Jill Brook, owner of Diet for Health, is a nutritionist who knows first-hand how even the best intentions to slim down can be sabotaged by the call of a single cookie. “I see lots of folks who have been working hard, but not seeing results,” says Brook. “They put lots of effort into dietary practices that aren’t helping them reach their goals. I blame fad diets for confusing people about what matters. We all only have so much time and energy to put into our diets so it really pays to be working on habits that will give you the most ‘bang for your buck’.”

The Princeton graduate, who went on to earn her Master’s in Health Psychology at UCLA, explains what drew her to this challenging field : “As a psychology undergrad at Princeton, I was doing independent research on what leads people to have happy, successful, fulfilling lives. I expected the key was genetics, parents, early experiences, etc. Instead I found that exercise and healthy diet contribute to every form of happiness and success. I thought that was absolutely amazing. I found that eating right improves self-esteem, academic achievement, career success, relationships - basically everything we want in life. That convinced me nutrition is a very powerful tool.”

Her UCLA research on nutrition, lifestyle and weight loss was followed by PhD studies and a stint at the Pritikin Longevity Center. “I found research lonely, though,” she admits. “I was disappointed I sat at a computer all day instead of using my knowledge to help people improve their lives.”

With a laugh, Jill Brook divulges that healthy eating and exercise weren’t part of her own childhood regimen. She was overweight most of her younger life and says “It’s a wonder I survived to adulthood with my early diet of Kool Aid, Doritos and Atari!”

She cites the luckiest day of her life was when she met Joyce Ruygrok, who founded Diet for Health in 1983. “She was wise, experienced and retiring from the field of nutrition. I ‘adopted’ her clients and nutrition practice and ever since she’s been my mentor and inspiration in every way.”

Also assisting Brook’s efforts are Connie Johnson, Lorraine Burkett and Samantha Heer—three women Brook defines as “devoted to our clients and just fabulous.” Connie leads this nutrition support team that sees clients weekly to keep them motivated, accountable and on-track. “They are responsible for our clients’ success,” Brook says, “because knowing how to eat right is easy. Doing it is the hard part.”