Testimonials

Andrea Tierra, Professional Singer/Songwriter
New York City

I feel totally cured from the gastritis!

When I began working with Andrea, I was quite sick. I had chronic gastritis (for more than four years) that prevented me from sleeping, nearly everything I ate upset my stomach, and I had virtually continuous abdominal pain. I slept poorly, my skin was dry, and my hair was lifeless. I was underweight and I felt weak all the time. In the very first week,I felt the change. Her method is wise, effective, and rapid. Now I feel totally cured from the gastritis. I eat much, much better because Andrea taught me what my body really needs to be healthy. I have energy. I sleep through the whole night. I have returned to my ideal weight. Andrea didn’t just help me get a healthy body, she taught me to understand it. I discarded taboos I had about nutrition and I began to gain better knowledge of my digestive system in order to understand what serves my body well. She is sweet, confident, charismatic, and very knowledgeable about her work. She’s a true blessing.

Mindy G.
New York City

Andrea has taught me to love healthy food that really helps my body heal!

Andrea has been an essential member of my health care team for over 6 years. She’s supported my progress from the time I was still eating junk food and has taught me – through coaching and as my personal chef — to love healthy food that really helps my body heal from the chronic exhaustion and lose the excess weight caused by depressed thyroid function. Andrea has a light touch as a coach which allows me to progress at my own speed without ever feeling rushed or wronged. And she packs a flavor punch in the kitchen! Even during the times I’ve had the toughest dietary restrictions she’s managed to come up with a yummy menu. I don’t ever feel food deprived! She is always available to me and open to feedback. It is very important to me that I keep the control of my progress and Andrea not only supports but encourages me to do so.

Alison Beckett
New York City

I have lost about 7 lbs and am cooking regularly for myself each week!

Before I started working with Andrea, I was incredibly exhausted both physically and emotionally. I was overwhelmed with trying to figure out how to feed myself, and therefore was not eating well nor supporting the other healing modalities I was exploring. I would end up ordering takeout after taking $20 worth of supplements! Since starting to work with Andrea, I have lost about 7 lbs and am cooking regularly for myself each week. I feel much calmer now. I have a better sense of what I can eat. And Andrea has given me invaluable insights — like noticing that I wasn’t standing with my weight balanced evenly on my two feet while chopping onions. The most important change, however, is the emotional stability I feel now that I am more comfortable cooking in my own kitchen. I cannot describe the peace and satisfaction I get from cooking — something I have never experienced before! I feel it has become a creative outlet for me, and something that I look at more as a game to practice vs. just an end goal. Andrea is incredibly invested in her clients’ wellbeing and success. I truly appreciate the thoughtful, personal follow-ups and guidance as well as the acknowledgement that each person is different and that there will be trial and error as I go through the healing process. She’s very knowledgable, and unique in the variety of services she offers. I have yet to hear of anyone else with whom you could place an order for tailor-made, homecooked food, do a health-coaching session and/or take a cooking lesson! Her delicious recipes and kind personality really make her the best coach in NYC!

Carrie, Professional Yoga Teacher
Beacon, NY

I have lost weight and my energy level is totally different!

Before working with Andrea, I struggled for two years with ongoing weight gain, no energy at all and I frequently felt ill. This made it hard to be my best in my career and other aspects of my life. I knew I had to change my diet, but I was worried that I would be told to give up everything I loved to eat. I really liked the way Andrea gently guided me and gave me the information I needed in
chunks I could handle. She was very supportive and I felt she knew when to guide and when to gently push and I appreciated how she let me discover things on my own. My work with Andrea brought me to a new level of relationship with my body and all the food that I put into it. I can feel the energy of my food and how my body reacts to it. That means I have drastically changed what I put in my mouth. I have lost more weight than I could have imagined in such a short time and my energy level is totally different. The most important thing this did was connecting what was
important to me to how I nourish myself on a physical level – that is what was missing most in my life. This is a journey well worth taking. You will learn things about yourself and have a set of
tools that you can use for life. You will get to know yourself in a whole new way and learn to feed yourself on so many levels. This has been one of the most important things I have ever done for myself and I can’t wait to teach these skills to my children.

Patricia C.
Publicist, Washington, D.C.

Working with Andrea not only helped me take control of my food cravings, anxiety and health issues, it also saved me money!

Prior to working with Andrea, as a single professional living and working in the city, I had a very difficult time managing work and life balance. I did not think that I had time to cook or shop for a meal for myself, and I had no interest or knowledge of how to do it even if I could find the time. I constantly ate chocolate and sugar snacks through out the day, and would skip multiple meals. I would just get so busy with work and other things that I would forget to eat. I did not know how to shop in small quantities for just one person, and I was frustrated that I ended up throwing away rotted food. I would dine out at restaurants and eat fast food most of the time, and it was starting to get expensive. I rarely drank the amount of water that I needed, and I think I was probably on the verge of dehydration. I knew I could be healthier and often worried that I wasn’t getting the nutrients that I needed. I suffered with anxiety attacks, mood-swings, lack of concentration, sugar cravings, stomach aches, pain in the backs of my legs, and dizzy spells. I even had an unexplained seizure which I think could have been related to my poor dieting habits and dehydration. What I liked most about Andrea’s approach is that she really adapted the program to fit realistic goals for me. She was open to hearing about my challenges and tried to find realistic ways to overcome them. She did not criticize me or make me feel guilty if I wasn’t able to do something that you suggested. From the beginning, I felt very comfortable telling her about my health problems, which is very rare for me.

  • Now, I cook much more frequently and this is the largest improvement for me and my diet, and it is helping my budget as well. I learned how to cook many different nutritious meals that I really like.
  • The second improvement for me is reducing my sugar cravings. I used to eat so much candy and chocolate everyday, especially when I was stressed. I am now able to balance my sugar levels so that I do not always desire chocolate as much. My anxiety levels have reduced a great deal as a result of keeping my sugar levels balanced. Physically, I feel much better after reducing my sugar cravings and addiction to chocolate.
  • The third impact is that I have greater awareness of how eating right impacts my life, and that it is important to take care of myself.
  • And, I had been trying multiple solutions for my managing anxiety attacks, and Andrea’s program has been the one to really help me the most. I would say that this program is well worth it. When I was considering this as an option, my reasoning was that if I ate at home instead of eating out for one meal everyday that I could afford this. This definitely has caused me to save money in the long run.

I think Andrea’s coaching is great!

H. Barton, Social Worker
New York

Before working with Andrea, I felt drained, sad and wanted to better my physical and spiritual health. I loved how open, nurturing and honest Andrea is. I felt free to discuss any topic that was affecting my health. And now, I’m loving the new foods that are now a permanent part of my life. I love cooking creative healthy foods. I’m happy to know myself better, and how to take care of
myself better. I feel I have life long nutrition information, and her guidance helped me in my time of need!

Kim Dingee, Financial Advisor, Ameripirse Financial
Fishkill, NY

I came to Andrea feeling guilty about my eating habits and discouraged with my weight gain. The most significant improvement is, after over 2 years of suffering with extreme hot flashes, I have not experienced any for at least 5 weeks now. I am enjoying using foods I was unfamiliar with and realizing the health benefits from them and, the knowledge I’ve gained regarding the importance of the quality of my food. Now, I have more energy, I look and feel better. And I have a guilt-free eating plan! Which makes a huge difference. It’s also important for me to say, that what helped me make these changes is Andrea’s non-judgmental approach. Andrea is patient with a light sense of humor and she was very focused on my particular needs. She put together written solutions (easy for me to remember what to do!) and introduced new ideas at a reasonable pace and explained in detail the philosophy behind her ideas. I really enjoyed the sessions because of her gentle, personalized approach that seemed to be tailored just for me. She always followed up with helpful materials to reinforce any issues or concerns. Nothing was ever presented in an intimidating fashion but rather as an interesting experiment. I felt a sense of new awareness about my mental and physical health after each session which motivated me to continue.

Stacey Kalish
Los Angeles, CA

I have made food my friend!

My work with Andrea has been invaluable. I have struggled with a negative self-body image all my life and tried every fad diet there is, never feeling comfortable in my own skin no matter what I weighed or how I looked. I was exhausted and totally frustrated with the constant obsessing over food and body issues when I met Andrea. At first, I was impressed by her reliability, professionalism and creativity with which she approached every appointment. I was hopeful that she would tell me how to ‘lose weight.’ But soon into our sessions I realized I was learning way more than a ‘diet plan.’ My objectives began to change and I saw what I truly needed to learn what Andrea was revealing to me — how to make food my friend not my controller and how to love the body I’m in. Andrea, from the get-go, showed a warmth and sincere investment in my personal growth because she loves what she does and she honors every individual’s journey. I trusted her immediately and she never let me down. She has taught me so much about nutrition, from the physical, biological components to a deeper understanding of the energetic qualities of food. I have been inspired to
experiment with cooking and love the incredible books I received as gifts. More importantly, Andrea has helped me to uncover so much about myself and my relationship to food and led me down a path of healing I never dreamt possible. It’s not how I look but how I feel that truly matters. Andrea has given me these invaluable tools that I own for the rest of my life.

Kerry K.
Somers, NY

Working with Andrea helped me reset my body!

I started the program feeling tired, bloated and run down from life. I lost 8 lbs, feel more energized, lost that bloated feeling and can taste my food more deeply. Andrea’s holistic and well-rounded approach to nutrition helped me look at the emotional reasons behind my eating patterns and I think this program will, going forward, help me realize when I have feel naturally satisfied during a meal and eat far less. Thank you Andrea for making this a memorable experience!

Makeup Artist
Highland Mills, NY

Andrea helped me see that getting healthier doesn’t have to be difficult!

Before working with Andrea, I felt stressed out and found myself feeling easily irritated. Working with Andrea helped me change the way I view food and how it affects how I feel. I now have greater awareness of controlling my weight and my food choices. And  that it doesn’t have to be difficult! I’m deeply appreciative of having met Andrea. She treated me as an individual and taught me to be mindful about food (which was new to me – but now I see it’s soooo true!). I will continue to think about my food and life in this way. Thank you Andrea! You truly have a passion for what you do!

Virginia Brodsky, VP of Marketing, The Carteret Group
Highland Mills, NY

I noticed I was constantly tired, my skin was pale, I wasn’t feeling “together”! And, emotionally, I was exhausted from two deaths in my family. So I had a lot going on! I loved how Andrea prepared for and presented the information she shared. Everything was beautifully presented, easy to understand and she made the process of trying new things really easy. She is knowledgeable, soft spoken very organized! I lost a few pounds, most importantly I looked and felt great. I had tons of energy. I even worked out pretty intensely Monday morning as well as doing yoga almost every day. I haven’t gone back on caffeine, and I’m eating more fruits and nuts and haven’t had any foods that make me feel bad since the program. People are saying how great I look. So I tell them they can look and feel this great too!

Wendy Durso, Ultrasound Technologist
Beacon, NY

I am now sleeping through the night and wake up refreshed!

Before doing the program with Andrea, I felt tried, irritable and suffered from insomnia. I’m now sleeping through the night and waking refreshed thus, I’m not as irritable with my family. I’m also being more mindful and have started meditating again if only for a few minutes when I can. It makes a difference! And I’m using a smaller plate to eat my meals because my appetite has naturally decreased and my cravings are under control. I lost about 5lbs but lost an inch or so. This was not my intention but a nice perk! I got into a cat suite for Halloween that I’ve had since high school and actually looked good….not like a stuffed sausage :O) !! And your calming, heart-felt approach inspired me to make new foods. It’s turning out wonderful!!

Laura De Maria

Now I understand how my food choices affect my day-to-day energy and mood.

Before the program, I felt low in energy, out of shape, I wanted to see if changing my eating habits could change how i felt. Now, I know how certain foods affects my feelings, the importance of choosing the rights foods for me, and how I will feel as a result, and what I have to eat for more energy. I would tell other women that this program would really allow them to open their mind to
the power food has over our day to day feelings, mood and energy levels.

Kate Fraher, Massage Therapist & Doula
Beacon, NY

I now feel very clear headed and very strong.

Before the program, I was feeling generally drained, stressed out and stuck in certain thought patterns and worries. The program gave me a nice break in my routine, both mentally and physically, that helped me re-evaluate the ways I do and think about things like my diet, stress, and worries. I felt very clear headed and very strong and I now understand the benefits of taking a break, not only for my digestive system, but for my mind and spirit. Not only did I experience positive benefits to my digestive system, I had several “ah-ha” moments of discovery about the way I approach my life.
I loved the community aspect of doing it as a group. I didn’t feel alone and meeting with group members made me feel like I was part of something special and fun. I think you’re great. I am continually impressed by your vast knowledge of the functions of the body and their relation to diet and lifestyle. And I think you do a very good job of relaying that knowledge to your clients/students in a way that feels easy to assimilate into daily life. I also love how I can come to you with a specific mysterious problem and you’re like a little detective figuring out what might be wrong and offering surprisingly concrete practicable solutions!

Andrea-Ramirez-NBC-HWC-logo
Andrea Ramirez - certified GAPS practitioner
get healthy now - strategy session

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