Professional Bio

Jenna Braddock, MSH, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-PT

Jenna Braddock is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. She has an eclectic career, working as a university instructor, nutrition media expert, blogger, nutrition counselor, recipe developer, and speaker. She regularly appears as a nutrition expert for both TV and print media and believes it is a powerful and fun way to reach people with the message of delicious nutrition.

Jenna is currently a part-time faculty member in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of North Florida where she teaches Food Fundamentals Lab, Nutrition Education, and Community Nutrition courses. She also coordinates all the community involvement for undergraduate nutrition students.

 

As a specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD), she works extensively with athletes of all levels, helping them achieve optimal performance through personalized approaches. She was the first ever sports Dietitian hired by Jacksonville University to work with all of their sports teams and now continues to work with a few teams at the University of North Florida. She also works as a Nutrition Coach for the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute where she delivers their Corporate Athlete Program with a team of other professionals.

When not working with athletes, Jenna approaches healthy living as if everyone is an everyday-athlete with important performance goals to reach in each aspect of life. Better health comes through daily practice, not perfection or fads.

With a natural affinity to public speaking, Jenna has experience motivating audiences of all types. Former and current clients include Vistakon employees (a Johnson & Johnson company), Human Performance Institute, Jacksonville Running Company, numerous sports teams of all levels, private schools, and more.

Jenna has a love for the local food movement and has been supporting local farmers personally and professionally for many years. She formerly served as the official nutritionist for Black Hog Farm in Northeast Florida.

In 2014 Jenna started the site Make Healthy Easy at www.JennaBraddock.com where she shares real-life strategies for better health and doable and delicious recipes. She believes it is important for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists to be relevant players in the blogging world and remains very active in social media.

Prior to Make Healthy Easy,  she had been inspiring healthy living and cooking through her blog, Fresh Food Perspectives. Several of her recipes have placed or won recipe contests. She is a member of the The Recipe Redux and the Nutrition Blog Network.

Jenna has been a contributing author to two major publications: 200 Surefire Ways to Eat Well and Feel Better and The Diet Selector: From Atkins to The Zone, More Than 50 Ways to Help You Find the Best Diet for You.

She worked for the YMCA of Florida's First Coast for 6 years as a member of their Healthy Living team, providing nutrition counseling, inspiring presentations, and coordinating the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program.

She served as the President of the Jacksonville Dietetic Association in 2010 and was chosen as the Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, The Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the Jacksonville Dietetic Association. Her personal motto is “Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle do not happen by chance. It happens because you planned to make it happen.”

Lastly, and most importantly, Jenna is a wife to an amazing high school football coach and mother to two little boys. On days she is not "at work", she is wrangling her sons and likely attending either football practice or a game.

Credentials

MSH = Masters of Science in Health with an emphasis on nutrition

RDN = Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

CSSD = Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics

LD/N = Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist in the state of Florida

ACSM-PT = ACSM Certified Personal Trainer

Work Experiences

• University of North Florida - Faculty
• Human Performance Institute - Nutrition and Movement Coach
• Private Practice - Counselor, Speaker, Spokesperson, Recipe Developer
• YMCA of Florida's First Coast - Corporate and Community Dietitian, Diabetes Prevention Program Coordinator, Wellness Associate
• Jacksonville University - Sports Dietitian for Athletic Department
• Medical Nutrition Therapy of Florida, Inc. - Clinical and Counseling Dietitian
• Velocity Sports Performance - Sports Dietitian and Exercise Testing

Awards & Honors

• California Ripe Olive recipe contest grand prize winner, 2015
• Healthy Jacksonville Health Hero award, on behalf of my work at University of North Florida, September 2015.
• First Coast Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Outstanding Dietitian of the  Year - 2015
• American Dietetic Association Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year – 2010
• Florida Dietetic Association Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year – 2010
• Jacksonville Dietetic Association Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year – 2009
• Jacksonville Dietetic Association President – 2010-2011
• Florida Dietetic Association Levina Phillips Leadership Stipend recipient – 2010
• Florida Dietetic Association Collegiate Leadership Award – 2004