Photo credit: Connor McLaren
About me
As a registered dietitian, health writer, university instructor, and sometime nutrition counselor, I aim to make nutrition science digestible :), interesting and compelling.
My Nutrition Philosophy
There's not just one "perfect" diet--there are many ways to eat nutritiously. If the bulk of your foods are as close to their natural state as possible (fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seafood, poultry and not many processed foods), odds are, you have a healthy diet. That said, I make room for chocolate, a glass of wine, and other indulgences; c'mon, you've got to live a little!
But natural shouldn't mean boring. I love to cook, go out to eat, try new foods; in short, I just love food!
As a registered dietitian, health writer, university instructor, and sometime nutrition counselor, I aim to make nutrition science digestible :), interesting and compelling.
My Nutrition Philosophy
There's not just one "perfect" diet--there are many ways to eat nutritiously. If the bulk of your foods are as close to their natural state as possible (fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seafood, poultry and not many processed foods), odds are, you have a healthy diet. That said, I make room for chocolate, a glass of wine, and other indulgences; c'mon, you've got to live a little!
But natural shouldn't mean boring. I love to cook, go out to eat, try new foods; in short, I just love food!
Education/Credentials:
I’m a registered dietitian (R.D.) and Licensed Nutritionist (Washington DC) with a Master of Sc in Nutrition from University of Maryland at College Park. My undergraduate degree is in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
I’m a registered dietitian (R.D.) and Licensed Nutritionist (Washington DC) with a Master of Sc in Nutrition from University of Maryland at College Park. My undergraduate degree is in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
What I do:
Write for the media:
Magazines and blogs. Hundreds of my nutrition-related articles have appeared in outlets such as National Geographic, Forbes Health, GoodRx, Washingtonian, Good Housekeeping, Self and others.
Develop Wellness/weight loss programs:
Weight loss/wellness programs: Weight loss science meets high entertainment in Real Appeal--a 53-session wellness/weight loss program; I was lead content developer and writer. Adopted by United Healthcare, the program helps you drop pounds with step-by-step changes to food, exercise, sleep, stress management and more. I did the same for Fullfill, still in the start-up phase.
Research and write for government and non-profits:
I'm working on an FDA consumer campaign (I'm hired by Hager-Sharp) to improve children's diets. And I'm helping develop medically-tailored meals for Eat Karma, a non-profit delivering food to people with chronic illnesses.
Teach at Georgetown U.: My class is Nutrition and Disease Prevention at Georgetown University, Washington DC
Write books, including:
The Pescetarian Plan (Ballantine) is a complete guide to a vegetarian + seafood way of eating. The scrumptious recipes--vegan, vegetarian and seafood dishes--designed by my talented collaborator, Sidra Forman, are definitely not your typical "diet food"!
The Life You Want! Get Motivated, Lose Weight and Be Happy (Simon & Schuster) was co-authored with exercise physiologist (and Oprah Winfrey go-to expert) BobGreene and psychologist Anne Kearney-Cooke. It offers a roadmap to overcoming the barriers to weight loss (emotional eating, exercise aversion, and other issues).
The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-diabetes (Simon & Schuster) was another Bob Greene collaboration, along with endocrinologist John J. Merendino Jr., MD. This book takes a three-phase approach to adopting the diet, exercise and medication habits
needed to successfully managing diabetes.
The Supermarket Diet and The Supermarket Diet Cookbook (both Hearst Books the former was a New York Times bestseller). Both are practical guides to shopping for healthful foods and preparing moderate calorie meals.
Am a member of two boards:
Sharecare: Scientific advisory board member of this digital health and healthcare company
Eat Karma: Board member of this food-as-medicine food delivery non-profit, based in Los Angeles
