|
Cynthia Sass has helped millions of Americans fall in love with healthy food. As a nutritionist, |
||
|
|
Cynthia is one of the first registered dietitians to become Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). She is the nutrition consultant to the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, and served as the nutrition consultant to the Philadelphia Phillies from 2007-2009. She proudly rooted for both the Rays and the Phillies (which she was a consultant for simultaneously) as they faced each other in the 2008 World Series. In both New York City and Los Angeles she privately counsels a wide range of people, from professional athletes, models and CEOs to new moms, teens and couples. |
|
Cynthia is the nutritionist behind and co-author of the #1 New York Times best seller Flat Belly Diet! She developed the eating plan for Prevention based on a combination of emerging research and over 10 years of experience as one of America’s most recognized nutritionists. She is also the co-author of the relationship book Your Diet is Driving Me Crazy: When Food Conflicts Get in the Way of Your Love Life and the Ultimate Diet Log. Her highly anticipated new book Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches was released by Harper Collins January 1, 2011. It soared to #1 in all books on amazon.com by January 5th, debuted at #3 on the January 23rd New York Times best sellers list and made the January 13th Wall Street Journal nonfiction best sellers list, in the company of George W. Bush, Glenn Beck and Keith Ablow, Keith Richards, Steve Harvey and Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. |
||
Cynthia is the former nutrition director and Grocery Guru columnist at Prevention magazine and is currently a contributing editor at SHAPE magazine. Check out her Weight Loss Coach blog on SHAPE.com and for Cynthia's full bio click here. |
||
Who Am I?
I adamantly believe in the power of food to optimize health and wellness, prevent disease and maximize the way you look and feel – inside and out! I have a passion for nutrition and can't imagine doing anything else for a living. In the decade and a half I've been counseling and educating people of all ages, I've seen amazing transformations, from hunger free weight loss to reversing the side effects of chronic diseases, surges in energy and athletic performance, younger looking skin and hair, improved sleep and digestion, fewer aches and pains, and untangling an unhealthy relationship with food.
My specialties include
- Natural and organic eating
- Holistic weight management
- Sports nutrition
- Eating for optimal health and disease prevention
- Vegetarian and vegan nutrition
- Overcoming disordered eating
What Sets Me Apart : My Professional Journey
I'm continuously a work in progress! Every day I strive to deepen my nutrition and wellness knowledge. I fell in love with the marriage of food and health in high school and headed off to college to study nutrition. I earned my bachelor's and master's degrees with highest honors in nutrition science from Syracuse University and became a registered dietitian (RD).
This foundational training included extensive course work in anatomy and physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, metabolism and clinical nutrition (how to prevent and manage health problems, ranging from heart disease and cancer to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, digestive disorders, food allergies and more), as well as classes in food chemistry (the natural chemical makeup of foods, including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants), environmental nutrition (the study of how food production and processing impacts our health and the health of the planet) and nutrition in the life cycle (the unique nutritional needs of humans, from infancy all the way through older adulthood).
My Clinical Roots
Registered dietitian training requires a 900 hour post-college internship that includes a broad spectrum of hands on, supervised experience. My placements were amazing! They included working in an acute care hospital, state public health agency, cooperative extension program, a university, food pantry and soup kitchen and a farm. I had the chance to work with children, high school athletes and college students who were well, sick and injured people who required medical nutrition therapy, underprivileged people in need of food, and farmers.
I'm so grateful that I become an RD – my classes and hands on experience gave me a deep, broad understanding of how the human body works and how to tailor a nutrition program to the unique needs of an individual. In my experience, there is absolutely no amount of self-teaching that can replace this kind of formal education. Everyone eats and nutrition has exploded in popularity, but being a true nutrition expert is not the same as being a nutrition enthusiast. It's like any other specialized field – you can love animals, take care of them and read a lot about animal health, but it's not the same as going to veterinary school. I can not only tell you with confidence why a particular nutritional intervention will help (or hurt), but also accurately explain the science of why and the physiological impact on the body (for more info on nutrition enthusiasts versus experts, scroll down to the last Q&A).
Beyond Nutrition
As part of my master's degree in nutrition science, I earned twenty-one graduate credits in counseling to improve my personal "coaching" skills. And because I wanted to talk to my clients about physical activity and how to select and cook healthful foods, I also earned a personal training certification and completed formal vegan organic culinary training.
But as I began to work with people one-on-one, I saw the influence of friends, family members, occupational settings, communities and even the government on my clients' abilities to successfully live healthy lives. So, I went back to school again for a second master's degree in public health, specializing in community and family health education. This extensive program not only included classes in epidemiology, biostatistics, the environment (climate change, agriculture, infectious diseases, etc.), health care policy and research, but also training in how to develop holistic interventions that encompass every dimension of wellness: physical (nutrition, fitness, alcohol and drugs, disease prevention, sexual health and sleep), environmental (green living), spiritual (the many ways that can be defined), emotional (psychological well being), occupational (how your job/career impacts your wellness), intellectual (your health knowledge and beliefs) and social (support and resources).
School of Life
I'm incredibly proud of my degrees and training, but every day I spend at least one hour reading new studies to keep up on the ever-expanding body of nutrition science, and I'm constantly reviewing new products and ingredients, speaking to other experts, attending conferences, learning about other cultures and developing wisdom from my own personal results as well as those of my clients.
I'm a member of several professional practice groups, including Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine, a subgroup the American Dietetic Association (ADA) that focuses on integrative, functional and holistic medicine, nutritional genomics, whole foods, dietary supplements and natural healing methods. I also belong to ADA's Hunger and Environmental Nutrition practice group, which works to promote sustainable agriculture and food security. I was one of the first RDs to become Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and I'm a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the ADA's Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutritionists practice group. Each of these practice groups is an important part of my ongoing continuing education and specialization in holistic nutrition and wellness.
I know I'll never stop learning and who knows, maybe I'll go back to school again for fourth college degree, or complete a certification in another health-related field! Today, I'm excited to use all of my education, training and experience to help people look and feel their best, eat all natural, delicious foods, lose weight (if needed) in a safe, healthful way, optimize athletic performance, prevent disease, and develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. One of my favorite phrases: kitchen cabinet, not medicine cabinet!
