Andrea Holwegner

Andrea Holwegner BSc, RD

Nutrition expert Andrea Holwegner is the energetic founder and president of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc., based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Since 2000, she has counseled hundreds of individuals, including Olympic athletes, CEOs and families, on the benefits of healthy eating. Andrea spearheads a team of highly trained and experienced dietitians within her practice. She is also known as the chocoholic nutritionist, believing anyone can achieve health without guilt or complexity, and that the secret to success is having fun.

Andrea is one of a handful of Registered Dietitians in North America who are qualified professional speakers. She knows how to deliver relevant content mixed with humor and fun, capturing corporate, association and government audiences with a buzz that's better than caffeine! Her simple ideas elevate productivity, work-life balance and health.

Andrea is a columnist for the Calgary Herald, and regular on-air expert for QR77 Radio, Global Calgary Morning News and CTV Morning News. She has written for CBC News Online and is a member of the Chatelaine Health Advisory Board. Andrea was a dietitian on the Life Network's popular reality weight loss show "Taking it Off" and has appeared on CTV National News and CBC News Today Newsworld. She's also been interviewed by CBC Radio in almost every province in Canada.

As a consultant on health trends and spokesperson for the food, grocery and restaurant industry, companies such as Jugo Juice Canada work with Andrea for her understanding of health-conscious consumers and to enhance credibility of marketing initiatives. Andrea is also the nutrition consultant for Brightpath Early Learning Inc., a publicly-traded company and leader in Canadian childcare.

As an advocate for empowering young women to find their strength and resiliency Andrea supports services and donations to the Juno Foundation specializing in adolescent girls and young women's mental health and eating disorder recovery.

Packed with knowledge, Andrea has/is:

• A Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition & Food Sciences and Dietetic Internship from the University of Alberta.
• A certified Craving Change™ expert specializing in strategies for problematic and emotional eating
• A member of the Dietitians of Canada, the College of Dietitians of Alberta, the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, the Global Speakers Federation, Restaurants Canada & the Canadian Obesity Network
• A media expert for the Dietitians of Canada
• Recipient of a regional award by the Dietitians of Canada:The Speaking of Food & Healthy Living Award for Excellence in Consumer Education.

In her spare time, Andrea enjoys skiing, hiking and mountain biking in the Canadian Rockies. As a foodie she also adores sipping wine with her husband over a delicious meal. Most of all, she loves being a mom and playing in the dirt in the vegetable garden she grows with her son.

Why talk about health, nutrition, stress management and productivity now?

When employee health and nutrition is not maximized, employers have higher health benefit costs and experience more absenteeism and lost productivity. Studies repeatedly show that healthier, less stressed out employees are happier, more creative, and ultimately more productive.

What is Andrea best known for?

• Her energy and ability to simplify complicated medical science into easy and enjoyable solutions.
• Her authentic ability to connect with a wide range of people with a diverse level of knowledge about a universally important topic.
• Her refreshing approach that you needn't be perfect to achieve good health 

Who is the best fit for Andrea's sessions?

1. All industries: A new & different way to think about health, wellness, stress, safety and productivity

• A general health or stress session.  Rather than do the same thing again dive deeper into nutrition which is one of the single most important and neglected aspects of health and stress management at work.   
• A workplace culture/humour/productivity session.  Address these issues from a new, fresh and practical angle.
• A safety session.  Mix up some of the boring safety information and offer the universally important topic of nutrition as a key way to ensure employee productivity, shift work survival and safety.
• Sample topics:
• The Pursuit of Healthiness  Achieve health without guilt or complexity 
• Bite-sized Changes for Supersized Results Guilt-free nutrition for better energy, health & weight management 
• Less Stress & Stealth Health: Why burgers and fries are your secret weapon  (ideal for male audiences)  
• Energized! Healthy Productive Energy  How busy people use nutrition to starve stress & percolate productivity  
• Shift Work Survival  Energy to thrive for energy demanding jobs 

2. Agriculture/Food/Grocery/Restaurant Industry

• Have Andrea do 2 sessions - one session focused on personal (see topics above) and one session focused on business.
• Business session topic: Marketing to Health Conscious Consumers: The needs and trends of consumers that want to be healthier  (Key benefit: enhance credibility, visibility & sales)

3.  HR Professionals/Health & Safety Managers/Benefit Providers 

• Have Andrea do 2 sessions - one session focused on personal (see topics above) and one session focused on business.
• Business session topic: Workplace Nutrition Initiatives: Boost Employee Health & Productivity  (Key benefit: enhanced workplace wellness, health & safety programs; improve employee health & productivity).

Testimonials

"Andrea Holwegner brings huge value and return on investment as an inspiring leader in the nutrition field. She is an upbeat speaker, with credible, practical ideas to share. We have continued to bring her back again and again to speak to our employees. Her message is starting to stick! Our employees are starting to "walk the talk" and as a result of eating better, are returning to work feeling healthier and more energized." Sheri Brake, Manager, Employee Development, IHS Energy

"WOW----We don't have to be perfect. What a relief! Andrea spoke at our annual fall conference, and just lit up the room with her energized, dynamic, and inspiring presentation. The feedback from our participants was just glowing; like they've been renewed and given permission to focus on what really counts at meal time. The real life approach to food and nutrition is so much more attainable and sustainable. Our group consisted of Food and Nutrition managers, dietitians, and food industry reps, and all were engaged with Andrea's messages." Denise Russell, President, Alberta Society of Nutrition Managers

"We can't thank you enough for your contributions to our HealthCare Education day, especially on such tight timelines. The amount of work you put into tailoring your message and your presentation to our crowd was very clear. Your presentation was an incredible opportunity for our customers to take something away not only for their professional lives, but for their personal lives as well. Additionally, your energy and ability to relate to the audience was invaluable as a presenter. Your presentation truly transcended age and time, and everybody was able to relate and walk away with something to help them out. Thank you so much for inspiring that in our customers and in us. We hope to have you back again." Christopher Sprentz, Marketing Manager, SYSCO Calgary

"Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than "lecture" about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don't need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our every day nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!"  Tina Tamagi, Human Resources, ARC Resources Ltd.

"Andrea, your high energy keynote session delivered at our conference was right on target! Your positive contagious energy and humour generated optimism with our group. Your stories and practical tips not only captivated the attention of our group, but inspired us to take charge of our health. We learned that eating well doesn't have to be difficult, and that small changes can really make a difference in how we feel at work every day. Your fresh approach to healthy eating and philosophy that all foods can fit really allowed you to connect with the audience. We look forward to having you speak to our group again. Thanks!" Debra Watt, Manager, Court Services, Alberta Justice

"Andrea's approach to healthy eating not only inspires, but leaves a lasting impression of hope and confidence for success. She has worked with our staff over the last few years in providing us with sessions focused on simple nutrition tips for better energy, health, and weight management. She is an expert in her field and truly knows how to challenge each person to do just a little bit better. Improved nutrition for our staff has excellent returns for better focus and health for work and in our personal lives. Her sessions are always guaranteed for good attendance and we look forward to bringing her back again to motivate us some more!" Michele Flaig,  Health Services, Devon Canada Corporation