Healthy Women Image

Jo-Anne M. Rizzotto, M.Ed, R.D., L.D.N., C.D.E.

Jo-Anne Rizzotto, MEd, RDN, LDN, CDCES, is Director of Educational Services at the Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. She is a registered dietitian and a certified diabetes educator with over 25 years of clinical, research, management and industry experience and is a key member of the clinic leadership team. Jo-Anne is co-chair and an active member of the National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators Exam Board. Jo-Anne has a proven track record of managing many facets of quality assurance and improvement with documented outcomes including advancing the use of technologies in the clinic for the management of diabetes. Jo-Anne establishes, directs and manages all aspects of diabetes education programs including overall direction, content, design, delivery, budgeting and staff management. She ensures all programs and staff delivering education meet the highest quality standards and do so with the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness. Jo-Anne participates in and has been the co-principle investigator in numerous clinical research studies. Jo-Anne chairs and participates in a variety of high level selection committees, clinical guideline committees, publication review committees and academic promotion committees. She also chairs the quality committee with the General Counsel at the Joslin in addition to the Clinic policy and procedure committee.

Full Bio
Shot of a young woman using a laptop while preparing a healthy meal at home
iStock.com/PeopleImages

Q:

Two years ago I became a vegetarian. I do eat eggs and dairy. I'm finding it challenging to understand how to eat a balanced diet and have put on lots of weight. Is there anywhere I can get a simple vegetarian diet plan to lose weight and stay healthy—a simple plan that tells me what to eat on a day-to-day basis over a week or a month, how to cook it (recipes) and what quantities?

A:

Plant-based diets can offer an abundance of low-calorie foods, nutrient dense vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting antioxidants that offer a wealth of benefits for your health and your heart. Special health concerns for vegetarians depend on what foods they eliminate and how much variety they get in their diet. Vegetarians who include dairy products and eggs (known as lacto-ovo vegetarians) can easily meet nutrition requirements. A meatless menu can be very healthful as long as you choose low-fat or nonfat dairy foods, limit consumption of egg yolks and stick to low-fat cooking techniques. The resources below provide a wealth of new recipes and information on healthy vegetarian eating:

American Dietetic Association
Phone: (800) 877-1600
Web site: www.eatright.com

The Vegetarian Resource Group
Phone: (410) 366-8343
Web site: www.vrg.org

American Diabetes Association
Phone: (800) 342-2383
Web site: www.diabetes.org
Recommended reading for meals: Month of Meals: Vegetarian Pleasures by American Diabetes Association

You might be interested in