Marissa Kent Nutrition, a nutritional counseling and consulting business designed to educate, empower and nourish adolescents, adults and families. Marissa Kent is an RDN registered dietitan nutritionist specializing in eating disorders, diabetes, diabetes prevention, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and the non-diet approach to weight management. Marissa uses up-to-date, research based guidelines to help her clients put nutrition science into accomplishing their goals. In session, the client will determine what their nutritional needs are, find motivation to make the change and the knowledge to treat their body with love and respect.
“I had an interest in nutrition from the start. I grew up with exposure to vegetarianism and a grandmother who was petrified of additives, colors and anything artificial. Who knew she was well before her time. As a child, I thought it was amazing how nutrition could prevent, treat and cure some diseases. In addition to the pure science, I truly enjoy learning about food behaviors – How people eat and why people eat. I am interested in my client’s individual relationship with food and how to bring them back to the intuition they once had. It is not a simple task; it takes patience, understanding and empathy.
Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”; I believe it truly is.
Marissa received a Bachelor of Science in Community Nutrition from California State University Long Beach (CSULB). Marissa worked at College Hospital and Center for Discovery while completing her dietetic internship and Master’s degree at CSULB. Her training included clinical and food service rotations at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, UCLA General Research, Long Beach Unified School District, Head Start Programs and long term care facilities. Marissa’s Master’s thesis research is focused on post-menopausal women, weight management and motivational interviewing. Marissa is also a Certified Diabetes Educator and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor.
Specialties
include eating disorders, diabetes, diabetes prevention, PCOS, and heart disease prevention
Member
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)
American Academy of Diabetes Educators (AADE)
Work history
inpatient, residential and outpatient work with eating disorders. Residential education and counseling for chemical dependency. Clinical work in hospital setting. Private practice since 2005
Internships
through Saddleback College and California State University, Long Beach.
Lindsay Rypkema, RDN, CSP, CLEC
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Lindsay Rypkema has been a Registered Dietitian since 2005 working in a variety of areas within dietetics. She is currently a Certified Specialist in Pediatrics as well as a Certified Lactation Educator. She has worked at numerous top healthcare facilities in both pediatrics and adults including Mayo Clinic, UCSF Medical Center, Rady Children’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital Orange County. Lindsay has had significant experience with both pediatrics and adults most recently focusing on GI conditions and oncology. She enjoys helping people set and reach their goals and believes starting with a small, realistic goal and building off that is the key to success. Lindsay believes nutrition plays an important role in the healing process of all disease states as well as disease prevention.
Elise Harlow, MS, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Elise is a Registered Dietitian who obtained a Master of Science degree from California State University Long Beach (CSULB), and a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Tech University. After receiving her Master’s Degree, she pursued further training through a pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. She chose to work in pediatrics as this was a way to combine two of her biggest joys in life, nutrition and children.
During her residency at CHOC, she gained experiences in a wide variety of pediatric specialties such as: picky eating/feeding challenges, infant nutrition, normal nutrition for age, early developmental nutrition, oncology, and medical nutrition therapy for medical and surgical patients.
Elise has experience in helping families feed and nurture their children in a way that promotes a positive relationship with food and can help decrease picky eating. Elise often uses the principles of Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility to guide families through this process.
Elise also works with adult clients who been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. By educating on food and lifestyle management, Elise has helped empower clients with ways in which they have the ability to reverse, manage, or slow the progression of pre-diabetes and heart disease.
Elise has a passion for educating others and continuing to learn about the amazing impact that food can have on the body. Elise believes that nutrition plays a vital role in both preventing and healing from chronic disease. Optimal health begins with what we put into our bodies and how we think about food. By becoming in tune with our bodies and providing them with the appropriate nutrients, we can nurture ourselves from the inside out.
Paul Cheng, BS, NASM
Assistant
Paul has a nutrition science degree from California State University, Long Beach. He has a specialty in fitness and nutrition education. At Marissa Kent Nutrition/ Nutrition for Life, Paul assists in scheduling, billing, technical support and quality measurement.