I’ve known Tapp Francke since I was ten years old, she was my older sister’s best friend when they were in high school in East Hampton. Today she is the owner of STANDwellness, a wellness company located in Water Mill that offers a tremendous resource for those with health issues related to diet. Like almost all of us, Tapp herself experienced terrible symptoms in her 20s that she was able to resolve with her diet. After she did this, she went back to school to study nutrition and then started STANDwellnes, which has an incredible reputation in the Hamptons.
Why did you start this business?
Tapp: I started STANDwellness as a way to help people heal from chronic conditions. I had a bad experience with Lyme disease and found that a holistic approach to wellness, including a sugar-free whole foods diet, figuring out how to manage my stress with meditation and yoga, optimizing my gut health, drinking adequate water and saunas made a big difference for me.
I went back to school for nutrition and now have a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Integrative Health as well as advanced certifications in Epigenetics, and PEMF therapy.
What diseases can diet affect?
Tapp: Diet can influence every disease. The correct nutrition for the specific disease state can significantly impact how the body responds to the disease. From cancer to lyme to autoimmune to a simple cold, diet can influence it all.
What is the ideal diet for most people?
Tapp: Everyone is an individual. Some people do well on vegetarian diets while other do well on Paleolithic diets. The one diet that everyone will do well on is free from processed foods, excess sugars and refined carbohydrates.
Have you noticed an uptick in business since Covid-19?
Tapp: Yes, people are more interested than ever in maintaining their health. Immune system support is the single most important thing you can do to improve immune system function.
Do you test for food allergies?
Tapp: We do FIT food allergy testing. This tests for the foods that your body is creating antigens to.
What are foods that you 100 percent advise everyone to avoid?
Tapp: Processed foods, refined carbohydrates and anything high in sugar. The single worst foods on the market are sugary breakfast cereals. These set anyone up for a blood sugar high and then crash. This is no chance for focus, learning or attention. Plus, it makes you want more sugar about an hour after you eat them.
Do you recommend supplements? If so what brands and can they be purchased through you?
Tapp: The supplement market is the Wild Wild West. Only purchase from practitioners, directly from the supplier, from a trusted site like iHerb or from a health food store. Never ever purchase supplements from Amazon. I have a curated line of supplements we use in my office, which I am very particular about and make a point to ensure that they are the highest quality. Brands I like include Thorne, Pure Encapsulations, Life Extension and OrthoMolecular. I like supplements, but they should only ever be targeted to your specific needs and should never be in the place of a nutrient-dense diet.
