Professional Bio
Dr. Rachel Blaine, DSc, MPH, RDN is an Associate Professor of Nutrition at California State University, Long Beach, where she directs their dietitian training program. She earned her Doctor of Science degree in Public Health Nutrition at Harvard and a Master of Public Health from UCLA where she was a Maternal and Child Health trainee. She has authored dozens of research articles on topics such as child feeding, sleep, and healthy parenting for neurodiverse children and been featured on television and in magazines such as Today’s Dietitian. Her work as an educator has been recognized with awards for Outstanding Dietetic Educator from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Early Academic Career Excellence at California State University, Long Beach.
Dr. Blaine draws from personal experience in her family as a mom to a daughter on the autism spectrum and a son with ADHD. She’s invested in research on and off campus, from teaching cooking classes to autistic college students to interviewing parents of autistic children and medical professionals who treat them.
Her energy and enthusiasm as a public speaker make complex topics simple and interesting, and she has been described as passionate, inspiring, and down-to-earth. Her goal is to improve access to wellness care for neurodiverse children and adults by empowering medical professionals and parents to consider core behaviors that lead to better health and thriving individuals and families.
Home Life
I live in a joyfully noisy home in Moorpark, California with my rockstar husband of 14 years, Kevin, and our two kiddos (8 and 5), Our family likes swimming, board games, building stuff, and creating absurd lyrics to songs.
We love to eat. During the pandemic, we focused our restless energy on a tiny patch of dirt in front of our condo to create a little food forest. Today we continue to enjoy gardening as a family, It’s amazing what kids will be willing to eat when they’ve helped water and grow it.
When I’m not working/cooking/mom-ing, I usually have a cup of coffee in my hand and our dog Daisy Mae in my lap. I am involved in our church and appreciate being part of a small-town community. Kevin lovingly teases me that I’m already prepared for life as a retiree since I love doing massive jigsaw puzzles, crosswords on a clipboard, and taking long chatty walks.
How This All Started
My daughter’s autism diagnosis was not a surprise. What I wasn’t expecting were the mountains of misinformation about diets, supplements, feeding, screen use, and sleep for autistic children.
My daughter, aka Poppy, showed signs of autism almost from birth and so her diagnosis at 4 was expected. In fact, it was met with high-fives and major relief, as a medical diagnosis in the U.S. opens a lot of doors for services and support.
Since infancy, Poppy has been supported by countless therapists who helped her learn to walk, talk, and taught us how to make this HUGE world of senses more manageable for her.
When I began to join online parent support groups and talk to medical professionals, I began to see so much confusion about wellness recommendations. So, I decided to start offering simple, hype-free information to help people make more informed decisions about care for their loved ones and patients.