Samantha Luft

MS, RDN

Specialties:

General Healthy Eating and Wellness
Relationship with Food and Disordered Eating
Sustainable Weight Loss

Patient Populations:

LGBTQIA+, Older adults, Women

About Samantha

Samantha grew up in an active, health-conscious household, learning from a young age how what she ate affected how she felt. Through a lot of self-experimentation, she realized what worked best for her and how to feel physically good and solid about her relationship with food. Once it came time to choose a career path, Samantha blended her interest in food with her love for science and working with people, and landed on nutrition. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, she pursued her Master’s in nutrition. Before joining the Culina Health team, Samantha worked as an inpatient dietitian for a sub-acute rehab facility in New York City.

Get to Know Samantha

Grocery shopping tip: Go in with a loose plan.

Favorite nutrient-packed snack: Ranch Greek yogurt dip with veggies and crackers

A habit you swear by: Water before coffee!

Nutrition philosophy in a nutshell: All foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle. Aim to focus on the addition in your meals instead of the subtraction.

How has your cultural culinary heritage shaped your approach to nutrition?: Growing up in a Jewish household, food was at the center of every family gathering and was made to be a fun and enjoyable part of life. I like to bring that approach into counseling by reminding my patients that food should be a fun and enjoyable part of life and we can work together to bring that aspect of food back.

Favorite book/TV show/movie: TV shows: Friends and Mad Men

A mindful eating moment you had recently: During my Thanksgiving meal, I paused halfway through to check in with myself and my level of fullness before finishing the rest of my plate.