This website and associated resources are created by a dynamic team of talented and dedicated women. Besides being fully invested in the Nutrivore philosophy and in bringing this powerful judgement-free approach to nutrition to the world, the thing we have in common is that our professional training and personal health journeys have intersected in a way that has made us passionate about science, evidence-based nutrition, and pushing back against diet dogma and culture.
Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD
Founder
Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD, is a New York Times bestselling author, popular science communicator, and renowned health expert. She creates evidence-based educational resources—always explained in her signature positive and engaging style—to help you make small, accessible changes to improve your diet while still enjoying all the foods you love. Dr. Ballantyne’s goal is to help you build lifelong healthy habits centered on sustainable nutrition, so you can achieve your health goals and quit dieting for good.
Dr. Ballantyne earned her doctorate degree in Medical Biophysics at Western University in 2003, at the age of 26, and then spent the next four years doing medical research as a postdoctoral fellow first in the Cardiology Department at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada and then in the Department of Cell Biology at The University of Arizona. Her award-winning research spanned the gamut of inflammation, innate immunity, antioxidant enzymes, cell trafficking, epithelial cell biology, gene therapy techniques, microcirculation and vascular biology, liver and lung health, critical care medicine, and cancer biology.
Inspired by her own health journey of losing 100+ pounds twice and finding nutritional solutions for her dozen diagnosed health conditions, Dr. Ballantyne began her transition to science and health communication when she launched her original website in 2011. Over the next few years, Dr. Ballantyne became an influential voice in the wellness community and amassed an audience of millions. There was no a-ha moment, but rather a behind-the-scenes struggle with weight regain caused by restrictive dieting, while her research into the gut microbiome confronted her with scientific study after study that challenged her nutritional beliefs. Combined with Dr. Ballantyne’s up-close observations of the harm of healthism, diet culture, dogmatic misinformation, and predatory marketing, these experiences culminated in an uncomfortable realization: that weight stigma and discrimination had made her susceptible to diet misinformation.
Realizing that some of her previous beliefs about nutrition were wrong and that the psychology of restrictive dieting is harmful, Dr. Ballantyne pivoted both her content and her entire approach. Finally free from toxic diet culture and with a renewed scientific rigor, Dr. Ballantyne found her way back to evidence-based recommendations with a newfound passion for busting the nutrition myths that she had once fallen for. In 2019, Dr. Ballantyne began communicating to her audience what she got wrong, compassionately inviting them to leave their confirmation bias bubbles of safety, while focusing her message on the nutritionally important foods we can add to our diets. She established a new dietary philosophy called Nutrivore, the radical yet simple idea of getting all the nutrients our bodies need from the foods we eat. Within her scope as a science communicator, Dr. Sarah teaches the important basics of nutrition like what nutrients do in the body, what foods contain what nutrients, and how any food can fit into a healthy diet. Informed by the experience of struggling with disordered eating, Dr. Sarah also creates practical resources to help you make easy additions and simple swaps—within the foods you like, have access to, and can afford—small changes that add up to big improvements in long-term health outcomes.
Now, Dr. Ballantyne finds herself in a new role of combatting diet misinformation online while steering the wellness conversation towards permission and addition rather than food fear and fads. Armed with the non-restrictive nutrient-focused approach that is Nutrivore, and an appreciation for health at any size, Dr. Ballantyne lost 100+ pounds for the third (and hopefully final) time. This experience taught Dr. Ballantyne the value of a weight inclusive educational ecosystem, focused on health rather than weight loss, and on the development of healthy eating patterns rather than dieting. That’s what you get with Nutrivore, a positive and inclusive approach to dietary guidance, based in science and devoid of dogma, where any food can fit into a healthy diet because Nutrivore uses nutrient density and sufficiency as its basic principles:
nourishment, not judgment.
You can find Dr. Sarah on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Pinterest, YouTube and TikTok.
Charissa Joy, AOS
Chief Operations Officer and Community Manager
Charissa Joy has over 15 years of experience working in the wellness space. Before finding her way behind the scenes of this industry she was a ACE certified personal trainer and she went on to get an Associates degree in Holistic healthcare.
Being at the forefront of the wellness movement, Charissa has had the opportunity to work with many thought leaders within the community. She also ran a consulting business where she worked with a multitude of other bloggers, authors, podcasters and brands in the wellness space.
Charissa has many roles on the team. As Dr. Sarah’s right hand, she touches every part of Dr. Sarah’s businesses. As project and team manager, Charissa manages all communications for Nutrivore, community building, internal and external marketing, and brand/affiliate partnerships. When she is not working, you can find her on the porch of her quaint A-frame cabin, pup at her feet, just enjoying slow living.
Nicole Anouar, BA
Graphic Designer
Nicole Anouar has a B.A in graphic design from the University of San Francisco and specializes in branding and educational design for healers and health professionals in the online space.
Initiated by her own health struggles… Nicole not only healed numerous chronic health conditions with simple diet and lifestyle changes, but discovered an entire universe of personal and spiritual growth, awakening to her life’s purpose. With 8+ years of education and practice in graphic design, content marketing and ancestral lifestyle tradition, Nicole expresses her passion for truth and her love for alternative living into the work she does every day.
Nicole has worked with some of the trailblazing leaders of the online wellness space, including multiple NYT bestselling authors and numerous popular female podcasters. Nicole is incredibly proud to have collaborated with such change-making and empowered women during such a vital time for health and wellness on planet earth. View more of Nicole’s work at www.NicoleAnouar.com
Denise Minger
content Creator and Researcher
Denise is a health researcher and author of the best-selling book, “Death By Food Pyramid”—an award-winning exposé of the forces that shaped our dietary guidelines and beliefs, and that’s been featured in documentaries, UPenn medical writing curricula, the Nutritional Therapy Association certification program, and numerous other health education courses around the world.
Her entrance into the nutrition field began as a quest to solve her own health issues, and quickly turned into a passion for translating complex science to the public. Since then, she’s authored dozens of viral nutrition articles, spoken at health conferences internationally, and helped coach individuals along their own wellness paths.
Lisa Hunter, MSc
content creator and Researcher
Lisa has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry, a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry, and worked in the pharmaceutical industry developing bio-products for 7 years, prior to taking time off to raise her two children.
On Nutrivore.com she is a researcher, writer, and content creator and is responsible for developing and maintaining the expanded Nutrivore Score database of over 7,500 foods (plus many of the nerdy puns sprinkled throughout the website!). Having personally benefited from Dr. Sarah’s numerous resources, she is excited to be a member of this amazing team, helping others to also take control of their health.
Jacqueline Leeflang, PEng
content creator and researcher
Jacqueline has a degree in Chemical Engineering (Bachelor of Applied Science) from the University of British Columbia in Canada, along with a master’s degree in renewable energy technology from the United Kingdom. She has also achieved her Professional Engineering designation in her home province of Alberta, Canada.
Jacqueline does a wide variety of tasks for Nutrivore including, article writing, data design, data visualization, all things excel, research, and content creation. When she’s not googling her way out of the excel jungle, she is parenting her two young boys and spending time outdoors.
Michele Tedrick, NBC-HWC, A-CFHC, Chef
content creator and photographer
Michele is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), an ADAPT Certified Functional Health Coach (A-CFHC), and a certified Holistic Chef. While the early part of her career focused on driving strategy and vision on a business marketing level for companies, her current focus is helping individuals define their own vision for personal health and well-being and helping them achieve it. Her 1:1 coaching clients benefit from all she has learned from Dr. Sarah over the years. Learn more at NutrivoreLife.com.
Michele has a love of learning, especially when it comes to health and nutrition. She is thrilled to be a contributor and part of the Nutrivore.com team. She earned her BA at University of Michigan–Dearborn with concentrations in English, Spanish, and communications. Michele lives in San Diego with her husband and two cats.
Follow Michele on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Sign up for 1-on-1 coaching here.