Meet Samina Qureshi, RD

Owner of Wholesome Start Nutrition Counseling

Having a dietitian as part of Heart of Houston’s collaborative professional team is essential and we are delighted to have Samina Qureshi, owner of Wholesome Start, partnering with us. Samina is kind, compassionate, and tenacious. On our first phone conversation she stopped me in my tracks and corrected me on something, and I love that about her. As a Registered Dietitian, she is passionate about providing holistic care which empowers her community to nourish their bodies and feel their best without rigid diets, stress, guilt, or shame.

Through nutrition counseling, Samina’s clients are able to heal their relationship with food and body image and support their pre-and postnatal health goals. She believes that all foods fit within a balanced diet and celebrates body size and cultural diversity. Samina's wellness philosophy includes a holistic approach that combines evidence-based nutrition therapy, mind-body practices, intuitive eating, joyful movement, sleep hygiene, stress management, and other lifestyle practices to help her clients feel their best.

Seeing people make peace with food and body image motivates her. Many of her clients come to her after trying countless fad diets or wellness trends only to be disappointed with their outcomes. “I love that I am able to help women take care of their bodies in a way that supports their mental, physical, and emotional health. Many of my clients can’t believe how much time and energy they gain after ditching diet culture in an effort to focus on what helps them feel their best!”

"Many of my clients think that the first step in being healthier is to make restrictive changes to their diet or lifestyle. This couldn’t be further from the truth!"

A common theme Samina sees in the women and families she works with is the belief that cutting out certain foods or food groups is key to eating a healthy diet. With all the information we have access to including social media, it’s hard to differentiate between helpful and harmful messages when trying to take care of your health. "Many of my clients think that the first step in being healthier is to make restrictive changes to their diet or lifestyle. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Instead of eliminating foods from your diet, I take an approach that looks at what foods we can enhance your diet with to support your health. After working with me, clients learn how to make small changes to their daily routine that improve their health and quality of life!"

Occasionally, a person may be advised or believe they should restrict a certain type of food from their diet. This happens frequently with breastfeeding mothers and can easily contribute to not only nutritional deficiencies for mothers, but anxiety, depression, poor infant binding, and early cessation of breastfeeding. Too often mothers focus on all the things they can’t eat rather than expanding out to see all the things they can. Listening to Leah Jolly, of Bay Area Breastfeeding and Education, and Samina talk about this together was inspiring and affirming.

Heart of Houston's design which encourages true collaboration between professionals is exciting and unique in our Houston community. Samina believes coordination of care is key in providing holistic care. Therapists and dietitians traditionally partner together, and she feels that Heart of Houston’s facility will make that collaborative process even more inviting. In addition to a mental health practitioner and lactation consultant she would love to collaborate with a pelvic floor therapist or yoga teacher who can implement deep breathing techniques and offer tips to reduce stress and strengthen our bodies in a gentle and healing way!

To all of this I say, Yes, Yes, Yes! I can't wait to see these partnerships bloom and grow when Heart of Houston open's its doors, but you don't have to wait for us. Samina is available now through virtual visits and offers a free 15 minute consultation.