was an amazing experience. She taught me how to cook! I can now prepare wholesome meals for myself that make me feel fully satisfied without feeling too full afterwards. It's a great feeling." - J.S., Burtonsville, MD
   
• “I found Gina, my Health Coach, quite by accident. That being said, it was one of the best accidental meetings I've ever been fortunate enough to incur. Gina is true, insightful beyond belief. She is a real listener; not just hearing, but listening. She has helped me understand how I came to where I am. There is NO judgement; there is no shame. There is just honesty and offerings on how to take the next step, however small those steps may be. Always supportive, she urges me to be my best, reminding me that becoming "health conscious" means paying attention, and it's the whole body. More than food intake, it's mind, spirit, and soul. Gina is the best motivator and health coach one could ever ask for.” - J.K., Silver Spring, MD
   
• "My Health & Nutrition Coach, Gina Rieg, has an organized approach to isolate your needs. Together, we set forth a plan for achieving those goals and needs. Accountability is a key factor, along with gentle but clear guidance towards all things holistic. She has even guided me in some areas that I had no idea would be related to my goals; I thought I knew a thing or two about eating/being healthy! Gina's education, personal interest in her clients and general wealth of knowledge and contacts in the world of holistic well-being has raised the bar for me. Her coaching has been life changing!" - V.M., Silver Spring, MD
   
• “Gina's knowledge of nutrition and overall health really motivated me to strive for a better nutritional program for my family. She helped me discover a variety of new foods and she has helped me change my overall mindset of the food industry and how to cut the processed food out of our lifestyle. Her follow-up with recipes and continuous support were amazing and I am cooking a lot better thanks to the coaching I received through Gina!” - S.L., Ellicott City, MD
   
• "When I came to you, I was on Blood Pressure pills 1 per day, I was low in iron, I had irregular CBC count and joint pain. Also, I was diagnosed with acid reflux 6 years ago and been on medicine for that long. My esophagus was sore, my voice was rough and I could not sing. Plus, I had bad breath. I made a change gradually under your coaching thru our bi-weekly meetings. Your successful coaching started showing it’s signs after 6 weeks or so when my Dr. dropped the BP pill to a 1/2 a pill per day. Then a better iron level and a normal CBC count. I changed my food choices, and gradually I got rid of the acid reflux. My throat was better and I can now sing. Even better, my stomach and my breath got much better!" - C.C., Burtonsville, MD

Class & Workshop Testimonials

• "Thank YOU so very much for coming! It was so informative and helpful for the girls and we all really enjoyed it. I know my daughter has been looking at sugars and making some better decisions. It even helped a little with her health test - they were talking about the functions of the pancreas and she was remembering your talk!” - Lori, Kim, & Troop 1851 - Ellicott City, MD
   
• “I cannot thank you enough for your wonderful class. Anita was kind enough to reach out to me a couple of weeks ago with an invitation. Boy, am I glad she did! I was back and forth for days but honestly, it was the best money I have spent on myself - really on my future - in a very long time. I have been interested in learning more about fermented foods for some time. You are the first Health Coach that I have met (in this area) that is an advocate of the Weston Price Foundation. So refreshing!!! Seriously, a couple times in class I thought I was going to come out of my chair and start clapping in response to what you were saying!” - Mary Sczuka, I ACT Certified Colon Hydrotherapist, Baltimore, MD
   
• “I just wanted to say, Thank You! Thank you for giving me the boost of confidence that I need from time to time to believe in my own abilities when it comes to Traditional foods and health. You truly are a Gem!” - T.H., Elkridge, MD
   

• “A few years ago I told a friend that I wanted to get to a place where there was a purpose - a health benefit - for everything that I eat. Your Fermentation Workshop is helping me get there! In addition, it will also help me save money because I'll be able to eliminate taking digestive enzymes. I always prefer to get what I need in food rather than in pills/capsules. Your presentation was fun and informative. You are doing a great job! I look forward to you offering a kefir workshop!” - D.T., Annandale, VA

• “Very useful information that can be put into practice immediately. The information about products and resource information (where to purchase or order) was also very helpful. The level of information and length of presentation were just right. The healthy sweet treats (and the recipe) were a thoughtful bonus.” – Anonymous from “Sugar Blues” (now called “Sweet Talk for Your Sweet Tooth”) workshop
   
• “I recently attended a fermenting workshop led by Gina Rieg of Simplistic Wholistic. It was fun, informative, and empowering! Gina showed the group how easy it is to get started fermenting foods and explained why they're so important for your health. The tasting at the end of the demo was definitely a highlight as well! I couldn't wait to get started fermenting and have already made a recipe I learned in the workshop. Very highly recommended! Thanks Gina!” – H.D., Elkridge, MD
   
• “Thanks, Gina! Want to thank you for a fantastic workshop! This is the best workshop I have ever attended. It is great to be able to walk out the door with the recipes to get started. So, I picked up some supplies on my way home and just made my first jars of fermented food. Made the pickles and the ginger ale for starters and plan on doing the mayo later today. I will take pictures and give you an update in a few days. Can't wait to try my own homemade fermented pickles!” - A.W., Arnold, MD
   
• "I really enjoyed the class and thought you did a wonderful job of explaining and demonstrating everything at just the right pace, especially for someone new to this process, like me. You also answered everyone's questions so well and the class flowed so nicely. I've read about how good fermented foods can be for you so I can't wait to try this out and will be getting some jars soon!! Thanks again Gina!” - M.W., Falls Church, VA
   
• "Gina is a winsome advocate for healthy eating and repair of previous poor eating habits that have resulted in terrible health consequences. She speaks from experience. I have enjoyed her classes very much. She shares easily and genuinely cares for her clients. She has my highest recommendation.” - Anita D., Towson, MD
   
• “Gina’s guided tour of MOM’s (a local health food store) is one of the best classes I’ve ever taken. A couple times I noticed people not even in the class, eavesdropping. Even a lady standing on a ladder stocking shelves stopped me to ask who this teacher is and how she could get in touch with her. If you are interested in healthy nutritional advice, Gina could be your best resource as she has done a lot of research into which companies provide the best products. She’s a natural teacher, willing and eager to answer questions. She has a great philosophy of “good, better, best” which is helpful to prevent you from getting overwhelmed. This class could fit in easily as the first class you’ve ever taken with Gina, OR like me, it was a great class after I’ve taken several of Gina’s other classes.” - K.B., Columbia, MD
   
• “Have you seen Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skulls? At the end of the movie there is a woman who went into the cave where all the skulls are. These crystal skulls hold tons of information. This woman wanted to absorb all the information the skulls knew! I feel like I am that woman and you are one of the skulls :) I am so thankful for you sharing all the information that you do with me. I can't wait to learn more.” - S.C., Silver Spring, MD
   
• The tour of the dietary-world took around 3 ½ months working with Gina, my dietary professor, to understand my own health issues derived from what we are told to accept as health-food. How wrong I was! And I have the success to confirm the’ treatment’ we devised. The iterative process of understanding, learning and treatment (all done with the flair of a management consultant) has changed my views on food types, the food pyramid, the contents of ‘health foods’ and the reasons why some food-stuffs do what they do to us. One session where we discussed the lack of dietary issues in cultures around the world was truly mind blowing - T.M., Olney, MD

RESTART® 5-Week Group Program

"Just thought I would share that even though our RESTART® meetings are over, we are still eating cleaner than before our RESTART® meetings and we are healthier for it. Three cheers for Gina and the RESTART® program! The program was a game changer for me!" - Peggy N., Jessup, MD.