About
My background
My name is Mandy Murphy Carroll. While I have my formal nutrition training from my Bachelor of Sciences in Nutritional Sciences, credential as a Registered Dietitian (RD), and my Master in Public Health Nutrition (MPH), my longstanding passion is bringing people together in community over home cooked meals.
I grew up in Arizona and my parents always made an effort for our family to eat dinner together, even if it meant sitting down at the table at 9pm. They often invited people to join us throughout any given month: grandparents, family friends, neighbors, community members. This love of eating meals in community ultimately sparked my interest in pursuing the study of nutrition.
After graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in Nutritional Sciences, I was accepted to a dietetic internship in San Juan, Puerto Rico with El Departamento de Salud. This was a pivotal year in my life, which gave me ample opportunity for an abundance of quiet time by myself, the ability to practice medical Spanish, and explore alternative modalities of healing.
After completing this year-long internship, I moved to San Francisco, passed the credentialing exam to become a Registered Dietitian, and started my first job with the County of Marin working between their prenatal clinic and the Women Infant, and Children (WIC) program. Having the opportunity to work with families in this transformative time of life forever changed my own professional and personal trajectory. I realized that pregnancy and trying to become pregnant is a time in adult life where one is incredibly open to and capable of making changes and creating new habits. I also realized that while there is a lot of intensive care and support during pregnancy, families are often left on their own after welcoming their child home. Often times, the only postpartum "care" a woman receives is at 6 weeks after giving birth simply to confirm her choice for birth control. There is little to no time dedicated during this appointment to her healing, mental and emotional wellbeing, and overall state of her health.
Seeing the need for more postpartum support in this first job ultimately led me to pursue my Master in Public Health Nutrition at University of California, Berkeley. Since graduating from this program, I have been working on a variety of different projects at Stanford University, University of California San Francisco, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Project Open Hand , and Natural Resources in the capacity of a health educator and research study coordinator.
During this time, I have also had the privilege to find my life partner and become a parent myself. My husband and I live in the Mission District with our two children, and a lovely community of neighbors.
My approach to health & the values that guide me
My approach is rooted in evidence-based practices, compassion, humility, practicality, and creativity. I take a holistic and whole person approach to health and wellness.
This means I seek to understand the many components that drive health, including physical, mental, and emotional health.
I want to work with individuals as a whole person, not solely focusing on one aspect, such as nutrition. I aim to work with clients individually, meeting your unique needs as you are, and most importantly, helping you set and achieve realistic goals that you can implement and sustain throughout your changing life. I strive to use clear communication that feels welcoming to each individual.
How Nourish New Life was born
A number of years ago I was very fortunate to be included in a friend's cooking party in preparation for the birth of her first child. A small, but mighty group of us worked away one afternoon to prepare smoked salmon, wild mushroom and burdock root soup, stacks of grain-free waffles, and meatballs with organ meats. It was a brilliant idea.
When I had the good fortune to become pregnant a few years later, I decided to host a similar cooking party before our son was expected to arrive. We had over a dozen friends and family members show up and we whipped out an impressive amount of food in just a few hours.
My husband went back to work two weeks after our son arrived, and was gone from the house 10 hours or more at a time. If it had not been for these frozen meals that our community helped to lovingly prepare, I would have been subsiting on crackers and bananas. Instead, I had warm, deeply nourishing food that I know had the loving touch of my community. This was transformative in my own recovery after giving birth.
After that initial party, we decided to host another cooking party while I was pregnant with our second child. Again, this was hugely healing and immeasurably helpful, especially since we already had another child. I hosted two more cooking parties for my sister and a close family friend. When some things shifted in my work, I decided to launch this business as a service for all.
Why nourishment matters
Nourishment is important during every phase of life, and especially after giving birth. Eating well postpartum is critical for the birthing person's short and long term recovery and health.
Eating nutrient dense foods during the postpartum period supports repairing tissue, recovering blood and fluid loss, protecting mental health, shifting hormone levels, rebuilding the microbiome, producing high quality milk, and can even help prevent autoimmune and other chronic diseases.
All of these benefits for the birthing person, ultimately lead to healthier infant outcomes in the short and long term as well.
In addition to eating nutrient dense foods, trying to sleep and rest as much as possible, managing stress, and receiving support are also critical in optimizing healing and health for the birthing person.
The postpartum period is ultimately a time in which we want the birthing person to be well nourished, rested, and supported to turn on good genes and help set the trajectory of their long term health as a parent.
Nourish New Life is here to help make this all possible by providing wholesome foods along with emotional and physical support along the way.