Meet Brooke Floerke | Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brooke Floerke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brooke, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have been in practice as a registered dietitian nutritionist since 2011 and have loved the progression of my career. Most of these years in practice were spent working for a health system and while I loved my job and my team, I was ready to do something more autonomous with my passion for nutrition. My favorite type of client or patient are those with autoimmune conditions, thyroid disorders or gut issues, as I deal with all of these myself. My favorite part of having a private practice is being able to help those that truly want the help. Most of the people coming to my practice have tried everything else with no success and are willing to put in the work to get better.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started Bloom Functional Nutrition in August of 2019. The name of my business originated from my love for plants and the outdoors, but it also represents how each of us has our own unique journey when it comes to health and wellness. The foundation of my practice is getting to the root cause of dysfunction in the body. Most functional medicine practitioners will tell you most issues are rooted in the gut and I agree.

There are so many amazing dietitians and nutritionists in Northern Colorado so it was important to me to identify the areas of nutrition I specialize in. I would consider these autoimmune conditions and thyroid disorders, which both often come down to gut dysbiosis.

One of the most important lessons I have learned along the way is the importance of adapting my practice to the constantly changing research in the world of nutrition. There are so many ground-breaking studies being done in our field and while it’s a challenge to keep up, it’s important that I stay up to date in order to give my clients and patients the best possible experience.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite things to do in Colorado is trail run so if they are a runner I would probably take them to the Blue Sky trail for an amazingly scenic trail run. I love hiking too though and have taken plenty of visitors on some beautiful hikes in our area. My favorite is probably Grey Rock in the Poudre Canyon. If my husband is involved and it’s the season, you can bet he will take them rafting and fly fishing on the Poudre. In the winter months you can always find us down hill skiing, cross country skiing or snow shoeing.

There are so many good places to eat and drink here! My favorite (healthy) restaurant is Tasty Harmony. I don’t necessarily follow a vegan diet but they have killer salads and awesome homemade kombucha. Friends and family visiting us typically want to hit up some breweries. We always end up at New Belgium because they have an awesome gluten-free beer that fits right in to my gluten-free diet.

My favorite thing in Fort Collins during the summer is New West Fest. If we have visitors during this festival, you can bet we are spending several days downtown enjoying free music!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My own health struggles have been instrumental in shaping my career as a RDN. After conventional medicine couldn’t give me answers as to what was going on in my body, I sought out functional medicine through several different functional medicine practitioners in Northern Colorado. There are so many practitioners in our area that have inspired and influenced my career in functional nutrition, which is much different from how I was trained in traditional nutrition practices.

Two practitioners I would like to thank specifically are Esther Hansen, RDN and Carl Malone. Esther was one of the first professional contacts I met when my husband and I first moved to Colorado. I was immediately impressed with her unique knowledge of functional nutrition and how she approached each patient as a whole person. Carl has too many methods and modalities to name but I have seen him as a patient for a few years now and he is truly gifted in getting to the root of the problem. I would consider both Esther and Carol mentors in the progression of my career in functional nutrition and I am forever grateful for their encouragement, support and wisdom.

Website: www.bloomfn.com

Instagram: bloom.functional.nutrition

Linkedin: Brooke (Johnson) Floerke, RDN

Facebook: Bloom Functional Nutrition