Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, CPT

Hi! I’m Erin

Hi, I’m Erin! I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator, a Certified Personal Trainer, and a diabetes & nutrition expert for the media. I am a 4x author including the best-selling 2 Day Diabetes Diet, TEDx speaker, and busy mom of 3!

I believe in progress, not perfection. That means our work together will focus on helping you to create sustainable changes you can stick with for a lifetime!

How saying no to being perfect allowed me to achieve my healthiest self

“Progress. Not Perfection!” I know all too well how trying to eat perfectly to improve health and achieve an ideal body weight can promote fear-based eating instead of eating for enjoyment. Quit trying to be so perfect- it’s the biggest roadblock to success! As a busy mom, I understand the delicate balancing act of trying to manage your own health needs as well as the needs of your family. Yet prioritizing everyone else’s needs above your own doesn’t just hurt you, it negatively impacts your whole family. Taking time to take care of your own health shouldn’t be something that makes you feel guilty. I’ll show you how to say goodbye to the guilt while making time for your health, even if it feels like you have no time for yourself.

Saying Goodbye to Guilt & Hello to Health

I remember the day I finally said enough is enough. I had spent too many years letting the number on the scale define my self worth, my confidence, and my mood. I’m sure you can relate. You wake up one morning; you feel light and healthy and rush to the scale to see if your weight has gone down. Unfortunately even though you feel great, the scale shows that your weight has shot up a few pounds. Seeing that number was just crushing for me. If the scale was up, I automatically felt unattractive, self-conscience, and deflated. The rest of my day would suffer from my poor mood. After years of being hyper-focused on body weight and body weight alone, I finally decided that I would no longer let the scale control me. I had just passed on a work opportunity that I had dreamed of landing simply because of how insecure I felt in my own skin. It was ridiculous and I vowed that I would not allow that to happen again.

Maybe my weight wasn’t where I hoped it would be, but was I really going to let that silly number control my life? Would I left it prevent me from achieving my best self? When I realized what this battle of the scale was doing to me, how it had held me back from being the best me I could be for years, I got angry. Why did I care so much about a pointless number? I knew in my head that two people could be the same exact height and weight yet look dramatically different. But here I was, still caring about that damn number. So I vowed to step away from the scale and to focus on my health instead.

Shifting the Focus from Deprivation to Nourishment & Enjoyment

When I shifted my focus from body weight to nutrition & fitness, everything began to improve. Food cravings went away because I was no longer depriving myself. In the past, if cookies were in the house, I would find myself eating them until they were completely gone. I couldn’t self regulate unless I practiced complete deprivation. Once I took away the shame and guilt associated with eating a ‘unhealthy’ food, I found I could actually eat a small amount, enjoy it completely, and move on. No longer did those food cravings (and the guilt associated with acting on them) live in my head. It was incredibly empowering to know that just giving myself permission to eat anything and everything actually made it easier to eat healthfully, not harder!

Looking back today, I can see the stark difference in the person I was when my worth revolved around the scale to the person I am today who focuses on my health over body weight. I know the love-hate relationship with the scale all too well. And I know what that constant battle does to you. That’s why I have made it my mission to help those who are fighting that same fight- to show you that the scale does not define you and that the secret to improved health, body confidence, and mental well-being lie in feeding yourself, not depriving yourself. You owe it to yourself to achieve the best you possible and you owe it to your family to role model a healthy relationship with food and a positive sense of self.

Join me as we focus on nourishment over deprivation.

My No-Judgment Zone Promise

Weight prejudice is a real thing. Overweight individuals experience it everyday. Whether being judged that their weight status makes them less proficient at their job or that their body weight indicates they are lazy. I have seen it firsthand and it infuriates me. A person’s body weight does not make them smarter, more efficient, or more personable. It also does not make them lazier or less intelligent. Yet somehow it because acceptable to allow these stereotypes to hamper our treatment of those who struggle with their weight. Although I cannot stop this prejudice all together, I can ensure you that this is a judgment free zone. Whether you weigh 100 pounds or 600 pounds, the road to improved health is accessible to all of us. And together we will identify the practical, realistic strategies that will boost wellness and allow you to achieve your best YOU.

Are you ready to achieve your healthiest self?

Spreading My Message to Others

Educating and motivating others to improve health has always been my passion. After becoming a mother, I realized that self-care is not only essential for moms, but is also critical to the health of the entire family. Moms are often the primary caretaker, the family cook, the grocery shopper, and one of the main role models for their children. A mom with a poor self-image or unbalanced eating habits will most likely pass these behaviors down to her children, setting the stage for another generation of individuals who are a slave to the scale and are focused on deprivation dieting versus eating for enjoyment and nourishment.

As a busy mom, I didn’t want to set my children up for a lifelong battle with the scale or set them on a path of fear-based eating. And I don’t want any other mothers to struggle with these challenges either. That’s why I partner together with corporations, brands, and the media to spread my message to women and families.

Partner with me to show busy moms how to make time for health even when they have no time for themselves.

Erin Palinski wade behind camera on set for TV interview

About Me

As a nationally recognized nutrition, diabetes and fitness expert, I show busy individuals how to make time for health, even when they don’t feel like they have time for themselves. I am the founder and owner of the New Jersey based Vernon Nutrition Center, a nutrition counseling group specializing in weight management, diabetes, and family nutrition.

As the author of multiple publications including the “2 Day Diabetes Diet,” (Reader’s Digest), “Love Your Age” (Prevention/Rodale), and the “Belly Fat Diet For Dummies,” (Wiley), I contribute regularly to publications including Diabetes Forecast and EverydayHealth.com. A frequent guest expert, I have appeared on broadcast media such as the “Good Morning America,” “The Doctors,” “The Early Show,” and MSNBC. I was also named one of the ‘Top Health Influencers of 2018’ by Women Fitness Magazine.

I have spoken at venues ranging from local school events, to Fortune 500 companies, to the Rose Bowl Stadium and TEDx. As a busy mom of three young children, I aim to share real life nutrition advice on my blog and YouTube channel Healthy Mom, Happy Family, which and has over 200,000 followers on my combined media channels.