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By Jennifer Farnsworth
Lindsay Ferrara syas that people looking for help with nutrition and diet, but find themselves overwhelmed by the process, can come to her at Pinnacle Nutrition.
Ferrara, MS, RD, CDN, has built a business that tailors a plan to a person’s individual needs. Her 15 Maple Dell location in Saratoga Springs has become a place where she helps people find a lifestyle that will work for them.
“Pinnacle Nutrition is about helping clients achieve their nutrition goals in a way that is specific to their own body’s needs. Without being overly restrictive, and by cutting through all of the diet and nutrition misinformation that is out there,” she said.
Ferrara was initially set to open in 2020 just as COVID-19 began shutting places down. At the time she was not ready to commit to a physical location, so she began with a combination of in-home visits and virtual counseling.
After renting a space at Serenity Salon for six months, Ferrara moved into her Maple Dell space. She has been hard at work building her business through referrals from the gym where is a member, along with word of mouth and social media marketing.
Born and raised in Glens Falls, Ferrara first began her journey by obtaining her undergraduate degree from SUNY Plattsburgh and graduate degree from Sage College. She then worked as a registered dietitian at Glens Falls Hospital and as the dietitian for Double H Ranch.
“My lifetime dream of starting my own practice plus my passion for nutrition, health, and fitness along with a love of helping others has led me to where I am today. Pinnacle Nutrition is the culmination of a vision, dedication, community, putting myself out there, and taking one small step at a time,” Ferrara said.
Pinnacle Nutrition focuses on optimizing metabolism and typically starts by testing a client’s metabolic rate with a machine called an indirect calorimeter. Ferrara said this machine measures a client’s oxygen consumption which equates to their calorie needs while at rest. Metabolic testing, she explains, gives accurate numbers to work with, taking out the guesswork.
She is also offering body composition testing which uses a bioelectrical impedance device which tracks muscle mass and body fat percentage over time.
“I love applying data and facts to my work and I think that knowing your numbers is crucial to guiding your health journey. Just like monitoring cholesterol or blood pressure, knowing what your body’s fuel needs are and knowing how much muscle and body fat you have helps to set realistic goals without yo-yo dieting and starvation,” said Ferrara.
The abundance of what Ferrara describes as misinformation is in part what led Ferrara to open up her own practice..
“I am sick of diet culture, fad diets, and weight loss gimmicks. I want to teach people that gaining strength is better than losing weight, improving nutrition is better than going on another diet, and knowing what our bodies actually need is better than overly restricting,” said Ferrara.
Pinnacle Nutrition offers nutrition consultation, metabolic testing, body composition testing, individualized meal planning, and app-based food tracking. They can be reached by calling (518) 290-0447 or emailing LFerrara@pinnaclenutritionny.com.