Hi There! I'm Laura
A registered dietitian nutritionist helping people eat well as they age, without giving up the foods they love.
I combine 30 years of nutrition expertise with a genuine love of cooking to help you protect your brain, your body, and your independence through food, one delicious meal at a time.
Laura M. Ali, MS, RDN, LDN | 30+ Years as a Registered Dietitian |
Author, MIND Diet for Two
My Story
My first memories of cooking are standing on a step stool, stirring milk into a chocolate pudding mix. I was amazed at how that delicious, chocolaty liquid became a gorgeous thick pudding.
I quickly graduated from box pudding to other kid favorites like cookies and cakes. By the time I was in high school, I was making Coq Au Vin and Chicken Kyiv for my family. I knew doing something with food was in my future.
Culinary school crossed my mind a few times, but I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to be a chef. So, I went on to get my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Nutrition and Dietetics.
I’ve taken numerous cooking classes throughout my life and recently completed my certification in culinary nutrition. I never imagined that I’d be able to marry my love for cooking by helping to teach people how to eat and live a healthy lifestyle!
What is a culinary nutritionist?
A culinary nutritionist takes the science of nutrition and combines it with the science of food to help people make simple changes to how they cook and the ingredients they use for better health.
Culinary nutritionists focus on the food their clients enjoy. We teach how making small changes to some of your ingredients and preparation techniques can help improve your health. We also teach how to incorporate a variety of foods and seasonings to help meet special nutritional needs, while still enjoying the delicious foods you love.
Throughout my career, I’ve brought my love and passion for cooking into everything I do. Being a culinary nutritionist allows me to pull both my love for food and cooking together with a sprinkling of nutrition advice and tips to help you live a vibrant and active life!
My Philosophy
My goal is to help people eat well as they age. Not through restricting what you eat, but through small, sustainable changes that protect what matters most: your brain health, your energy, and your independence.
Food should be enjoyed. Yes, it fuels our health and supports our longevity, but it also should provide us with comfort, joy, and a sense of togetherness. And that doesn’t have to change as we get older. I don’t believe in diets that eliminate the foods you love. I believe in learning how to make the foods you already enjoy work harder for you.
This philosophy is what led me to write MIND Diet for Two. The MIND diet combines the two most researched eating patterns in the world, the Mediterranean and DASH Diets, and has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. What I love about it is that it isn’t restrictive. Nothing is off-limits. It’s simply about eating more of the foods that support your brain, more often.
This work is personal to me. I’ve watched family members struggle with dementia, and I’ve watched friends care for parents with Alzheimer’s. Writing this book — and doing this work — comes from wanting other families to have more good years together. My research also showed me something hopeful: even partially following the MIND diet is linked to a reduced risk or delayed onset of dementia. Small changes really do add up.
That’s the heart of everything I do. Whether you’re cooking for your own long-term health or caring for someone you love, my goal is to help you find small, doable changes — and to make sure you never feel like healthy eating means giving up the food you enjoy.
Interested in how we can work together? Lets connect
Education & Experience
Master's Degree, Registered Dietitian and Certified Culinary Nutritionist
I’ve been a registered dietitian for over 30 years, with a foundation built specifically on translating nutrition science into food people actually want to eat. This is a skill that matters most when it comes to healthy aging, where sustainable habits beat short-term fixes every time.
I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton and my Master’s in nutrition from the University of Pittsburgh. I’m also a certified culinary nutritionist, specializing in recipe development and writing that bridges the science of nutrition with the science of food.
My experience includes:
- – Nutrition spokesperson for major food companies, including Del Monte Foods and StarKist Co.
- – Freelance nutrition writer for consumer and professional publications and websites
- – Recipe development for CPG brands and non-profit food organizations, with a focus on approachable, health-forward cooking
- – Nutrition strategy and expertise for product development and marketing initiatives across the CPG industry
- – Speaker for both consumer audiences and professional organizations
- – Author, MIND Diet for Two. A cookbook focused on brain-healthy eating for cognitive longevity
- – Early-career clinical counseling experience in hospital and outpatient settings, which shaped my belief that lasting change comes from small, doable steps, not restriction
As a registered dietitian and culinary nutritionist, I help brands and publications connect with the growing audience focused on healthy aging. Through freelance writing, recipe development, spokesperson partnerships, and speaking engagements that make nutrition science approachable and actionable.
About My Logo
Lemon – I’m all about flavor. Seriously, if it doesn’t taste good, why waste the calories? A spritz of lemon juice right before serving adds a ton of flavor to a dish. So the lemon in my logo represents flavor….the first letter also happens to be the first initial in my first name! How convenient 🙂
Mint – Food, and cooking are about creativity. Mint is one of those herbs that shows up unexpectedly in so many dishes! Did you know it’s often found in Thai curries and many Mediterranean dishes? It’s bright and fresh and “M” is my middle initial…hmm, see a trend here?
Apple – You know the saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away? Apples have long been associated with health and nutrition, so how fitting is that? And, well, you guessed it…not only is “a” the first letter in “apple”, but it is also the first letter of my last name.
Okay, clever, but I think all three images really stand for what I believe. Flavor, creativity, and health. They all work together and those are the things I want my business to stand for.
