Your health story is about more than a single symptom. Nutrition, lifestyle, health history, stress, and emotional well-being can all influence how you feel.
Integrative and Functional Nutrition at Daybreak Counseling takes a personalized, whole-person approach to exploring these connections and developing practical strategies based on your individual needs and goals.
In-Person in Clive • Virtual Appointments Available • Self-Pay
Functional nutrition looks beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to food and wellness. Instead, it considers your individual health history, nutrition, lifestyle, stress, and other factors that may influence your overall well-being.
Working with an Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner provides space to explore these connections, identify patterns, and develop realistic strategies that fit your life.
At Daybreak, the goal isn’t perfection. It’s gaining a better understanding of your unique health story and identifying practical ways to support your overall wellness.
Physical and emotional well-being are deeply interconnected. Stress can influence how we eat and sleep. Nutrition and daily routines can influence energy and well-being. Past experiences can shape our relationships with food, our bodies, and our health.
Functional nutrition creates space to look at those connections together rather than focusing on one piece in isolation.
Explore your health history, experiences, routines, and current concerns.
Look for connections among nutrition, lifestyle, stress, and overall well-being.
Create realistic changes based on your needs rather than a generic plan.
Focus on strategies that can fit into your actual life and evolve with your goals.
Functional nutrition begins by getting to know you rather than handing you a predetermined plan. Penelope works collaboratively with you to understand your history, concerns, routines, and goals before developing individualized recommendations.
Four-step layout:
1. Understand Your Health Story
Discuss your nutrition, lifestyle, health history, concerns, and goals.
2. Explore Connections
Look together at patterns that may be influencing your overall wellness.
3. Develop Your Plan
Identify practical strategies tailored to your individual needs, preferences, and goals.
4. Adjust & Build
Use follow-up support to evaluate what’s working, make adjustments, and continue building sustainable habits.
Penelope Doremus, IFNCP
Penelope Doremus is an Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner (IFNCP) who brings a whole-person perspective to nutrition and wellness.
Her approach recognizes the close relationship between emotional and physical well-being and considers nutrition, lifestyle, health history, stress, and mental wellness as interconnected parts of a person’s overall health.
Penelope is passionate about helping clients better understand their individual health stories and develop practical strategies that support their personal goals.
Everyone comes to functional nutrition with different needs and goals. Daybreak offers both individual appointments and package options, allowing you to choose the level of support that makes sense for you.
Functional nutrition services are self-pay and are separate from psychotherapy and psychiatric medication management services.
For clients looking for focused guidance or a place to begin.
For clients who would benefit from ongoing support and follow-up.
Meet with Penelope at Daybreak's Clive office or explore virtual appointment options.
Integrative and Functional Nutrition services are available through Daybreak Counseling’s Des Moines-area practice.
Meet with Penelope in person at our Clive office:
12035 University Ave, Suite 202
Clive, IA 50325
Virtual functional nutrition appointments are also available.
Integrative and functional nutrition takes an individualized, whole-person approach to nutrition and wellness. It considers nutrition alongside factors such as lifestyle, health history, stress, and emotional well-being to better understand your individual needs and goals.
No. Functional nutrition is a separate service from mental health therapy. While emotional well-being and the relationship between mental and physical health may be part of the conversation, functional nutrition appointments are focused on nutrition, lifestyle, and wellness support.
No. You can inquire about functional nutrition as a standalone service.
Daybreak’s functional nutrition services are currently offered on a self-pay basis. Several appointment and package options are available to accommodate different needs and budgets.
Yes. Functional nutrition is available both in person through Daybreak’s Clive office and through virtual appointments.
You don’t need to know before reaching out. Tell us a little about what you’re hoping to explore, and our team can help you determine whether functional nutrition with Penelope may fit your goals.
Your nutrition, lifestyle, experiences, and emotional well-being are all parts of the same story. Functional nutrition can help you better understand those connections and develop practical strategies built around you.
