Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) – American Nutrition Association

The CNS credential, as overseen by the American Nutrition Association, requires a Master’s degree or higher, passing a rigorous and comprehensive exam on the nutrition care process, and completing a 1,000 hour supervised internship in clinical nutrition.

Master of Science in Nutrition with Didactic Program in Dietetics – Bastyr University

The master’s program at Bastyr University is comprised of an evidence-based curriculum that includes but is not limited to coursework in advanced biochemistry, pathology, nutrition assessment and therapy, supplementation, bioactives, nutrigenomics, and the gut microbiota. Additionally, my education included clinical rotations in the Bastyr Center for Natural Health  applying medical nutrition therapy for everything from chronic gastrointestinal conditions to autoimmune diseases to women’s health issues to diabetes. I also gained a foundation in herbal medicine making and culinary applications for therapeutic herbs.

Before my FORMAL training in nutrition…

I was already working with food and health professionally! Before earning my Master’s, I was lucky enough to work in a variety of roles where I got to celebrate the both the culinary and health properties of foods and herbs.

One of these was my position on the faculty and staff at a food-as-medicine culinary school that trained professional chefs to cook for prevention and management of common chronic diseases. It was during this time that I truly discovered the amazing healing capacity of foods. Following that, I was a culinary coordinator at a market in Seattle, teaching people how to make nutritious meals.

All the while, I’ve also done volunteer and advocacy work around sustainable agriculture. Suffice it to say, I’ve been working in the world of food and health for over a decade and am still as passionate about it as the first day I started!