The Ultimate Guide to Nutritionists and Dietitians in Boston

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Wading through diet culture these days can be tricky. On one hand, our culture has been conditioned to believe (incorrectly so) that to be skinnier is to always be healthier—and to believe that self-restriction is always attainable and sustainable. On the other hand, America does have one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. Here’s the thing: No matter where you fall on the scale, there are professionals here to help you navigate not only the grocery aisles, but your own internal narrative around food. This is, by no means, a comprehensive list of nutritionists and dietitians in Boston, but it’s a good start.

Before we dive in, though, it’s important to keep in mind the difference between nutritionists and dietitians. (No, they’re not the same thing!) Dietitians can be nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dietitians. Dietitians must earn multiple degrees, pass multiple exams, and go through many hours of intensive supervised practice; they have far more experience, education, and expertise in giving medical nutrition advice. Meanwhile, since the term is not as highly regulated, anyone can self-identify as a nutritionist. (Read more here, to get a better understanding of the differentiation between the two.) While both can be helpful, we’ve focused on dietitians for the list below.

Karuna Nutrition and Movement

Karuna is a sanskrit word for self compassion, and this wellness studio makes compassion for your body—and your choices—central to its offerings. With two offices in Norwood and Franklin, Karuna has five dietitian nutritionists on staff offering nutrition counseling, cooking classes, and fitness classes. All offerings intertwine principals of Intuitive Eating (an approach that builds eating habits around internal body cues, rather than external cues) and the Health at Every Size ethos.

Oceanside Nutrition

Matt Priven, owner and founder of Oceanside Nutrition, offers an array of focus areas for individual nutrition counseling, including Intuitive Eating, general nutrition, digestive health, and more. Oceanside has two offices in Boston and Newburyport, and is currently offering telehealth appointments.

Shanti Nutrition

Whether you feel out of control with food, miss out on life because of the way you feel about your body, or just feel really confused about what to eat, Alexis Penney, owner of Shanti Nutrition, can help. Her mission is to “help women find more peace with food, health, and their bodies to live their best lives and feel empowered.”

Kara Lydon Nutrition

Kara Lydon is another anti-“diet” dietitian, here to help all people overcome their fixation on rigidity. Besides offering a wide array of nutrition counseling (on subjects like Intuitive Eating, eating disorders, and digestive orders) she also has a huge database of delicious and nutritious recipes on her blog. In addition, she has an ebook and offers yoga instruction.

Prevention Pantry Nutrition

Jillian Greaves is the dietitian mastermind behind Prevention Pantry Nutrition. She combines her passion for creating simple yet flavorful recipes with professional expertise in the nutrition sciences—all to help her clients increase energy, balance their hormones, and improve digestion. She offers in-person, one-on-one nutrition counseling at Back Bay Health and via telehealth appointments.

SMC Nutrition

Celebrating the role food that plays in our cultures and traditions, Sally Cohen helps clients accomplish their goals with food and exercise through a non-diet approach. She’s also a running coach, so she marries the intricacies of sport performance with nutrition to help runners of all ability levels improve their training and overall healthy lifestyle.

Liberated Nutrition

Sydney Gatward, the registered dietitian behind Liberated Nutrition, uses Intuitive Eating principles and the Health at Every Size approach to help her clients break free from diet culture. She also specializes in hormonal imbalances, prenatal nutrition, and management of digestive complaints.

Dear Nutrition

If you’re having IBS issues—or any other type of digestive complaint, like bloating—Lauren Adler Dear is your girl. Her business, Dear Nutrition, specializes in utilizing the Low FODMAP Diet, which limits foods with sugars that are hard for the human body to normally digest. She is also an Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size dietitian, and built a passion for food from growing up cooking, gardening, and working on many organic farms after school.

Ryan Maciel

Not only is Ryan Maciel a registered dietitian, but he is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist working at Catalyst Fitness in Cambridge to help people of all backgrounds build a sustainable and healthy nutrition and fitness practice.

Well by Bridgitte

With a functional medicine background and extensive knowledge on gut health, Bridgitte Carroll works with clients to get to the root of their health problems. She helps people build a sustainable nutrition, lifestyle, and supplement routine to help them start feeling better quicker. She also has a 12-week group coaching experience for those wanting to dive a little deeper into their gut health.

Jessi Haggerty Nutrition and Movement Therapy

If you want to learn to love the skin you’re in, build lifelong healthy habits that instill a better relationship with food, movement, and your body through Jessi Haggerty’s size-inclusive, anti-diet approach to health behavior change. Jessi is a registered dietitian offering medical nutrition therapy, Intuitive Eating counseling, and body image coaching.

Halve Your Cake

Kathleen Johnson is the dietitian behind Halve Your Cake. She specializes in gut health, autoimmune disease, women’s health, and general wellness.

Acupuncture Nutrition

Bringing more than 15 years of experience to his practice, George Mandler helps clients through both nutrition and acupuncture. He is a board certified registered dietitian and a licensed acupuncturist working out of an office in both Stow and Cambridge to help clients with pain, fertility challenges, digestive issues, and more.

Riverside Nutrition

At Riverside Nutrition, founder and registered dietitian Chloe Schweinshaut believes in a whole body, whole food approach. She offers nutrition counseling on weight issues, nutrition for first responders, allergies, and more plus corporate wellness programs.