Diane Kraft, RD

I am a career nutrition educator whose non-dieting approach to nutritional health is rooted in my passion for great tasting food, knowledge of Mediterranean Diet benefits, and experience using practical "habit changers" for patients to achieve success. My credentials include 10+ years in acute and out-patient nutrition care, combatting malnutrition, assisting patients to manage weight, lipids, blood pressure, and blood glucose, and applying medical nutrition therapies to manage GI, kidney, and liver conditions, diseases, and symptoms.

My ideal client is someone who recognizes that little changes add up to produce meaningful health benefits, and I would be the ideal nutritionist for a patient who values learning the "mechanism of action" of dietary modifications (why potassium-rich foods lower blood pressure; why a gluten-free multivitamin-mineral supplement is necessary for celiac disease; the simple science behind the Volumetrics weight management approach...)

My specializations include:

• clinical nutrition knowledge: I have earned a certificate of training in malnutrition and believe "no disease process ever benefitted from malnutrition"...many patients don't realize that overnutrition (high BMI due to high percentage of body fat) is a form of malnutrition, and that nutrient deficiencies can develop from imbalanced eating, genetic defects (such as lactose intolerance), effects of medications, and everyday reasons. I have earned a doctoral degree in clinical nutrition (University of North FL), a master's degree in clinical nutrition (NYU), and a bachelor's degree in nutrition (Penn State), and am a licensed, registered dietitian/nutritionist who has counseled 100s of patients and who has educated (mostly in the classroom, but also in 1-on-1 appointments) 100s of children and adolescents from pre-K to college-age.

• nutrition education skills: Honoring your learning style and meeting you where you are in your diet and health journey, I have the knowledge base to accurately advise you on medical nutrition therapy that takes your age, medications, diet and weight history, and health into consideration….healthier, less-time-consuming cooking, grocery shopping, and eating-on the go are among my favorite subjects, but I will explain and educate you fully on your physician's diet order for complicated regimens, from renal diets to carbohydrate counting.

• dietary supplement expertise: as a former clinical research manager at a leading dietary supplement company, I am expert in the judicious use of dietary supplements to both correct and prevent deficien