Do you have problems with diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, or abdominal pain and you’re looking for solutions? You’ve come to the right place.

About me

Let’s get to to know each other. First of all, I am a busy mom of three, wife to a husband who has run every day since 2018, with a flock of chickens and a garden. In my “spare” time I play soccer and run marathons, including miserably coldand wet Boston marathons in 2015 and 2018, and overly hot and humid conditions in New York in 2022. I thrive in adverse conditions!

I am also a registered and licensed dietitian nutritionist specializing in digestive health. I provide outpatient nutrition counseling for conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), food allergies, intolerances, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), chronic constipation, and what I like to call “garden variety” diarrhea. This is often chronic diarrhea where no cause has ever been determined.

The challenging cases are my favorite. I’m a traditionally-trained dietitian who uses principles of integrative and functional medicine. Why put a bandaid on something if you can fix the underlying cause?

I also have a passion for sports nutrition, helping recreational runners and multi-sport athletes with digestive issues.

Personal Background

I have had diarrhea most of my life. It started to get worse when I was in 7th grade. I had my first barium enema (yikes) and small-bowel-follow-through at 13, then a sigmoidoscopy at age 17. Since they never found anything “wrong,” my doctor shrugged his shoulders and labeled me with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.

While training for a marathon in early 2016, I experienced intense fatigue, especially during my long 20 mile runs. I asked my doctor to check a celiac panel, which came back “mildly positive.” After an endoscopy and colonoscopy with biopsies, I was formally diagnosed with celiac disease on June 1, 2016. You can read more of my story here.

Education

The digestive system always fascinated me. I remember lovingly coloring my digestive diagrams in high school elective anatomy class. In college, I initially majored Pre-Med, then Pharmacy, before finally discovering an interest in nutrition and graduating with Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Management. I completed my dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

In my internship I learned how to teach diabetic, renal, weight loss, weight gain, surgical, and other diets to patients. But no one taught me how to educate patients on what to eat for gastrointestinal problems. This surprised me! …it just makes sense– the food you eat must go through the digestive system before it enters the body. So, my quest began: learn how to teach people to eat when their tummy doesn’t seem to work like everyone else’s.

Professional Experience

Flash forward. I have worked as a registered dietitian since 1996. The first phase of my career was in a hospital, covering the critical care and surgical units, tailoring nutrition education for the different digestive surgeries and taking care of all the tube feeding and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) patients.

In 2003, the health system offered me the opportunity to open an outpatient nutrition counseling office, specializing in gastrointestinal diseases and disorders. In 2012, when budget cuts closed my hospital-based office, I started my private practice, Strategic Nutrition, LLC. The following year, I wrote my first book: The Diarrhea Dietitian: Expert Advice, Practical Solutions, and Strategic Nutrition.

My Approach

I am a pretty straightforward person; I’m not afraid to talk about anything related to poop. After all these years of working with patients, there isn’t much I haven’t heard. I can often be found discussing bowel movements and tummy problems while at social events. One of my goals in life is to convince the world that it is ok to talk about bowels, diarrhea, and gas. I tell people: if your gut works normally, be thankful. If it doesn’t, you’ll be glad there’s someone like me to talk to!

Clients benefit from my three-part approach:

Educational: scientific, based on human anatomy/physiology and nutrition, and current evidence-based literature
Professional: my experience as a dietitian in learning how food works in the body, particularly in those with gastrointestinal disorders
Personal: my own personal issues with diarrhea over the years and my diagnosis of celiac disease, including dietary successes and failures

It was said best in a children’s book, “Everyone Poops.” And let’s face it, everyone does. If yours aren’t normal, you’ve come to the right place, and you are welcome here. Please “like” The Diarrhea Dietitian on Facebook and follow me on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @DiarrheaRD.

Niki Strealy, RDN, LD

Additional Training and Continuing Education

I’m a lifelong learner. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, we are required to complete 75 hours of continuing education every 5 years to keep up our credential, but I’m always wayyyy over my required hours.

2024 Certificate of Training: Identification and Management of Disordered Eating in Patients with Gastrointestinal Disorders (Monash University)
2023 Training: Ehlers Danlos Society ECHO Nutrition Program (EDS Society)
2024, 2023, 2022, 2019 Digestive Disease Week Conference attendee
2021 Certificate of Training: The Low FODMAP Diet for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Monash University)
2021 Certificate of Training in Gluten Disorders (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
2020 Certificate of Training: Food as Medicine: Food, Exercise, and the Gut (Monash University)

2013 Conference: What Every RD Needs to Know about FODMAPs

2011 Presenter, Oregon Dietetic Association Annual Meeting “Realistic Dietary Approaches for GI Patients” (including section on the Low FODMAP Diet)

Memberships, Associations, and Leadership

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) member
2023 Reviewer: Gluten Certificate of Training Module 2
2021 Reviewer: Evidence Analysis Library- Celiac Disease Nutrition Practice Guidelines

Dietitians in Gluten and Gastrointestinal Disorders Dietetic Practice Group (DIGIDdpg) member
2022-present DIGID Celiac Disease Workgroup
2022 GI RD Credential Workgroup

Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Group (NEdpg) member
2015-2016 Director of Member Services
2014-2015 Director-Elect of Member Services

Sports, and Human Performance Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (SHPNdpg) member
2017 Factsheets author: IBS in Athletes, Gluten Sensitivity in Athletes

Dietitians in Integrative & Functional Medicine Dietetic Practice Group (DIFMdpg) member

Oregon Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (OAND) member

American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) member

Society of the Study of Celiac Disease (SCCD) member