About

Welcome!

Hi I’m Jackie. I am a registered dietitian, public health attorney and cooking instructor. Thank you for visiting my website! This is where I post anything new and interesting on food & nutrition whether it be delicious healthy recipes, up to date food regulations, changing public health policies and anything new in nutritional scientific studies. You can stay current on all posts nutrition and policy related as well as healthy recipes by subscribing to my newsletter for free here.

My Knowledge + Philosophy

My knowledge of food stems from my love of it. I always want to know more about the food I am putting into my body. I was lucky to grow up on all natural cooking and Mediterranean food, but I was eager to know the WHY and the science behind nutrition. By empowering myself with the knowledge of why enables me to make better lifelong choices on what is healthy and nutritious. For culinary skills, I garnered an in depth culinary experience from working in my mom’s own catering company Mediterranean Dream for 10 years which catered to pharmaceutical clients such as Amgen, Merck, Galderna. But it was through my study in nutrition where I learned and began to really appreciate my family recipes and Mediterranean cuisine as providing some of the finest and healthiest recipes in the world. Now as a Registered Dietitian, public health attorney and cooking class instructor, I believe this all natural, wholesome approach to eating and cooking is an integral part of a healthy diet and delicious lifestyle. By learning recipes directly from her mom, grandma and aunts, I try and stay true to the authenticity and tastes of Mediterranean cuisine while treasuring the traditional value of cooking with all natural and fresh ingredients. I also have a healthier baklava food line called Belle Mediterranean at Fairway supermarkets and host healthy cooking classes at Bowery Culinary Center, City Cookhouse and Whole Foods.

My philosophy on food essentially boils down to two things: all natural and nutrient dense. What does all natural exactly mean? It’s a good question since the FDA itself hasn’t defined it as a legal term of art. But I think we all can feel, taste and see when food is all natural. It is simple, minimally processed, free of harmful additives and preservatives, is free of color dyes and other aesthetic enhancers. My great affection for nature comes from my grandmother in Turkey who still works and loves the family farm. She taught me what seasonal and local meant before it was trendy because she lived it. Most of my recipes are adapted from my family especially my mom who I adore and with whom I helped run a catering company Mediterranean Dream, Inc. I incorporate seasonal and more and more veggies. Veggies are full of the vital vitamins, mineral and phytonutrients we need while helping to combat disease. Not only that they are more sustainable for the environment than eating meat so I aim for lots of veggies to fill my belly up! I I’m a big believer in balance which is why I indulge guilt-free from time to time. Also a big proponent of exercise to get your cells and being moving and have completed my fitness instructor certification to explore optimal cardio and weight training exercises.

My nutrition practice fulfills a huge passion of mine to help people lead healthier lives and I am so excited to offer personalized nutrition plans based on ones genes. Because it is fairly new, I am the first to offer this service in New York! I believe this is the future of nutrition and having done my research on nutrition and gene expression in my academic studies, I have seen first hand the power of knowing how particular nutrients uniquely affect your genetic make up is key to understanding yourself and how you should optimally eat! So excited!

Mission

To share my love of vegetables, my love of Mediterranean cuisine with its culture and food history that my grandmother and mom taught me, nutritional facts and science based information, food laws and policies that affect you and your families and sharing positive experiences and energy.

Professional Affiliations:

• American Dietetic Association: Registered Dietitian
• New York State Dietetic Association
• The Greater New York Dietetic Association
• Public Health Association of New York City
• New York Representative- Let’s Move Campaign
• American Fitness Association Group Instructor

Professional Endorsements:

• Skinny Eats- www.eatskinnyeats.com

Philanthropy:

Jackie Arnett RD is greatly involved in philanthropic efforts and has founded the charity organization of Nutrition for Veterans and Kids for Cooking. Jackie believes that one of the most important parts of any success is giving back with whatever skills you are blessed to share. Nutrition is an invaluable gift to be shared with all.

• Public Health Organization of New York City- Board of Director
• Let’s Move Campaign- New York Representative

Jackie can also donate cooking class raffle donations or Belle Mediterranean baklava to your charity event.

Please email [email protected]