Get to know Healthy Dining's Registered Dietitians
With their passion for food and nutrition, our team of registered dietitians works diligently to find the Healthy Dining choices you're looking for on restaurant menus nationwide. Get to know more about them and why you can count on them to suggest the tastiest choices on the menu to enjoy as part of your healthy lifestyle.
What is a Registered Dietitian (R.D.)?
Registered dietitians are your best source for accurate nutrition information. They go through extensive training prior to becoming registered and are required to complete additional training throughout their careers to stay at the forefront of nutrition. According to the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a registered dietitian (RD) is a food and nutrition expert who has met academic and professional requirements.
Healthy Dining's Registered Dietitians:
Nicole Ring, R.D.
Director of Restaurant and Community Partnerships
Nicole is a registered dietitian with nearly eight years of experience working with hundreds of restaurants to create and offer healthier choices. As Director of Restaurant and Community Partnerships, Nicole helps develop marketing tools and resources and creates unique, targeted partnerships with community organizations. With Nicole’s nutrition expertise and marketing skills, she plays a valuable role in bringing Americans one step closer to achieving their nutrition goals.
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Joan Rupp, M.S., R.D.
Director of Nutrition
Joan brings to Healthy Dining’s culinary nutrition services team her long-established and illustrious career in nutrition and public health – from academia and research to consulting and community health projects. As a well-respected registered dietitian in Southern California, Joan most notably served for more than 30 years as an educator at San Diego State University (SDSU) and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. She has shared her knowledge and helped train young dietitians, including several of the registered dietitians on staff at Healthy Dining. At SDSU, she served a dual role as Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics and Lecturer in the School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences.
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Christie Wayment, M.S., R.D.
Quality Assurance Manager
Culinary Dietitian
Christie joined the Healthy Dining team in March 2010, bringing her extensive knowledge of food and nutrition. As a Culinary Nutrition Specialist for Healthy Dining, she brings a passion for blending the culinary world and restaurant industry, guiding and inspiring our restaurant partners through the nutrition analysis process. During her career, Christie has worked on two National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research projects, as well as a phase-one research project for Healthy Dining. Christie is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Food and Culinary Professionals Dietetic Practice Group.
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Ilana Shapiro, R.D.
Nutrition Project Manager
Culinary Dietitian
Ilana, one of Healthy Dining's dedicated registered dietitians, works closely with restaurants across the country to help them meet the growing demand for nutrition information and healthier choices. In her role as Culinary Nutrition Specialist, Ilana provides nutrition analysis of restaurant menu items while offering guidance to restaurants to help them reduce such items as fat, calories and sodium in their food preparation.
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Amanda Hibshman, R.D.
Web Manager
Culinary Dietitian
Being the web manager for Healthy Dining is a great way to blend Amanda’s technical skills with her passion for eating healthy and knowledge of dietetics. From formatting pictures and publishing restaurant data to writing blogs and managing newsletters, Amanda is an integral part of the web/marketing team and is responsible for overseeing the Healthy Dining Finder website.
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Anjali Patel, M.P.H., R.D.
Manager of Research
Anjali brings to Healthy Dining a passion for applying research to practical programs and strategies that make a positive impact on Americans’ health. Prior to joining Healthy Dining, Anjali was involved in several research projects in the area of public health, including: creating evaluation tools for senior nutrition programs; consulting on the program planning, implementation and evaluation for a farm-to-preschool project; and evaluating the current hospital nutrition environment in Southern California.
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Rachael Derr, R.D.
Culinary Dietitian
Rachael first became interested in nutrition while taking a basic nutrition course at Miramar Community College in San Diego. As her interest in nutrition evolved, she decided to complete her Bachelors of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Science at San Diego State University. Rachael then completed her dietetic internship through University of California San Diego Medical Center.
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Kristy Gordon, R.D.
Culinary Dietitian
Kristy has loved to cook from the time she was seven, the result of watching her grandmothers in the kitchen. As a culinary dietitian at Healthy Dining, she uses her years of experience in the restaurant industry to accurately complete nutritional analysis for restaurants across the country. Kristy has worked in restaurants for many years, from casual dining to four diamond establishments.
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