To start with, I’m Dr. John Berardi. And this site was pretty much my idea. You see, I’ve been working in nutrition, health, and fitness for over 25 years.
To be honest, I was frustrated by how freakin’ confusing it can be to figure out: where to go to school, which nutrition degree programs to consider, and which online nutrition courses and certifications have any value.
Seriously, these are simple questions. But every time someone tries to answer them, they get lost in a Google inspired maze of confusion, frustration, and anxiety.
Some of them just flat out give up and do nothing. They’re too worn out trying to sort through the nonsense. They never get the nutrition education they want and need.
That’s why I pulled together this team. And why we designed this site.
So, here’s a legitimate question: What makes me qualified to give advice about your nutrition pathway?
Well, I have pretty vast exposure to almost every aspect of fitness and nutrition.
I’ve been:
- A student of nutrition, going on to complete a PhD in Exercise Physiology and Nutrient Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario.
- A professor of nutrition at the University of Texas, Eastern Michigan University and the University of Western Ontario.
- A nutrition researcher with published studies in peer-reviewed academic journals.
- An author of over half a dozen nutrition books and hundreds of mainstream articles in magazines like Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and more.
- A columnist at Livestrong.com and The Huffington Post.
- A nutrition coach to thousands of everyday people and quite a few pro athletes and Olympic gold medalists.
- An advisor to companies like Apple, Equinox, Nike, and Titleist.
- An entrepreneur, having Co-founded the world’s largest nutrition coaching and education company, Precision Nutrition.
If you can believe it, I was even named as one of the 20 smartest fitness professionals in the world.
So I’m probably as well qualified as anyone to help review all the nutrition pathways out there. But, of course, I couldn’t do all this alone. That’s why I pulled together a world-class team to help with the project, including:
Susan Olding, BEd, MFA. Susan is an award-winning author and a former university instructor with an interest in education, health and nutrition. She works closely with me as a full-time writer at Precision Nutrition.
Brian St. Pierre, MS, RD. Brian is a well-known and respected nutrition coach and author. He’s been through most of the popular certification programs and has both a Masters in Nutrition and is a Registered Dietitian. He works closely with me as a full-time nutrition coach, researcher, and writer at Precision Nutrition.
Ryan Andrews, MS, MA, RD. Ryan is another well-known and respected nutrition coach and author. He’s been through most of the popular certification programs and has Masters degrees in Nutrition, Exercise Science, and is a Registered Dietitian. He works closely with me as a full-time nutrition coach, researcher, and writer at Precision Nutrition.
Mariane Heroux, PhD, RHN. Mariane is a nutrition coach, researcher, and holistic nutritionist. She’s had training in exercise and nutrition at the highest level. And she works closely with me as a full-time nutrition coach and researcher at Precision Nutrition.
In addition to this awesome team, we arrived at our recommendations by surveying dozens of well-respected naturopaths, nutritionists, professors, physicians, and researchers unaffiliated with Precision Nutrition. And that’s important because of this disclaimer.
Of course, this is just a short list of the people who gave us fantastic advice: Dr. Bryan Walsh, Dr. Cassandra Forsythe, Dr. Chris Mohr, Dr. Corey Schuler, Dr. Doug Kalman, Dr. Jose Antonio, Dr. Kara Mohr, Dr. Lonnie Lowery, Dr. Mike Ormsbee, Dr. Peter Lemon, Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss, and more.
In the end, as I mention in the introduction: There is no “best” 4-year nutrition degree program. No “top” nutrition graduate school. No “#1” nutrition course or nutritionist certification. Because no one organizes a “Nutrition Certification Olympics” where all the best programs compete for gold.
However, there are “better” options. So I put together a very experienced team, and turned to the most knowledgeable experts, to help uncover them for you.
I’m sure there are plenty of great programs out there, in each category, that we missed. But I think it’s safe to say that any of the programs covered on this site are among the best in class. And I hope that makes your search a little easier.
