ST. MARY PARISH — Karen Hamilton, the owner of Down the Bayou Nutrition and Energy, emphasizes the importance of promoting a healthier lifestyle within Morgan City. Her establishment offers products ranging from metabolism-boosting muffins to organic teas and meal replacement shakes.

Hamilton’s commitment to health stems from her family’s medical history, “I come from a family that’s very diabetic prone, my dad had diabetes, my grandmother, my aunt, and I lost a couple of sisters to diabetes and a lot of family to cancer. I didn’t want to be that statistic, and I want to save as many as I can” Hamilton shares.

The journey towards opening her nutrition shop began when her father underwent triple bypass surgery in Minden, Louisiana. Hamilton relocated to the area to ensure her children could build a relationship with their grandfather and during her time there, she was introduced to the concept of a nutrition shop and its benefits.

“They had a community weight loss challenge in Minden and my son and I actually got first and third and we did it because we were going to a shop like this and we were using their products…the more I learned the more I fell in love with it and and I was like this could be for everybody”.

Hamilton moved back to Morgan City and decided to make her business accessible to all; she keeps her doors open seven days a week, including holidays, recognizing the needs of her customers as many of her clients are first responders and members of law enforcement.

“They’re constantly working; they cannot shut down,” she explained. “We give them the nutrition they need to get through their day and jobs, so it has to be available every day”.

Although Hamilton’s father did not live to see her business open, she says the support from her customers and the community has been invaluable, “They’ve shown me so much love, in return, I hope they feel as loved as they made me feel.”