Molly Cleary Chanzis
MS, RDN, CDCES
Specialties:
- Diabetes and Prediabetes
- General Healthy Eating Guidance
- Heart and Cardiovascular Health
- Kidney Disease
Patient Populations:
LGBTQIA+, Men, Neurodivergent Patients, Older adults, Patients with ADHD/ADD, Patients with depression, Patients with GAD, Patients with learning disabilities, Patients with OCD, Patients with PTSD/history of trauma, Women
About Molly
What Molly thought was an interest in nutrition as a teenager turned out to be more of an interest in diet culture. After studying nutrition science in college, she realized she could pursue a career in dietetics and help others ditch diet culture through education, just as she had. With over 10 years of experience, Molly loves spending time in sessions teaching her patients about nutrition in a way that helps them feel their best. After all, so much misinformation is out there about how to be healthy (spoiler alert: this looks different for everyone!). Before joining the team at Culina Health, Molly worked in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, most recently at New York Presbyterian Hospital as a senior outpatient dietitian on the kidney transplant team.
Get to Know Molly
Favorite thing to purchase at the Farmer’s Market or Grocery Store: I love farmer’s market hummus; it’s always better fresh. But Ithaca is hands down my favorite grocery store brand!
Favorite cultural dish or comfort food: Pasta always hits the spot and I love that it can feel super comforting while also being super nutritious (when you want it to be!).
Grocery shopping tip: Keep a list on the notes app on your phone, adding things throughout the week as you think of them. You can do a shared list with people you live with too.
Go-to morning beverage: A large cup of coffee
Favorite nutrient-packed snack: Dried beans! Trust me — dried chickpeas, edamame, mung beans… there are so many great options to satisfy the crunchy/salty preference.
What’s one small thing someone can do today to work toward a balanced eating pattern/lifestyle?: Take 10 minutes to map out some of your meals for the next week — a little planning can go a long way. Come up with two breakfast ideas to have on repeat and a few recipes or ideas to have for lunch and dinner. Not every meal has to be planned, but having a rough roadmap will save you from having to make as many decisions in the moment. It also helps you know what to buy at the store.
Nutrition philosophy in a nutshell: I believe in flexible structure when it comes to nutrition. A little planning can go a long way, and saves you a lot of stress in the long run. The flexibility piece is key to making dietary habits sustainable, and I always help work around my patients’ preferences, social plans, travel, and anything else that might come up.
Favorite recipe: This recipe will make you love tofu
Favorite book/TV show/movie: Schitt’s Creek is my go-to show to throw on in the background.
A mindful eating moment you had recently: I’ve been having way more sweets cravings ever since breastfeeding/pumping milk for my new baby. Instead of automatically reaching for the pint of Van Leeuwen’s ice cream, I’ll ask myself if this is a craving that fruit could satisfy. Sometimes that answer is yes and I’ll grab something like cotton candy grapes. Other times the answer is no, and that’s when I take a moment to fully enjoy the ice cream.
Sleep ritual I never forget: I try to go to bed around the same time every night because the routine helps me to fall asleep almost right away.
Nutrition myth or trend you find particularly annoying and would like to set the record straight: The demonization of fruit. Fruit is such a nutritious food — it provides vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, hydration and has a delicious sweet taste. Most people need more fruit, not less, and any diet/plan that demonizes fruit is something you should second guess.
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