Bettina J. Applewhite, MS, RDN, LDN, SNS

Bettina Applewhite has been working as a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, food writer, and recipe developer for over a decade. She has a passion for introducing new foods to both young and seasoned palates and teaching that nutritious foods can come in a variety of flavors and cuisines.

Experience: Bettina shares her experiences and skills through cooking demonstrations, food writing, professional trainings, recipe development, and speaking engagements. She is the creator of the popular food and nutrition blog, Bites With Applewhite, an Allrecipes Allstar, and was recently featured on Top Chef Amateurs.

She began her career in healthcare as a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist prescribing nutritious eating plans for the aging population, but her love for food and cooking drew her into the kitchen. She worked in supervisory positions in hospital kitchens and found her niche working in school nutrition for school cafeterias in a large urban district where she had the opportunity to introduce foods to young palates and influence students to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Education: Bettina holds a bachelor's in Chemistry from Hampton University and a master's in Integrative Bioscience in Nutrition from Pennsylvania State University. She went on to complete her supervised practice dietetic internship at Tulane University and earned further training on the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement at Cornell University.

The kitchen tool I can't live without? The one kitchen tool I can't live without is a sharp chef's knife.