Ali Segersten

Hi! I'm Ali.

I am a Functional Medicine Nutritionist with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. I've had a love of healthy food and cooking since the age of 10 when I would take over my family’s kitchen and create new recipes using fresh whole foods. The kitchen always ended up in a big disaster, and then my mother would help me clean it all up. I grew up eating homemade whole food-based meals from the time I tasted my first foods as a baby. In fact, when I was young, I knew of nothing else. My mom grew up eating the German food her parents cooked. Her paternal grandparents owned a meat market and were phenomenal cooks, and her maternal grandparents owned a bakery and were incredible bakers. I suppose cooking is in my blood.

I now have five wonderful children, from elementary school-aged to college-aged! Cooking for them and nourishing them since I’ve been pregnant has been one of life’s greatest joys. Luckily, they have put up with all of my wonderful creations and greatest recipe fails, and certainly don’t withhold any feedback.

One of the things that I love dearly is organic gardening. I started my first garden when I was in high school, after spending my entire childhood learning and observing my next door neighbors grow much of their own food. I remember that they would always bury the dead fish into their gardens that would wash up on the lake shore where we lived. To this day those images have stuck with me. Nourishing the soil in order to grow strong, healthy plants has become a metaphor for nourishing our bodies. You can’t grow healthy plants in depleted soil. Just like you can’t grow a healthy body in a state of nutrient depletion. And, yes, if you were wondering, I do bury salmon scraps into my garden each fall. By the time spring comes around, the fish have decomposed, replenishing the soil for the next season of growth.

I am also the author of two highly successful self-published books (The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals). Recognized for their excellence and popularity, these two books were then updated and published through major publishing houses. I am also the co-author of The Elimination Diet, a guidebook with over 125 recipes for reclaiming your health using the power of food.

In 2008, I started NourishingMeals.com as a way to share recipes and personal stories to inspire and help others make dietary changes, and stick with changes they had already made. The site is now completely redesigned and has become a solid source of easy-to-use meal planning tools, special diet information, and whole food recipes.

This website was born out of a need to serve others, to make finding recipes and creating meal plans with dietary restrictions easy, fun, and doable. My wish is to inspire you, to help you learn how to best nourish yourself, and to make it as delicious as possible. Learn more about the benefits of becoming a Nourishing Meals® member!