Nutrition and Women’s Health with Lakisha Crumpler, MPH, RDN

Throughout their lifespan, women’s bodies go through various stages of change—from puberty, to pregnancy and postpartum, and on to perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. During these times, many women report new symptoms and changes in their body. This can range from weight fluctuations and hot flashes during menopause, or fatigue and dizziness during pregnancy. Additionally, many women enter pregnancy and postpartum receiving many conflicting messages about the “right” ways to care for and feed their baby, but need help cutting through the noise and figuring out a strategy to suit their unique needs. These moments are where we can uncover optimized wellbeing through the link between nutrition and women’s health.

We chatted with Lakisha Crumpler, MPH, RDN, a Registered Dietitian at Culina Health on her experiences working with patients at different reproductive stages, and the link between nutrition and women’s health. We also spoke to her about how her background in community nutrition informs her work at Culina Health, and how women can optimize their nutrition to support their biological needs through healthy eating, lifestyle changes, and more.

About Lakisha Crumpler, MPH, RDN

What led you to becoming a registered dietitian?

I had many family members in the healthcare field, and always knew that was going to be where I ended up. I started undergrad coursework with the intention of becoming a nurse, but between an introductory course on nutrition where I fell in love with the topic, and not getting accepted into a nursing program I thought I wanted led me to pursuing additional courses in nutrition and dietetics. There, I found my people and my passion. I also found the pure joy that comes from educating others on how not only to manage chronic diseases, but prevent them altogether, through healthy diet and proper nutrition.

What’s one patient story that emphasizes the power of nutrition care?

I started working with a new patient in August of 2023 who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. She was referred by her physician to see a registered dietitian to improve her diet and manage her weight. When we met she had an A1C of 12.7% and weighed 245 lbs. After 7 months of following a carb-controlled diet, increasing daily movement, and taking medications as prescribed, her A1C is reduced to 5.6% and she’s down 32 lbs. This goes to show that there is immense power in small, sustainable changes centered around healthy eating and physical activity.

What do you find to be the most rewarding thing about nutrition care?

The preventative component has always made me feel really good. Knowing that I can help prevent illness in people before they get to the point where they need medication is extremely fulfilling. Just because you have diabetes or high cholesterol it doesn’t mean the diagnosis can’t be managed. With improvements in diet and lifestyle changes, you can feel better with your physical health and improve your mental health. You can even reduce your numbers to manage, or even reverse, that chronic condition.

Nutrition & Women’s Health

What does it mean to specialize in women’s health nutrition, and why is it important?

Specializing in women’s health nutrition means focusing on the specific nutrient needs of women through the various phases of our lifespan. While women typically require fewer calories, our vitamin and mineral needs are higher. Getting optimal nutrients is vital to support fertility, pregnancies, breastfeeding, bone health, reduce our risk of age-related conditions like heart disease and osteoporosis, and ease symptoms associated with menopause. 

What are some top health concerns/nutrition gaps for women?

Some women are at increased risk of having weakened bones or osteoporosis as well as anemia. Adequate intake of iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and folate or folic acid during childbearing years is important for reproductive health. A balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, protein, and healthy fats (and low in saturated fat) can help to support nutrient needs through all stages of life. Having regular visits with your doctor and blood work can help with identifying any nutrition gaps or deficiencies you may need to address. As women, the hormonal changes we experience throughout our lives vary our nutritional needs, and are important to keep in mind as we navigate changing diet and lifestyle habits.

Nutrition for Moms and Moms-to-be

What is the importance of prenatal nutrition?

Prenatal nutrition is crucial to support the demands placed on the body during pregnancy for both mom and baby. Many essential nutrients will need to increase to support reproductive health as well as the growth and development of the fetus. These important nutrients include folate or folic acid, DHA, iron, calcium, iodine, choline, fatty acids, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Calorie needs may also increase during the second and third trimester.

 What are some nutrition tips that can help new moms meet their changing dietary needs? (And what *are* these changing dietary needs?) 

Postpartum is really the fourth trimester. I try to tell women: You’re feeding the baby, but you need to feed and take care of yourself too. There are so many demands on your body, you may still be healing from delivery, you are likely sleep deprived, but as much as you can, continue to take good care of yourself. I tell my patients to still take their prenatal vitamins, get some fresh air and vitamin D when you can, and if you’re choosing to breastfeed or chestfeed or pump, keep eating a balanced diet, because decreasing calories too rapidly may affect your milk supply.

What are typical nutrition resources you might recommend to a prenatal or postpartum mom?

Two resources I love are:

• Your Pregnancy and Childbirth: Month to Month by The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology
• KellyMom – An informative resource for breastfeeding support and parenting

 Nutrition and Menopause

What are some foods that people in menopause should be incorporating into their diet?

An anti-inflammatory eating pattern may benefit people during perimenopause and menopause, as well as contribute to overall health and hormonal balance. Make sure you’re incorporating the following foods:

• Berries – blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
• Calcium-rich foods – greek yogurt, cheese, spinach, collards, turnips 
• Fatty fish – salmon, mackerel, sardines 
• Nuts & seeds – walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds
• Beans & lentils 
• Tofu & tempeh 

What are the most common complaints you support menopausal and perimenopausal patients with?

Most often, I see perimenopausal and menopausal patients who are struggling with maintaining a healthy weight. These patients may very well be getting adequate physical activity and following a healthy diet, and they’re frustrated, wondering what they should be doing differently. I find that having individuals lean into an anti-inflammatory diet tends to help them on multiple fronts. So even if they came to me with weight loss as a goal, incorporating anti-inflammatory foods like berries, calcium-rich foods, fatty acids (such as fatty fish), nuts and seeds, can help them with joint pain, mood stability, even hot flashes, in addition to weight management and heart health.

 Community Nutrition

What is community nutrition?

During the first eight years of my career, I worked in a community nutrition setting. Community nutrition helps individuals and groups develop healthy eating habits to promote wellness and prevent diseases. In community nutrition, education and resources are generally provided to eligible individuals through public assistance programs such as SNAP-Ed, WIC, Meals on Wheels, and Expanded Food & Nutrition Program, among others. Often, these are vulnerable populations who may lack access to resources, to whom I was able to offer nutrition education, lactation support, and resources to improve health care outcomes. 

How have you brought principles of your community nutrition work into your work with Culina Health patients?

The biggest thing I took away from community nutrition is the need to meet people where they are. Taking into account their unique health concerns, culture, dietary preferences, and the region they live in is important. That way they not only have the information they need, they have the tools to stick with these lasting changes. We can always tailor a patient’s nutrition plan based on what they have access to. 

Pediatric Nutrition

What is pediatric nutrition, and how do you work with these patients?

I often work with caregivers who want to ensure their kids (aged 0-17) are having their nutritional needs met. We may address everything from breastfeeding and introduction of solid foods. Also, dealing with picky eaters and food aversions, or navigating food allergies. 

Help! My young child will only eat chicken nuggets. What do I need to know?

This is called a “food jag,” and it’s incredibly common. These sometimes temporary fixations or aversions are often concerning to parents. They worry their child only eating one type of food won’t give them the balanced nutrition they need to grow healthily. My top tip for parents of children dealing with food jags is to keep offering! Do not force but rather encourage your child to try new foods. And model the eating behaviors and patterns as the parent or caretaker. Continue to offer as much variety as possible and keep in mind that it may take multiple exposures to new foods before a child will try them.

What other ways might you work with parents of picky eaters?

If we’re really getting to a point of concern, I’ll do a “food recall.” This is where a parent gives me a rundown of everything their little one eats throughout the day. For a pediatric patient, I’m always trying to see if they’re hitting all their food groups. A food recall allows me to identify where any gaps may be. I’ll look at their height and weight, to see that they’re growing appropriately. More often than not, these jags are just phases that don’t have any real effect on growth. If there are factors like low hemoglobin levels or low weight, then we may need to look deeper. We may look into ways to incorporate more nutrient-dense foods or dietary supplements to address their needs.