Kelly Springer’s first brush with the devastation wrought by pediatric cancers was ten years ago. She and her daughters participated in a 5K run organized to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and patient programs at a nearby hospital. While attending the event, Springer met the father of an 8-year-old Leukemia patient who had passed away due to complications from a bone marrow transplant.
“It was just so sad. I got to run with my two little girls and he was standing there next to me and he’d lost his. Any child that is suffering really tugs at your heartstrings, especially when you’re a mother,” said Springer.
The experience motivated Springer, founder of nutritional consulting company Kelly’s Choice, to take a more active role in raising funds for pediatric cancer research. To that end, Springer has partnered with the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation as Headline Sponsor of the 2024 Reaching for the Cure presented by AutoNation Toyota Irvine. She is also serving as our in-house Wellness Expert.
Springer explains that nutrition education is important because of just how much our lives are affected by the foods we eat. From enhancing athletic performance and maintaining a healthy sleep cycle to reducing inflammation and improving mental and emotional health, “Our wellness starts with and can be improved with good nutrition,” Springer explains.
Despite this, obtaining actionable nutrition advice hasn’t always been easy. A lot of people, Springer says, are nervous about asking questions. Then, of course, there are the misconceptions some people have about what dieticians are like.
“I think dietitians have been known as the ‘food police’ for way too long. The majority of dietitians in the past were clinical dieticians. There weren’t a lot of people doing outward community-based education like we do. We’re oriented towards prevention and education. That’s where food should be fun and enjoyable. We want to share tasty recipes and empower parents to educate kids in an exciting way,” Springer says.
Throughout the month of March, which is National Nutrition Month, Springer is penning a weekly column for our Unstoppable blog. The articles will appear every Friday and will address topics we believe will be of particular interest to our community. This includes:
March 8: Using Nutrition to Fuel Performance (including sports, learning, and workplace performance)
March 15: Smart and Simple: Easy Nutritious Food Swaps for Families
March 22: The Role of Nutrition in Mental Wellbeing
March 29: Kelly’s final column will answer reader questions. You can submit all queries for Kelly by writing info@pcrf-kids.org.
Kelly Springer will also have a presence in the Wellness Zone at the 2024 Reaching for the Cure, where visitors will be able to ask her questions and learn more about the various services offered by her company, Kelly’s Choice.
In addition to employing an array of registered dieticians with different areas of expertise, Kelly’s Choice offers a wide range of nutritional services, including one-on-one counseling sessions, an intensive 12-week Transformation Program, and an all-new, comprehensive Core Monthly Subscription. Signing up for a subscription gives clients access to an exercise tracker, a symptoms tracker, meal recipes, a food journal with dietician feedback, a library of over 250 nutritional education videos, real-time live text chats with registered healthcare professionals, and more.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re age 5 or 105, anyone can utilize this information,” Springer says. “We intentionally designed the subscription so that people who use it can have 24/7 access.”
“Nutrition research is always growing and expanding and changing. There’s a lot of information to cipher through and a lot of misinformation as well. That’s why, at Kelly’s Choice, our dietitians have expertise in different fields. There’s a vast amount of information to understand, from how nutrition relates to different diseases, can help us heal emotionally and physically, and can best be used by different audiences – be it teens, new moms or athletes – to improve overall wellbeing and life satisfaction,” Springer says.
“Part of the reason I want to partner with PCRF is to help improve the ease and access people have to registered dietitians. I want to help more people have access to true, research-based nutrition education.”
Make sure to come back every Friday in March to read Kelly’s columns and look for her in the Wellness Zone at the 2024 Reaching for the Cure. Of course, you can also check out her website, kellyschoice.org, to consider her services. Kelly is donating 10% of any subscription sales made with one of these links to PCRF.
Have a Question?
Do you have a question about health and wellness that you’ve always wanted to ask a registered dietician? Send an email to info@pcrf-kids.org and PCRF’s Wellness Expert Kelly Springer may answer it in her March 29 blog post!
Check back next Friday for our story: A Guide to Optimizing Performance Through Nutrition.
