Hi, I’m Jeff Gunter. FDN-P, CFMHC, AANWC, and Certified AIP Coach.
Today, I have a passion for uncovering hidden stressors that contribute to autoimmune disorders and blood sugar disregulation issues. Throughout my journey, I spent over 10 frustrating years visiting more than a dozen health professionals to find answers to my chronic health complaints until I was diagnosed with autoimmune diabetes in 2019. Since then, my mission has been to change the dialogue about chronic disease towards a holistic, functional approach while helping others restore their health to normal function.
Typically, my clients are people who have struggled with finding relief from their autoimmune symptoms and/or blood sugar dysregulation issues. Oftentimes, they feel that they’ve “tried everything”, or “something’s off”, and that traditional medicine hasn’t served them. In my experience, there is a better way.
From the Beginning
Early in life, I wasn’t always as conscious about my health as I am now. Growing up, my meals were mostly fast food, TV dinners, and instant ramen. I loved the Kid’s Cuisine TV dinners with the dessert brownies, and eventually graduated to Michelina’s, Jr. (or Triple) Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fried Chicken Biscuits as my go-to meals. I played multiple sports and lifted weights regularly, but I always struggled to gain weight despite eating everything in sight.
It was easy to chalk it up to having a “fast metabolism,” but I never felt quite right. I was constantly tired, anxious, and dealing with stomach aches, headaches, and skin issues. I was also typically the smallest kid in class, entering high school at 4′ 11″ and less than 90 lbs.
In my college years, I had shot up to 5’11”, but I was still only 125 pounds, despite eating over 5,000 calories a day. I focused on being consistent with weightlifting to build lean mass, and even added ~2,000 calories/day on workout days – I actually LOST weight during my freshman year. I knew something wasn’t right, but I kept pushing through, telling myself it was normal.
By my late-20s, I had a solid career, working long hours while squeezing in a social life on nights and weekends. I still exercised regularly and ate what most people would consider healthy. Yet, I still struggled to maintain weight, on top of always feeling hungry and tired. Every time I told my doctor about my exhaustion it was brushed off as stress or lack of sleep. It felt like no one really understood what was going on. No one could explain why my body felt like it was falling apart.
Diabetes and Autoimmunity Strike
In my early-30s, I suddenly dropped 20 pounds in a month. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and the solution was daily insulin injections from here on out, with no further investigation. I knew something didn’t add up—I was active, ate a healthy diet, and wasn’t overweight. After digging into research, I found out about autoimmune forms of diabetes like Type 1.5, which seemed to fit my case better, but my doctors dismissed my concerns.
Refusing to accept the diagnosis as a life sentence, I took matters into my own hands. I dove deep into learning about diabetes, diet, and the real drivers of health. During this journey, I discovered autoimmune triggers like mold, food sensitivities, and the effects of metal fillings from my childhood cavities. I even learned how viral infections I had years earlier—EBV—could still be impacting my health. These were the missing pieces no one had told me about.
Hope on the Horizon
Eventually, I discovered Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN) and the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), which gave me the tools to dig deeper into my health. I learned how to read lab results and create personalized protocols to help restore balance and resolve chronic dysfunction. With this knowledge, I found the missing pieces to my health puzzle and turned things around—my energy came back, my blood sugar stabilized (without medication – no more insulin or metformin for me!), and I finally felt like myself again. Better even.
Today, I’m passionate about helping others avoid the years of frustration I went through. If you’ve ever felt like something was “off” but couldn’t figure out why, I can help you find the missing pieces of your health puzzle and create a personalized plan to feel your best. Don’t wait for a diagnosis to take control of your health—take the first step today.
The Diagnostic Health Coach 