My passion for nutrition began long before I became a dietitian. In high school, I met a registered dietitian who completely transformed the way I thought about food and health. Seeing the impact that nutrition could have on both physical and emotional well-being sparked my interest in the field and inspired me to pursue a career in dietetics. I became fascinated by the intricate relationship between nutrition, the body, the brain, and the nervous system, and I developed a deep appreciation for the role nourishment plays in overall health.

I earned my bachelor's degree from Buffalo State College and later completed my master's degree at the University at Buffalo. During my time at UB, I had the opportunity to teach Culinary Medicine on three separate occasions, leading both university-level courses and community education programs for undergraduate and graduate students. These experiences strengthened my belief that nutrition should be practical, enjoyable, and accessible.

My clinical career began at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), where I gained valuable experience working with a wide range of medical conditions and patient populations. Combined with my continued work in private practice, these experiences have provided me with a strong foundation in both clinical nutrition and integrative, functional approaches to care. One of the things I value most about the field of dietetics is its emphasis on preventing chronic disease and improving quality of life through evidence-based nutrition interventions.

Over time, hormonal health and gastrointestinal nutrition have become areas of particular passion for me. The relationship between the gut and the endocrine system is complex and deeply interconnected, which is why I believe individualized care is essential. By taking a personalized and functional approach, I work with clients to better understand the underlying contributors to their symptoms and create realistic strategies that support healing and long-term wellness. Watching clients regain their energy, confidence, and sense of well-being is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.

My philosophy centers around nourishment rather than restriction. I believe that adding supportive, nutrient-dense foods to the diet is often far more powerful than focusing solely on what needs to be removed. Balanced eating is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and enjoyed. Drawing on my background in culinary medicine, I help clients develop balanced and satisfying meals that fit into their lifestyles in sustainable and realistic ways.

I also believe that food should not be a source of guilt, fear, or stress. In today's nutrition landscape, many individuals struggle with their relationship with food, and addressing these challenges is an important part of achieving lasting health. I have extensive experience supporting individuals with eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors and am passionate about helping clients rebuild trust in their bodies and in food.

Above all, my goal is to provide a compassionate, supportive environment where clients feel heard, understood, and empowered. I believe that nutrition care should be collaborative and individualized, and I am committed to helping each person build a healthier and more confident relationship with food and their body.

Medical Licensure & Professional Affiliations

• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)
  Commission on Dietetic Registration, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

• Certified Dietitian Nutritionist (CDN)
  New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions

Professional Memberships

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)

• Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine (DIFM)

In eating disorder recovery, the ultimate goal isn't just physical restoration, it is re-establishing a peaceful relationship with food and the body.

1. The Role of the Dietitian

A common misconception is that a dietitian's job in eating disorder recovery is simply to hand over a meal plan and ensure compliance. In reality, the role is highly collaborative and based on physical, emotional, and social factors influencing recovery.

• A dietitian helps dismantle the rigid rules, food hierarchies ("good" vs. "bad" foods), and rituals created by the eating disorder.

• While a therapist digs into the emotional roots, trauma, and coping mechanisms, the dietitian addresses how those emotional states manifest physically through food behaviors.

• Adequate nourishment is a critical part of recovery. A dietitian helps rebuild trust in eating while supporting the body's physical and cognitive healing process. Through individualized nutrition counseling, a dietitian can help:

  • Reduce anxiety around meals, snacks, and social eating situations by providing support, structure, and practical strategies for navigating challenging experiences with food.

  • Expand food variety and increase comfort with previously feared foods through gradual exposure and a compassionate, non-judgmental approach.

  • Improve body awareness and recognize hunger and fullness cues when appropriate by helping reconnect with the body's natural signals and developing trust in those cues over time.

  • Develop a more flexible relationship with food by challenging all-or-nothing thinking and moving away from rigid eating rules.

  • Correct nutrition misinformation and misconceptions that may be fueling fear, confusion, or disordered eating behaviors.

  • Somatic Awareness: Rebuilding trust with your body’s natural, internal signals of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction.

2. How Meal Planning Works Without Measuring

To bypass the eating disorder brain and lower anxiety, I utilize a options-based meal planning approach. This framework is designed to keep the nutritional data with us, while helping you maintain your autonomy and peace of mind.

Non-measured meal plans provide the safety and structure needed to heal the physical body and quiet the eating disorder thoughts. As physical health stabilizes and distress decreases, this eating disorder thoughts gradually lessen, allowing the you to transition into true Intuitive Eating in the future - where internal body cues, rather than external rules, guide your choices.

Before you can trust your body, you have to feed it reliably. This consistency regulates blood sugar, prevents the physical biological triggers for bingeing or restricting, and slowly reassures the nervous system that a famine is not occurring.

3. Trauma, Stress, and the Nervous System: How the Eating Disorder Serves You

More often than not, eating disorders are born out of seasons of intense chronic stress, overwhelming life transitions, or trauma.

When your environment feels unsafe, chaotic, or emotionally overwhelming, your nervous system can get locked into a state of survival (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn). When the emotional pain is too heavy to process, the nervous system looks for a way to cope, manage the distress, and regain a sense of safety.

This is where the eating disorder often steps in as a survival strategy.

• Restricting, bingeing, or purging can act as a physiological way to numb, blunt, or distract from overwhelming emotions and traumatic memories.

• When your internal or external world feels entirely out of control, controlling food, numbers, and body size becomes a predictable, tangible project that gives your nervous system a temporary illusion of safety and mastery.

• The eating disorder voice is often your nervous system’s way of trying to protect you from deeper vulnerability, rejection, or pain.

We can honor the fact that your eating disorder likely served a purpose in keeping you safe during difficult times. But while it may have started as a coping mechanism, over time, it traps your nervous system in a cycle of threat.

We address this root cause directly through nutrition:

• Regular, predictable meals act as a biological message of safety to your brain. It signals to your nervous system that the "famine" is over, naturally lowering baseline anxiety.

• Neurotransmitter Repair: The brain requires steady energy and amino acids from food to produce serotonin and dopamine, the chemicals responsible for regulating mood, sleep, and impulse control.

• Regulating the Vagus Nerve: Your gut and brain are in constant communication via the vagus nerve. By restoring regular digestive rhythms, we help shift your body out of "fight or flight" and into a state of rest, repair, and digestion.