Bringing Joy to Healthful Cooking and Eating

An athlete throughout her life, Diane Henderiks, RD, of Ocean Township, N.J., pursued a career in nutrition to combine her core passions of food, health and physical activity. "The field of nutrition is so big," she says. "I found my niche in teaching America how to cook and eat well."

Henderiks gravitated toward media, specifically television, where she made regular on-air appearances and served as editorial contributor for ABC's Good Morning America. "From my first local TV appearance, I knew this was going to be the medium for me to share my knowledge and skills with a lot of people at one time," she says.

As host of the show Fresh to Frozen and Back, available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Altice, Henderiks uses her expertise as a registered dietitian and chef to create recipes with fresh and simple ingredients. "My audience is home cooks and families who want to improve nutrition at home," Henderiks says. "I believe simplicity is key. The first step to healthier eating is to try to eat as close to nature as possible."

Henderiks finds joy in cooking for family and friends, and also in volunteering and working with nonprofit organizations including Autism Speaks, Warriors in Motion, the Boomer Esiason Foundation and the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, for which she serves as resident guest chef for JBJ Soul Kitchen, a nonprofit community restaurant. "I've created the seasonal guest chef five-course fundraising dinner series for JBJ Soul Kitchen," Henderiks says. "I'm proud to say I've consistently participated over the past several years in master chef fundraisers."

Beyond her TV show and volunteer work, Henderiks does catering and is a private chef. "The positive feedback I receive is that organizations, TV shows and individuals all love my passion for cooking," she says. "The lasting impressions and solid relationships speak for themselves."

A true inspiration to fellow nutrition and dietetics professionals and students, Henderiks imparts this encouraging advice: "Follow your passion and never give up. Volunteer and give back as much as you can to organizations that mean something to you. Strive to be one of the go-to experts in nutrition!"