About
“Your everyday food choices can be the most powerful thing you do for your health, and for the welfare of our beautifully diverse planet. Eating more sustainably-produced, seasonal plant foods leads to goodness on so many levels.”
MY BOOKS
The Plant-Powered Plan to Beat Diabetes: A Guide for Prevention and Management
An inspiring, 100% plant-based cookbook to help prevent and manage diabetes, and promote optimal health with easy vegan recipes, advice on meal planning, cooking tips, shopping lists, and more!
California Vegan: Inspiration and Recipes from the People and Places of the Golden State
Featuring over 100 plant-based recipes with full nutritional information and illustrated with my original photography, California Vegan welcomes Californians into veganism and people all over the world into California.
The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan for Achieving Optimal Health, Beginning Today (The Experiment, July 2012),
The Plant-Powered Diet meets you where you are! Whether you’re an omnivore trying to cut back on meat, or a vegan who wants even more benefits from this wholesome lifestyle, this book gives you all the information you need to revolutionize your health and reap the dramatic benefits of eating more plants.
Plant-Powered for Life: Eat Your Way to Lasting Health with 52 Simple Steps & 125 Delicious Recipes.
Each chapter is a straightforward approach to healthy eating, the plant-based way. Providing you with a clear call to action, explanations, and globally inspired 100% plant-based recipes, Sharon helps you reshape your eating habits and kick fad diets to the curb – one step at a time.
Hi! I’m Sharon, The Plant-Powered Dietitian
I love real food — whole, minimally processed, earthy goodness. I’ve been a plant-based eater since growing up in the woodsy Pacific Northwest. My parents both grew up on farms, and we always grew our own food, even when we lived in the suburbs. There’s just something special about knowing where your food comes from and how it was cared for. Today, I grow much of my own food in my backyard organic garden, and I also look forward to my weekly trips to the farmers market, where I love to talk to honest, hard-working farmers who carve out a living selling good, healthy food. Don’t you just love biting into a fresh strawberry that was just handpicked hours ago? I know I do! There is just nothing that can compare to that flavor and aroma.
That said, in a media-crazed world who can blame you for feeling frustrated and confused when reading all the fluff about nutrition and fad diets? Which leads me to my role as a dietitian nutritionist: I sift through the myths and urban legends so you don’t have to. I bring reliable content to you so that you can establish a healthier emotional connection with your food and choose the path to better health.
A little bit about me
I recently moved with my family from Los Angeles to Ojai, a small agricultural town in California surrounded completely by mountains. Nicknamed “Shangri-La,” Ojai is known for its organic farms, commitment to health, wellness, and the environment, and an artsy, bohemian, back-to-the-land attitude. I’ll finally get to say that I’m truly living a sustainable life! Yes, it seems like just about everyone has solar panels, grows their own food, loves dogs, and eats a plant-based diet. In a nutshell, these are my peeps!
What I love most is knowing that my eating choices are making a considerable impact on protecting the environment for future generations. I call this the good life. And who would not want to live it? I believe everyone–no matter where they live–can live this good life too.
Living Sustainably
About 74% of U.S. adults say that the country must do whatever it takes to protect the environment, according to a 2018 survey conducted by Pew Research Center. With the ever-growing population, our current food system is simply unsustainable, and we need to protect our beautiful natural resources–land, soil, water, air, and wildlife–from declining. One thing you can do to tread more gently on Mother Earth is to eat a whole, plant-based diet.
Plant-based eating has many benefits, including reduced risks of heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and obesity. Throw in the environmental perks, like requiring fewer resources to produce food, and you’ve got a clear winner in defining the ideal diet, for you and the planet.
Wait, I left out the best part…
Plant-powered foods are simply delicious and nutrient-rich, leaving you feeling like you’re on top of the world all day long.
Making a difference in the industry
- Sought after media expert on plant-based nutrition and sustainability, with weekly contributions in the mainstream media including radio, print, online, television, social media, and film
- Contributor to several book chapters on nutrition and sustainability
- Blogger for a passionate online community that’s strong AND growing!
- Nutrition Editor for Today’s Dietitian
- Nutrition consultant for many organizations
- Conference speaker and event guest
- Farm and sustainability tour organizer
- Associate faculty for MS Sustainable Food Systems program, Prescott College
MY CREDENTIALS, AND ALL THAT JAZZ...
I am a vegan registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) with more than 20 years of experience in the field of plant-based nutrition and sustainability, and I recently completed my Master of Science in Sustainable Food Systems.
I’ve built a career combining my two great loves: nutrition and writing. I’ve authored over 1000 articles in a variety of publications, including Better Homes and Gardens, Oprah Magazine, and LA Times.
And it was one of my greatest joys to see my first book published in 2012, The Plant-Powered Diet: The Lifelong Eating Plan for Achieving Optimal Health, Beginning Today (The Experiment, July 2012), with the second following not long after in 2014, Plant-Powered for Life: Eat Your Way to Lasting Health with 52 Simple Steps & 125 Delicious Recipes. I was thrilled to announce that my third book, California Vegan: Inspiration and Recipes from the People and Places of the Golden State, hit the book shelves in 2022. And my fourth book, The Plant-Powered Plan to Beat Diabetes, is available for pre-order now.
MY TEAM
Sarah Achleithner, Marketing and Website Manager
As the marketing and website manager of the Plant-Powered Dietitian, Sarah is passionate about communicating healthy, inspirational messages to the public in all forms of media. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with her BS in Nutrition and Dietetics. A world traveler, Sarah currently lives in Krakow, Poland.
Christian Javryd, Video Director
A film and television student at Pasadena City College, Christian directs, shoots, creates, and edits all of Sharon’s video productions on her website, social media, and television projects. Living in Los Angeles, Christian is a movie buff, video game connoisseur, global food guru, and animal lover.
Lori Zanteson, Contributing Editor
Lori Zanteson has a true love for writing about food and health, which she’s been doing for the past 20 years. With a degree in English, she is an established writer, with her work appearing in many publications, including Environmental Nutrition, Today’s Dietitian, and Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter. This SoCal native and mom of three lives her words, as she is an award-winning athlete and fabulous cook.
Cheryl Bell, Social Media Manager
With a background in television and marketing, Cheryl is passionate about imagery and graphic design. She graduated from Alabama A&M University with a BA in Communications, and lives in the charming community of Tupelo, Mississippi.
Plant-Based Virtual Dietetic Internship with Sharon
Sharon offers a 3-month (flexible, 10-hours per week) virtual dietetic internship with honorarium for dietetics students in their 3rd or 4th year of their program. This exciting internship includes opportunities to learn more about plant-based nutrition, culinary competency, and media. Learn more by inquiring here.
Image: Cara Jordan, while on her dietetic internship with Sharon Palmer.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
SARA BAER-SINNOTT, OLDWAYS
“Sharon brings the wonderful combination of a strong nutrition science background and a love of food — exactly what is needed to communicate the benefits of healthy eating and lifestyles.”
JACK GRAHAM, GREAT VALLEY PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC.
“Sharon is a longstanding and valued member of the Today’s Dietitian team. She has her finger on the pulse ofthe latest developments in nutrition and dietetics. Her expertise and ability to identify relevant and practical information makes her a trusted advisor, consultant and editor.”
Karla Dumas, RDN, Director, Food & Nutrition, The Humane Society of the United States
"Sharon Palmer has been a champion for plant-based nutrition for years, developing recipes and resources, encouraging individuals to choose healthier, more sustainable food options and answering common questions and concerns with evidence-based, easy to understand content. Sharon also empowers other registered dietitians and health professionals through collaborations and mentorships. We value our collaboration with Sharon Palmer and look forward to increasing plant-based offerings within healthcare systems and more together."
CHERRY DUMAUAL, THE MONDAY CAMPAIGNS
“Working with Sharon is a breathe of fresh air! Sharon is the ultimate professional, timely with her deadlines and gives more than asked. She only delivers top quality work and is such a dynamic partner bringing forward new ideas. The best testimony is our repeat business with Sharon and involving her in more projects.”
