Norma Flood, MS, RDN

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United States
Poway, CA
Norma Flood, MS, RDN

Integrative Nutrition for Digestive Health & Brain Balance

Norma Flood has a Master of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences and is known as one of San Diego's top registered dietitian nutritionists. She offers functional nutrition counseling services for digestive health, mental health, and eating disorders for adults and teens.

02/23/2026

When we don’t understand what helps us regulate and feel grounded, we reach for whatever brings relief. For many kids today, that’s screens. The question is how we help them discover healthier ways to cope before those patterns take hold.

02/20/2026

Stress doesn’t just live in the mind — it shows up in the gut. When kids are constantly overwhelmed, their microbiome feels it too. Supportive inputs like real food, rest, and time in nature can help restore balance from the roots up.

02/19/2026

We don’t always realize how much kids are performing until they’re given enough time and space to stop. A few days into being away from phones, expectations, and constant connection, something shifts — the guard drops and the real conversations begin. That’s where confidence, joy, and self-trust start to grow. Independence isn’t something we teach with words; it’s something kids discover when we step back and let them try.

02/18/2026

Learning begins with connection. When kids feel seen and cared for, their nervous system settles and learning comes more naturally. Sometimes the most important lesson is simply showing up with care.

02/06/2026

Kids don’t just need to be told what to eat — they want to know why. When we teach children how food supports their bodies, their brains, and their ability to cope, we give them tools they carry for life. Yet so many leave school knowing dates and facts, but very little about their own health. I’m encouraged by what I’m seeing with school gardens and growing awareness, because when kids connect with real food early, curiosity and confidence start to grow.

02/05/2026

When you first look at the new Dietary Guidelines website, the message seems simple — but the visuals tell a different story. An inverted food pyramid places beef, cheese, and vegetables side by side, without clear guidance on portions or priorities. That kind of messaging can easily confuse people who are just trying to build a healthy plate. While the focus on real, whole foods is encouraging, guidelines alone won’t change outcomes if we don’t also address how food is grown, marketed, and placed in front of families every day. Real change has to reach our stores, our schools, and our homes.

02/04/2026

Most of the world doesn’t digest dairy well — and that’s not a flaw, it’s biology. Being able to digest dairy into adulthood is actually the exception, not the rule. That doesn’t mean dairy is “bad,” but it does mean we don’t need to rely on it as our primary source of calcium. Just like cows, we can get calcium from plants — while also supporting our gut health in the process. Sometimes nutrition myths stick around longer than the science.

01/29/2026

When we look at the numbers, it’s clear something deeper is happening. Autism diagnoses have risen from 1 in 150 children to 1 in 31 in just a few decades—and that kind of change can’t be explained by testing alone. At the same time, we’re seeing chronic illness show up earlier and earlier in life. Our most sensitive populations are often the first to signal when systems are out of balance, and their experiences invite us to look more closely at what’s shaping health over time.

01/22/2026

We tend to think of health as something happening only inside the body, but it begins much earlier—at the level of the soil. When we look at the genetics of the soil alongside the genetics of the human, a deeper picture emerges. There are more microbes in our bodies than human cells, and they influence how we digest, detoxify, and respond to the world around us. Paying attention to this relationship changes how we think about food, farming, and healing.

01/21/2026

We often hear that organic food is too expensive, but price is only part of the story. When demand shifts, supply follows—and food that moves faster doesn’t sit on shelves or require heavy processing and storage. In this moment, our choices matter more than we realize. What we buy shapes how food is grown, priced, and made accessible for everyone.

01/12/2026

There’s been a lot of buzz, and a lot of confusion, around the new inverted food guide pyramid. While the focus on real, minimally processed food is a step in the right direction, the visual can be misleading. Just because proteins appear at the top does not mean they should take up the most space on your plate — vegetables still need to lead, especially for fiber, inflammation balance, and gut health. The same goes for calcium: we can get most of it from plants, just as cows do, without relying on large amounts of dairy.

I talk more about this in episode #8 of Go With Your Gut, where we explore fiber, popular diets, and how to approach nutrition without overwhelm. If you’re curious to see the guidelines for yourself, you can find them at realfood.gov.

01/09/2026

We all have days — even weeks — when our intentions fall apart. It’s easy to slip into the story that one setback means the whole effort wasn’t worth it, but that’s rarely true. When we pause, remember why the change mattered, and return to a simple first step, the path forward becomes clearer. Sometimes we were just moving too fast, or life asked more of us than usual. Progress isn’t lost; it’s simply waiting for us to begin again.

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Poway, CA

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https://www.normaflood.com/

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