Desiree Nielsen BSc RD (that’s me!) is a registered dietitian and plant-based recipe developer in Vancouver Canada who thinks it’s weird to talk about herself in the third person.

So….I am the author of 3 award-winning, Canadian bestselling cookbooks and my focus here is (mostly!) plant-based nutrition and gut health.

That’s the short version, but if you want to really get to know me and why I’m here, scroll on!

Why I’m qualified to talk to you about nutrition and (why you can trust my recipes!):

Education:

  • I have a BSc with Honours from University of British Columbia (Dietetics Major)
  • I completed my dietetic internship at Capital Health Edmonton (now Alberta Health Services)

Expertise:

  • I have been a registered dietitian for over 15 years, with a core focus on plant-based nutrition, digestive health and anti-inflammatory nutrition. I’ve been doing gut health since before it was cool! And I have IBS myself.
  • I continue to run a virtual private practice to provide one-on-one nutrition care and am a UBC Clinical Instructor as well as hosting an evidence-informed wellness podcast, The Allsorts Podcast.
  • I am the author of two therapeutic nutrition cookbooks: Eat More Plants, an instant #1 Canadian bestselling anti-inflammatory cookbook that has been honoured with a Taste Canada Gold Award.
  • My second bestselling cookbook, Good For Your Gut, focuses on digestive health and was honoured with both Taste Canada Gold and an IACP award.
  • My latest cookbook, Plant Magic, was a #1 Canadian bestseller and has been shortlisted for a Taste Canada award (fingers crossed for me!).
  • I was also the host of a 2017 Canadian cooking show called The Urban Vegetarian, which has been syndicated in the United States and Australia as well as a host of other countries globally.

Work Experience

  • My first job as a dietitian was in the grocery store. I was the first ever nutrition manager at Choices Markets, which is where I learned SO much about the practical questions people have about nutrition, and the challenges we all face in turning nutrition advice into dinner. 
  • At my core, I’m a nutrition educator, and I have given hundreds of keynotes, conference sessions and talks to a wide variety of audiences on everything from nutrition and the microbiome to how to resist the pull of internet misinformation. 
  • I also work with plant-based and natural health as a content creator and spokesperson, including Silver Hills Bakery, Bio-K+ Probiotics, Maison Orphee, What About Wheat and more.
  • With more than ten years in plant-based recipe development, my recipes have been featured in multiple outlets, including Self.com, Elle Gourmet Canada, The Globe and Mail, People Magazine, and Washington Post Food.
  • And all this experience under my belt, plus a reputation for sharing trusted, practical, evidence-based nutrition, I am continually featured in print and media outlets as varied as CBC News, KTLA, The Good Stuff with Mary Berg, Bon Appetit, Chatelaine, PARADE, and MarthaStewart.com

Read more about my blog, Desiree Nielsen Transformative Nutrition, here!

Still here? Let’s talk about the fun stuff…like how I am an introvert in an extrovert’s job (which is weird sometimes). But I love what I do so much! 

  • I honestly never expected that I would work in recipe development. I was – and am – a huge science nerd who fell in love with nutrition as a method of helping people heal. But food has always been a huge part of my life, and I learned to cook in my Portuguese grandmother’s kitchen. 
  • Along the way, I realized that the best way to take the stress and guesswork out of nutrition for folks was to simply create yummy, nutrient dense plant-based recipes that would help folks feel their best!
  • Then I started to really, really, like cooking…see my note about being an introvert above. I’m generally happiest in my kitchen, with the music blaring, my little front yard fruit and veggie garden or literally anywhere in nature.
  • I have two omnivore kids and a husband who endure my recipe fails and are my gold standard of how to please omnivores with plants. 
  • You’ll usually find me with my nose buried in a book (I share all my book recommendations on Instagram!) and saving my pennies for my next trip. My favourite city on the planet is Tokyo (I lived there on and off for a bit when I was younger!)

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