Jessica's Bio
Jessica is thrilled to be a part of the Healthier Tomorrows team! She is a registered dietitian who loves food and deeply enjoys working with each of her clients, helping them discover or rediscover healthful eating and fall in love with food again. She has found that so many of her clients are dealing with stress and anxiety related to nutrition, and with positive energy, warmth, and empathy, she wants to work side-by-side with them to get back to basics and customize a pattern of healthy eating and lifestyle habits that best fits their individual needs and goals.
As a Certified Functional Nutrition Informed Professional (CFNIP), she believes that food does in fact act as medicine for the body and takes a functional nutrition approach to address the underlying cause of disease and nutrition-related health issues. She is here to help her clients use whole foods, eating patterns, and other lifestyle components such as sleep, stress management, mindfulness, and exercise to get back into balance and improve health outcomes. She particularly loves working with clients needing help with weight and metabolism, hormone imbalances, food intolerances and allergies, GI health issues, eating disorders, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and postpartum nutrition, blood sugar management issues such as Prediabetes and Diabetes, and general wellness. Jessica is here to support her clients while they take action, and can help them find recipes that delight their tastebuds and preferences while still suiting their nutritional needs, strategize with grocery store shopping, and help them build confidence in cooking! She can also help keep things streamlined and focused when working with families with differing nutritional needs among family members, keeping mealtimes joyful rather than stressful.
Jessica attended Meredith College where she received her Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition and completed her dietetic internship program. She worked for over five years with the WIC Program, helping prenatal and postpartum women, infants, and children build a solid foundation with healthful nutrition patterns during those precious early years. She then began working as a consultant dietitian for ten years in various clinical and food service capacities. She has worked with the elderly population in the PACE program, helping clients with issues such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Weight Maintenance, and feeding issues such as difficulty chewing and swallowing and altered taste. Additionally, she worked for three years with adults with Autism, helping them navigate meals and mealtime habits while overcoming barriers such as food aversions and social anxieties. She also worked for over five years with pediatric and young adult populations with food allergies and intolerances, and texture issues including dysphagia and other feeding difficulties, helping develop safe and appropriate menus while still including a variety of foods and nutrients.
In her spare time, Jessica loves to run, walk, bike, or swim outside. She lives for southern summers- perusing farmer’s markets, outdoor garden spaces, going to the pool, lake, or beach with her husband and 2 kids, and outdoor movie nights. She also loves volunteer work, listening to Yacht Rock, and diving into the local library’s “Staff Picks” for a good read. And her happy place is a toss up between Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s!