There is a particular kind of physician that I look for, one who asks why before they ask what, who treats the whole person rather than the symptom, and who understands that food is not just fuel but medicine. Dr. Michelle Seguin is exactly that person.
Dr. Seguin is a family physician, functional and lifestyle medicine practitioner, gardener, and educator who has spent her career looking upstream. After years practicing rural family medicine — where she saw firsthand how chronic disease accumulates quietly and how rarely it gets reversed — she began asking a more fundamental question: what is actually driving this? That question led her to lifestyle medicine, then to functional and integrative approaches, and eventually all the way to the soil itself. If she is going to teach others how to nourish themselves through food, she wants to understand how that food is grown.
She helped implement and study a produce prescription program in rural Michigan — giving patients vouchers to purchase fresh produce at a local farmers market — and what she found there shaped her entire philosophy: food as medicine is not just about nutrients and lab values. It is about access, environment, and community.
Today, Dr. Seguin practices through Root Functional Medicine, offering telemedicine consultations across nearly 30 states with a root-cause, personalized approach to metabolic health, inflammation, and nutrient status. She works alongside a physician and dietitian team, and her practice is a natural home for anyone who wants to understand their health more deeply and take an active role in the process.
I am especially excited to introduce her to this community because she is joining us inside The Blood Sugar Method to teach a live class: Growing Together: Expanding Dietary Diversity Through Our Gardens — a beautiful exploration of seasonal eating, anti-inflammatory plates, and how even a small container garden can begin to transform what ends up on your plate.
Tuesday, May 20th at 1pm PST and 4pm EST.
Sign-up link below!
welcome to Nest Wellness, Dr. Seguin!
Beth: What drew you to functional and lifestyle medicine?
Dr. Michelle Seguin: It really started during my early years practicing rural family medicine, where I was caring for many patients with chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. I felt well prepared to manage these conditions, but I found myself wanting to understand what was driving them in the first place. I was treating chronic disease every day, but rarely preventing or reversing it. That led me to start looking upstream. I became interested in how nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, and daily habits shape long-term health. From there, I was drawn to lifestyle medicine, and eventually to functional and integrative approaches that take a more comprehensive view of the whole person.
Beth: You implemented a “produce prescription” program —can you tell us about that experience and what you learned about the power of food as medicine?
Dr. Michelle Seguin: During my time in rural family medicine, I had the opportunity to help implement a produce prescription program, where patients received vouchers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from a local farmers market. Many of the patients I saw faced very real barriers to accessing healthy food. Through grant funding, we were able not only to implement the program, but also to study its impact. While we didn’t see significant changes in biometric markers over the short 10-week period, we did see a meaningful improvement in participants’ quality of life. Many described feeling more connected, not just to their food, but to their community. It reinforced for me that food as medicine is not just about nutrients or lab values. It is also about access, environment, and social connection.
I wrote about this experience here: From Market to Kitchen: How One Finding Changed Everything
Beth: You’re a gardener, educator, and physician. How do these roles inform each other in your approach to health and wellness?
Dr. Michelle Seguin: I tend to think of my work as continually moving upstream, but in cycles and seasons rather than in a straight line. My journey with food as medicine began in the clinic, then expanded into the community, and eventually led me to ask a more fundamental question: where does our food come from? That curiosity is what brought me to gardening. I felt that if I was going to teach others how to nourish themselves through food, I needed to understand how that food is grown. Gardening became a way to reconnect with the full lifecycle of food, from soil to plate. Each of these roles now informs the others. My clinical work grounds me in the realities of patients’ lives. Gardening keeps me connected to seasonality and the source of nourishment. And education allows me to translate those insights into something practical and accessible.
dietary diversity + metabolic health
Beth: Can you explain the connection between dietary diversity and metabolic health? Why does eating a wider variety of plants matter?
Dr. Michelle Seguin: At a foundational level, dietary diversity supports metabolic health by nourishing the gut microbiome. The bacteria in our gut rely on a wide range of plant fibers and phytochemicals to function well. When we eat a diverse variety of plants, we’re essentially feeding a more diverse and resilient microbiome, which plays a central role in blood sugar regulation, inflammation, and overall metabolic function. When our diets become more repetitive or heavily processed, we lose that diversity. Over time, that can impact everything from insulin sensitivity to energy levels and even how we respond to stress.
Beth: What are some practical ways someone can start expanding their dietary diversity, especially if they’re currently eating the same foods on repeat or feel intimidated by unfamiliar vegetables?
Dr. Michelle Seguin: One of the simplest ways to start is by shifting your focus from restriction to addition. Instead of asking what to cut out, ask what you can add in. Seasonal eating can be a helpful guide here. When you shop at a farmers market or even pay attention to what’s in season at the grocery store, you’re naturally exposed to a wider variety of foods throughout the year. It creates diversity without having to overthink it. Gardening, even on a small scale, can also be a powerful entry point. Whether it’s a few herbs on a windowsill or a couple of containers on a porch, growing your own food often leads to trying new ingredients and incorporating them more regularly into meals.
Beth: For women in perimenopause and menopause who are dealing with changing metabolism and insulin sensitivity, how can dietary diversity support them through this transition?
Dr. Michelle Seguin: Perimenopause and menopause are times of significant metabolic change. As estrogen levels shift, many women notice changes in insulin sensitivity, body composition, and overall energy levels. Dietary diversity can help support blood sugar regulation and reduce inflammation during this important transition. A wider variety of plant foods provides fiber and phytonutrients that support the gut microbiome, which plays an important role in metabolic and hormonal health.
working with you
Beth: You offer telemedicine consults through Root Functional Medicine. What does a typical patient journey look like when working with you? Who would be a good fit for your practice?
Dr. Michelle Seguin: Most people begin by wanting a clearer understanding of their health. As part of our membership model, they’re able to order baseline labs to look at things like metabolic health, inflammation, and nutrient status. Once those results are back, we review them together and use that information to guide a personalized plan. From there, the level of support can vary. Some patients work with our physician and dietitian team more regularly to address active concerns, while others check in once or twice a year from a more proactive, preventative standpoint. We also have an online community that includes courses, recipes (which I love contributing to), and educational resources, which helps support people in between visits. In general, it’s a good fit for individuals who are looking for a more personalized, root-cause approach to their health and who want to take an active role in the process. I’m licensed in nearly 30 states, so I’m able to work with patients across the country.
Beth: What can participants expect from your upcoming class “Growing Together: Expanding Dietary Diversity Through Our Gardens” inside The Blood Sugar Method? I will include a signup link for this class.
Dr. Michelle Seguin: This class is centered around building an anti-inflammatory plate through the lens of seasonal eating, gardening, and metabolic health. We’ll talk through what that looks like in everyday life and how to bring more balance and variety onto the plate in a way that feels realistic and sustainable. It’s something I’ve always appreciated about your work, Beth, as well. The way you build your beautiful, colorful plates is very similar to the approach we teach at Root. I’ll also share some of what I’m growing right now, including a few of my current plant starts, as inspiration for how even a small container garden can begin to support dietary diversity.
connect with Dr. Seguin
Subscribe to her Substack:
Learn more about Root & working with her:
https://rootfunctionalmedicine.com/for-individuals
Dr. Seguin’s Rx publication: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15248399221093966
Dr. Seguin’s Substack essay on the produce Rx experience:
my takeaways — seasonal eating for resilience
This is such a beautiful conversation with Dr. Seguin. It perfectly captures the heart of lifestyle medicine—acting as that essential bridge between the clinical “why” and the practical, everyday “how” of our habits.
While we often focus on the data, the CGMs, the lab panels, and the numbers, Michelle reminds us that the most profound shifts happen when that science meets the soil. Whether you are navigating the metabolic shifts of perimenopause or working to steady your blood sugar, the goal is to make these high-level concepts feel practical, seasonal, and, most importantly, delicious.
To help you put these insights into immediate action, I’ve distilled our chat into a few foundational takeaways. Here is how we can take the root cause and turn it into a healthy, vibrant plate.
Dietary diversity is the ultimate “fuel” for your metabolic engine.
Dr. Seguin makes it so clear: our gut microbiome thrives on variety. When we eat the same five foods on repeat, our gut bacteria lose their edge. A diverse microbiome isn’t just about digestion; it’s a primary driver of blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity. This is exactly why I focus on building a bowl with a variety of colors and textures. It’s not just for the aesthetic—it’s to feed the microbes that keep your metabolism resilient.
Focus on addition, not just restriction.
We spend so much time talking about what to take away—the unholy trinity of seed oils, refined grains, and added sugars. But Dr. Seguin reminds us that adding is just as powerful. When you focus on adding a new seasonal vegetable or a different herb to your plate, you’re naturally crowding out the processed stuff. It shifts the mindset from deprivation to abundance, which is the only way to make healthy eating stick for the long haul.
Seasonal eating is nature’s way of personalizing your nutrition.
You don’t need a complex algorithm to know what to eat; you just need to look at what’s growing right now. Eating seasonally naturally forces dietary diversity because the menu changes every few months. This variety ensures you’re getting a wide spectrum of phytonutrients that fight inflammation. My goal with every recipe is to show you how to take those seasonal finds and anchor them with foundational protein and healthy fats to keep your blood sugar steady.
Gardening is a metabolic health tool.
Whether it’s a full backyard plot or a single pot of basil on your windowsill, growing your own food changes your relationship with what you eat. Dr. Seguin’s work shows that when we are connected to the source of our food, we’re more likely to nourish ourselves well and pay attention to seasonality. Plus, there is no ultra-processed version of a sun-warmed tomato you grew yourself.
Diversity is a secret weapon for perimenopause and menopause.
As our hormones shift, insulin sensitivity can become a bigger hurdle; we have to work harder to support our changing metabolism and keep inflammation down. Eating a wide variety of plant fibers helps support our gut microbiomes, which play an important role in both our metabolic and hormonal health.
The plate is where science meets health.
Dr. Seguin provides the clinical root cause, and my job is to help you put it on a fork. A healthy plate is a balanced plate: foundational protein to keep you full and stable, healthy fats for hormone and brain support, and a diverse array of fiber-rich plants and ferments to feed your gut. This is the framework for every recipe I share at Nest Wellness and every lesson we teach in The Blood Sugar Method. We aren’t eating to diet, we are eating for longevity so we can age vibrantly and feel whole.🧡
want to go deeper? — some helpful resources
low glycemic for longevity: your guide — The big picture on why this way of eating matters long term.
the Nest Wellness shop — My full collection of meal plans and ebooks designed to make blood sugar balance easy and delicious.
springtime recipe collection — The perfect companion for this post! Lean into the season with recipes that celebrate fresh, garden-to-plate ingredients.
7-day blood sugar balancing meal plan — If you’re ready to stop guessing and start eating for metabolic health, this plan is your step-by-step roadmap.
Michelle Seguin, MD — Dr. Seguin’s Substack. A must-read for anyone wanting to connect the dots between the garden and the clinic.
The Reset Method — Our quarterly program designed to help you clear the “noise” and return to whole-food basics.
The Blood Sugar Method — Ready to master your metabolic health? Join us for the next cohort, including our live class with Dr. Seguin!
This newsletter wouldn’t be possible without YOU! A huge THANK YOU to all who support my work here on Substack.
If you know someone with pre-diabetes, diabetes, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, or anyone eating for blood sugar balance, low carb, keto, grain-free, gluten-free, or just eating whole food for better health, will you forward my Substack to them? I would love it if you would share my page with a friend or restack to your notes. Thank you!
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Thank you so much for this beautiful feature, Beth. What a wonderful share for Earth Day! Individual health and planetary health are so deeply connected. Grateful to be part of your community.
I love what Michelle says about changing the focus from restriction to addition! That’s a great shift in the way to think about food.