Elizabeth Candela

 

About Elizabeth

MA, RDN, CLT, CSSD

Since my early teens, I have been interested in nutrition. At thirteen years young, I hemorrhaged and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. It was a very scary time. I had trouble gaining weight, felt weak, and I was tired all the time. Since I was not absorbing all of my nutrients, I suffered from failure to thrive and was very small for my age. As a result, I had a hard time fitting in at school. For all my adolescent years, my goal was to gain weight and get “healthy”.

Unfortunately, my idea of gaining weight was to eat anything and everything! As a result, I fell into some pretty poor eating habits. Throughout college, I wanted to study nutrition, but at the same time felt threatened by all the nutrition information. I remember thinking, “What if I’m told to change everything about the way I eat?” Would I need to give up my favorite foods?

I knew I should make better food choices in order to deal with my chronic illness, but at the same time, I couldn’t imagine how to change the way I ate. It wasn’t until after I gave birth to my first child that I sought help from a Registered Dietitian. She helped me understand a great deal about nutrition, and pointed out my lack of specific nutrients, which created intense food cravings. For many years to follow, my stomach issues seemed under control, and my weight finally stabilized, even after having my second child.

It wasn’t until after September 11, 2001, when my husband was killed in the World Trade Center that I would start suffering again with additional gastrointestinal issues. This time, doctors diagnosed me with Crohn’s Disease. I was determined to stay healthy for my two children! In 2010, I enrolled in a postgraduate certification program in Exercise Science and Nutrition at Montclair State University. Since then, I achieved my American College of Sports Medicine Exercise Physiology Certification, my New Jersey Registered Dietitian Nutritionist License, have become a Certified LEAP Therapist, and a Board Certified Specialist in Sport Dietetics. I also studied at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and achieved a Certified Health and Wellness Coach Certification. I continue to study and I am in the process of getting certified to better address pediatric and adult overweight and obesity, both of which have increased dramatically since COVID-19.

 

Half  Marathon

It has been a long road, but by making small changes in my nutrition and wellness habits, I have much better control over my chronic gastrointestinal problems. I learned how to listen to my mind, body, and soul to determine what and when I needed to eat. As a result, I have been able to reach my personal fitness goals to run all six World Major Marathons – New York City, Chicago, Boston, Berlin, London and Tokyo – and work toward completing a half marathon in every state, coming in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in 30 out of 39, so far! More importantly, I have been able to raise my two children in good health, while teaching them healthy eating, fitness and lifestyle habits.

Employment

Beth has worked alongside and studied from leading nutrition experts and sports nutritionists to promote Wellness and Healthy Eating on the Dr. Oz Show and NY Langome Dr Radio. Clinically trained, Beth has also developed and delivered Medical Nutrition Therapy to individuals to help manage medical conditions including Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal/Digestive Disorders, Obesity and Weight Control, Food Allergies and Sensitivities and Osteoporosis.

Volunteer

  • Managed the Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Dietetics Practice Group (SCAN) Linked In Website
  • Ambassador for New Jersey Dietetic Association
  • Nutrition Wellness Webinar for Tuesday’s Children and our Gold Star Families

Memberships

Active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Dietetics Practice Group, Weight Management Practice Group, Dietitians in Integrative & Functional Medical and the New Jersey Dietetic Association.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe the most important gift you can give to yourself is the gift of health. I believe in a realistic and practical approach to create balance between nutrition and exercise designed to custom fit your individual goals. I believe in a holistic approach so you can lead a healthy lifestyle by setting realistic goals that you can achieve and strategies that you can confidently employ.