Meet Our Team at Healthful Life MD

I am a physician, board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obesity Medicine. I am a Colorado native and a graduate of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. I practiced primary care for 14 years, treating patients of all ages to improve their health. Frustrated with the standard model of care that left patients shortchanged on time and empathy, I started Healthful Life MD to provide comprehensive, compassionate and coordinated care along with my team of health professionals focused on nutrition, movement, psychology and meal planning and preparation.

Liz Daeninck has over 15 years of experience as a registered dietitian, working with both individuals and groups to help facilitate lifestyle changes to benefit health. She has helped clients manage chronic health conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome, high cholesterol, hypertension and cancer. She most recently has worked with patients prior to and following bariatric surgery to improve nutritional status and outcomes. In addition, Liz specializes in the interpretation of food sensitivity testing and counsels clients about food elimination plans based on the test results.

Erica Haag is a Master Nutrition Therapist who can help with a variety of nutritional challenges, ranging from weight loss up to symptom relief from chronic health conditions. She graduated Cum Laude from Kansas State University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. After working in the corporate environment for 11 years, Erica returned to school to pursue her passion for helping others through nutrition. She graduated from the Nutrition Therapy Institute in Denver in 2013 and is Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition by the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. She is also a Certified Gluten Practitioner, specializing in helping those with Celiac disease and non-Celiac gluten sensitivities.

Originally from Kansas, Erica moved to Colorado in 2000 to be in the mountains. She loves being outdoors to hike, run, and ski. She also loves cooking for her husband and daughter. In addition to being a nutritional therapist, Erica has been a Doula since 1999 and is able to offer assistance to those pregnant women looking for support during pregnancy and labor/delivery.

Dr. Tonya McFarland is a licensed psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist. She is the owner of Trusted Therapy and has more than 15 years of experience in treating individuals and families struggling with symptoms related to eating disorders. She received her Bachelor’s degree from University of Northern Iowa and her doctorate in psychology from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

Tonya works with individuals, families, and groups utilizing a variety of therapeutic approaches including; cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, internal family systems, acceptance commitment therapy, and family systems to address symptoms of disordered eating patterns, binge eating, anorexia, bulimia, and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. She practices from a “Health at Every Size” perspective and believes in the importance of accepting our bodies at any size and focusing on nurturing our bodies in order to be healthy.

Kathleen Casanova is a personal chef, cooking instructor and proud home cook who is personally and professionally dedicated to wellness and empowering others to eat well.

Kathleen began cooking at nine years old and has experience working in both professional and home kitchens. While she enjoys the hustle and bustle of working in a restaurant, Kathleen is most passionate about bringing healthy, delicious and convenient food into her clients lives and getting them comfortable in the kitchen.  She believes that feeding yourself well should be easy and fun and that home cooking is an art form that anyone can practice no matter how busy they are. She loves taking the intimidation out and putting the delicious back into healthy cooking and enabling people to take control of their wellness through food.  Kathleen has personal and professional experience adapting recipes to be healthier and enjoys getting creative in order to adhere to restricted diets, food allergies and preferences.

Originally from Austin, Texas, Kathleen received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and enjoyed a previous career working in higher education fundraising before deciding to follow her life-long dream of cooking professionally. She is currently attending culinary school at Denver’s Cooks Street School of Culinary Arts where she studies the culinary arts, pastry and wine. When she’s not in the kitchen, she loves spending time on the pilates reformer, swimming in the ocean and being in the mountains of Colorado and Utah with her fiancé Eric and their mini-dachshund Mac Daddy.