We deliver evidence-based education and promote community partnerships to strengthen nutrition, expand access, and support lifelong wellness.
About
Us
At Food is Health, our mission is to empower individuals and communities to lead healthier lives by providing education that connects the power of food to livelong well-being and increasing awareness about nutritious affordable meals.
Through partnership with local organizations, healthcare practitioners, the food industry and education institutions, our programs support individuals and communities to make informed choices about healthy food choices resulting in the foundation of personal health and lifestyle change.
empowering healthier lives
through the power of food
Her experience includes
- Brand Ambassador: Laura has represented food and ingredient companies as their spokesperson and website consultant for content and social media.
- Reshape Your Health: This Customer Engagement Program provides monthly newsletters, 3-day menus and shopping lists that highlight 3 foods. This concept can be used for employee health or as a virtual dietitian supermarket initiatives
- Culinary Nutrition: Cooking is always the best way to teach Medical Nutrition Therapy and Laura has been "creating recipes" to incorporate topics on weight management, diabetes, Mediterranean/plant forward heart health and wellness . These programs can be single sessions or multiweek lunch and learns.
- Featured Speaker Laura has created CE approved sessions and presented them at Affiliate state meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
- College Adjunct Professor: For 5 years Laura taught Culinary Nutrition, The Science of Nutrition and Nutrition Through the Life Span at Middlesex College.
- Cultural Food: Laura has attended Cultural Culinary food trips to Sardinia, Sicily, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Hungary, Chile, Tuscany, She recognizes that the food of all cultures can be incorporated into balanced and healthy food plans
- Food is Health : This new and innovative program geared to students in grades 4 to 8. These modules bring nutrition education that incorporate Culinary Nutrition skills and STEM learning and student engagement activities into assembly and classroom settings. Modules include: Steps to Create Healthy Meals, Supermarket Dash, and Cultural Food
- Realtime Nutrition : As a counselor and coach, Laura offers consults to individuals who need input into what they eat and how they prepare their food. She specializes in diabetes, glycemic index, heart health and wellness.
Professional Affiliations:
Laura is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and belongs to the the following Practice groups:
- Food and Culinary Professionals
- Diabetes Care Educators
- Culinary Arts Membership: Laura is a member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, a global community that focuses on sharing a passion for culinary arts.
Academics:
Laura earned her BS in Dietetics from Marywood University and her MS in Nutrition Communication from Boston University. She completed clinical training at NYU Medical Center and administrative training at the VA in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
She is dedicated to the concept of Food First as a means of teaching wellness and reducing risk of chronic disease.
Meet our Team
Laura Coti Garrett, MS, RDN
Mary-Pat Maciolek, Ed.D., MBA, RD, FAND
Mary-Pat Maciolek, Ed.D., MBA, RD, FAND, is the co-founder of Food Is Health, LLC and Professor Emerita at Middlesex College in New Jersey. She is dedicated to advancing nutrition education and helping individuals build a stronger connection between food, health, and lifelong wellness. This commitment continues with Food Is Health, which is an innovative program that incorporates nutrition education, culinary nutrition skills, and STEM learning aligned with student engagement activities in both the clasroom setting and assembly style presentations.
During her tenure at Middlesex College, Dr. Maciolek served as Chairperson of the Hospitality, Culinary Arts, and Dietetics Department and as Director of the Dietetic Technology Program. Dr. Maciolek has served as an advisory board member for nutrition and dietetics programs, including Rutgers University and Saint Elizabeth University, as well as the Middlesex County Magnet Schools CTE Advisory Board. Dr. Maciolek coordinated, with HCD Department faculty, the Middlesex County Destination 2024 Community, Innovation, and Opportunity (CIO) Strategic Investment Plan for the planning, layout, and design of a new, state-of-the-art culinary lab at Middlesex College, which is scheduled to open in early 2027. She developed the curriculum that served as the first two-year to four-year dietetics transfer in the State of New Jersey and serves as the model for other institutions of higher learning. Dr. Maciolek is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and several of its practice groups, including Food and Culinary Professionals and Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors, as well as the national School Nutrition Association.
Dr. Maciolek earned her undergraduate degree from Misericordia University, completed her clinical training at Raritan Bay Medical Center, and MBA from Georgian Court University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Rowan University. She has held numerous leadership roles within both the state and national dietetic associations, including President and Treasurer of the New Jersey Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (NJAND), as well as NJAND Delegate to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dr. Maciolek has been a featured speaker at local, state, and national conferences, including the Middlesex County Economic Development Division and REPLENISH workshop on tackling food insecurity and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, where she presented continuing education approved programs on innovative nutrition education programs.
With extensive experience in curriculum development, Dr. Maciolek has designed a wide range of academic courses in food science, culinary arts, hospitality management, and nursing. She has also served as a textbook reviewer for several academic publishers and is a published co-author of a peer-reviewed article on dietetics education in the Journal of Nutrition Education.
Interested in working together? We’d love to hear more. Let’s begin with a simple note.
we are here
to help
from the class room to the news room
