Bio:

Ayla Heppding (Neal) is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist with a particular interest in hormones, male and female support from preconception- postpartum, the microbiome, and metabolic health. Ayla also has experience with optimizing nutrition for a wide variety of complex conditions such as SIBO, candida, hypothyroidism, connective tissue disorders, mast cell activation syndrome, chronic fatigue, menopause and more. 

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Education:

Ayla graduated from University of Maryland College Park with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, and has her Master’s degree in Human Clinical Nutrition and Integrative Health from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Ayla began her nutrition career by interning, and subsequently assisting (your’s truly) Katie before completing her requirements for licensure. Thereafter, working with hundreds of functional medicine patients at one of the largest functional and integrative health clinics in the DC area.

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In Practice:

Ayla believes that individuals know their bodies better than any practitioner ever will; and that empowerment through education can help them make the connections between their bodies and food/lifestyle choices. While she prefers a food and lifestyle-first approach, she pulls in functional testing and supplements as needed–with the goal of less is more in the future. 

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Personal:

Ayla lives in the mountains of Western Maryland with her husband and 3 beautiful daughters. In her free time she loves to cook, read/research, and be present with her family and community.