Author Biography
Lisa Markley, MS, RDN is a dietitian and nutritional wellness expert with over a decade of experience working passionately towards improving the health of others. She has diverse experience in the fields of integrative nutrition, health education, clinical counseling, clinical research, and community wellness. Lisa is also a seasoned culinary educator, food writer, and recipe developer with a deep love of cooking, eating, and advocating for local, seasonal, organic, and sustainably produced foods. Her mission is to help others translate seemingly complex nutrition recommendations into simple, actionable steps using health-supportive ingredients prepared in ways that taste delicious. She began her education at Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education. Later, she received a Master of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA. She then returned to her hometown, Kansas City, to complete her Certificate in Dietetics from the University of Kansas Medical Center. As a lifelong learner, Lisa has continued her professional development with ongoing continuing education from the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and Field to Plate. Lisa currently consults for the University of Kansas Hospital and Healthful Elements. She also teaches nutrition classes at Johnson County Community College and Turning Point: The Center for Hope and Healing. Lisa has been featured frequently as a nutrition and cooking expert in the Kansas City media.. Lisa knows first-hand the struggles of chronic illness. She was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in 2008, chronic Lyme disease in 2012, and mycotoxin illness in 2014. Although she's experienced challenges and limitations from these illnesses, Lisa has used a combination of conventional as well as complementary care to address her situation head-on. Therapeutic nutrition has been one of Lisa's greatest allies on her healing path. It's her desire to help empower and inspire you to become an advocate for your own health and learn how to harness the healing power of food and healthful lifestyle changes through the practical tips and recipes provided in this cookbook. She lives in Kansas City with her husband, Jim, and son, Evan.Jill Grunewald, HNC, Integrative Nutrition and Hormone Coach, is a thyroid health and autoimmunity specialist and wrote the educational component of The Essential Thyroid Cookbook. For over a decade, she has successfully guided her clients and students with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's to health and vitality. She's a 2006 graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a member of the Minnesota Natural Health Coalition. Since graduating from nutrition school, Jill has taken part in many courses from the functional medicine community specifically for healthcare practitioners. In 2017, she will graduate with a certificate from the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, in partnership with the prestigious Institute for Functional Medicine. Jill has suffered from alopecia (autoimmune hair loss), off and on, since 1982 and in early 2008, was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (the same year as Lisa). Jill knew that starting thyroid drugs right out of the chute and taking them for life, with no consideration for why her thyroid was under-functioning or what to do about her immune dysregulation was not the answer. She immersed herself in learning everything she could about autoimmunity and hypothyroidism and how to manage these conditions with whole foods, botanicals, lifestyle modifications, and other natural therapies. Jill's Hashimoto's has been successfully managed since late 2008, without the use of thyroid drugs. And unlike many with alopecia, her now-infrequent bald spots always grow back. After operating her practice, Healthful Elements, solo for several years, she's delighted to work with the brilliant women on her team (including Lisa). Together they specialize i
