Elizabeth M. Ward, MS, RD, is a freelance writer and nutrition consultant. She is the author of MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better: Decoding the Dietary Guidelines for Your Real Life; Expect the Best, Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, & After Pregnancy; The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to the New Food Pyramids, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Feeding Your Baby. She regularly writes for several publications including Men’s Fitness magazine, WebMD, and USA Today.com.
As a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association for nearly 10 years, Ward was featured in nearly 1,000 print and broadcast interviews, including CNN, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe. She has also been a guest on the Today Show on NBC and regularly appears on the Morning News on Fox 25 in Boston.
Ward has been a speaker at more than 100 professional meetings, including The American College of Nurse-Midwives, The American Dietetic Association, The Massachusetts Dietetic Association, The Florida Dietetic Association, The National Association of Catering Executives, The Pennsylvania School Food Service Association, and the International Congress of Dietetics in Paris.
Ward created and conducted corporate nutrition education programs for five years at Medical Care Affiliates in Boston, where she also counseled patients. She has worked at the Joslin Diabetes Center and the American Heart Association, and for seven years counseled children and adults about healthy eating and disease prevention at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Boston.
Ward completed her undergraduate degree in human nutrition at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; a one-year dietetic internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and a master's degree in mass communication at Boston University. She is the recipient of the 125 Alumni to Watch Award from the University of Massachusetts and the 2011 Media Excellence Award from the American Dietetic Association, and she was named Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year by the Massachusetts Dietetic Association.
Ward serves as an expert advisor to the California Raisin Marketing Board and H.P. Hood Inc., and is on the Healthy Living Council for Jamba Juice. Ward lives in Boston with her family.