A Q&A with Natalie Betzer of Peachy Green

Peachy Green is an unconventional solution to being healthy and well and locally based out of  Austin. Certified Nutrition Specialist and founder of Peachy Green, Natalie Betzer, is a wealth of information and an expert in her field. She earned a Master’s in Clinical Nutrition from the Maryland University of Integrative Health and completed her Functional Nutrition residency under Dr. Kara Fitzgerald. Thanks to Peachy Green, we can also learn Natalie’s secrets to being healthy and well without getting a Master’s degree of our own. Peachy Green takes a personalized approach to nutrition and wellness, so whether your problem is sleep, stress, mood, digestion or weight, Natalie will analyze your lifestyle and health history so you can have a health plan that is right for you and your individual needs. 

Not only is Betzer brilliant, but she’s also just a wonderful person to be around. This month, AFM spoke with the Peachy Green founder to learn a little more about PG from the health expert herself before her time is completely booked by her growing list of clientele. 

AFM: What is Functional Nutrition and how did you first discover it?

PG: Functional Nutrition is a type of nutritional therapy practiced under the broader umbrella and ideology of Functional Medicine. 

Since Functional Nutrition is one aspect of Functional Medicine, many of the same values apply. Functional Nutrition requires a detailed and holistic understanding of the whole person.

Rather than suppressing or masking symptoms, we see your symptoms as information or clues to better understand potential imbalances in the body. Instead of viewing symptoms in isolation, we view the body as a whole from a systems-based approach. By looking at the body through this lens, we can better understand where the imbalance may have originated and how it could be impacting or influencing other areas of the body. We leverage this information to direct personalized wellness & nutrition plans that lead to improved client outcomes.

Functional Nutrition is all about a collaborative relationship with the client. We aim to empower clients by educating them with the WHY behind recommendations and strive to make every client feel heard, valued and genuinely cared for.

I’m grateful to have first discovered Functional Nutrition through my Master’s program at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. It was important to me to select a school and program that integrated a holistic approach with contemporary science and evidence-informed practice. 

Courtesy of Peachy Green.

AFM: What is Peachy Green’s philosophy regarding health and wellness?

PG: The Peachy Green philosophy is all about utilizing an individualized, holistic approach to address the root cause of symptoms and ultimately promote each client’s highest expression of health. I place a specific emphasis on fostering a healthy relationship with food, teaching clients how to listen to their body, eat intuitively and make healthy decisions from a place of love and kindness, instead of judgment and restriction. It’s with this philosophy that my clients are able to resolve unwanted symptoms, love their body and ultimately establish sustainability and consistency in their health.

AFM: Who is the Peachy Green client and how can they benefit from seeing a functional nutritionist?

PG: The Peachy Green client is anyone dealing with unwanted symptoms such as digestive issues, hormone imbalance, fatigue or weight gain and looking to resolve them using a personalized, holistic approach. Peachy Green also specializes in helping clients that may struggle to find consistency in their health and may benefit from a more sustainable approach that doesn’t require restriction, diets or calorie counting. By working with a functional nutritionist, clients receive the support, education and accountability necessary to make meaningful, sustainable change possible. 

AFM: What are some healthy habits people can incorporate in the New Year and how should they choose what to focus on? 

PG: I always recommend keeping things simple and leaning into your individual needs, lifestyle and preferences. Consider what areas of your health could use some additional love. Are you craving more movement? Rest? Sunshine? Nourishing foods? Hydration? Don’t feel pressured to incorporate the latest health or wellness trend or do what Susie Q from Instagram is doing. Tune in to your own body to determine what’s right for you and make it something you enjoy. 

AFM: There’s so much involved in good health. Whether that be meditating, getting quality sleep, drinking enough water, exercising or eating more leafy greens, it can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and sometimes expensive. How do you recommend managing it? 

PG: Overwhelm is one of the most common issues I hear from clients and it’s a completely valid struggle. They want to make changes to their health but they’re overwhelmed by all of the options and conflicting opinions in the health and wellness space. The danger with overwhelm is that it can often lead to making no change or effort at all. Again, my advice would be to start out simple and small and lean into your individual needs, lifestyle and preferences. It’s impossible to “check every box” every day so allowing for flexibility and practicing self-compassion is a crucial piece to a consistent, healthy lifestyle. 

AFM: What are some of your favorite healthy local brands and restaurants people can support?

PG: We are lucky to live in a city with many amazing, local healthy brands and restaurants. A few of my favorite healthy restaurants are Picnik, Honest Mary’s, Koriente, Casa De Luz and Juiceland. Some local, health-conscious brands I love to support are Branch Basics, Culina Yogurt, Superseed Life and Restart CBD. I also love to shop at any of the Austin farmer’s markets to support local farmers and other small businesses.

AFM: Finally, I’d like to congratulate you on the birth of your baby girl and becoming a new mom. Do you have any words of advice on pregnancy or postpartum for mothers or mothers-to-be that you learned or wish more people knew?

PG: Thank you so much! As a new mom, I can definitely say there’s no shortage of conflicting opinions on how to navigate pregnancy, postpartum or taking care of a newborn. I would encourage women to do what’s right for their family, trust their own intuition and be gentle with themselves throughout the entire journey. I would also encourage women who are anywhere from 3-12 months out from trying to conceive to consider incorporating some “preconception prep” to optimize their health for pregnancy and ensure they are nutritionally replete.