Our Dietitian

Meet Jodie Goodman Block, MS, RDN, CDN – 

Your Expert in Sustainable Health and Nutrition

Dear Reader, If you’re looking for an expert who combines science-based strategies with real-life practicality to help you achieve lasting health, meet Jodie Goodman Block, MS, RDN, CDN. With over 35 years of experience, Jodie has helped individuals improve their health through virtual programs and personalized nutrition consultations designed to support sustainable, long-term results.

Jodie Block, MS, RDN, CDN, is the Founder of The Health Institute of Nutrition, an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and recipient of the Certificate of Recognition of Excellence in Scholarship in Nutrition.

She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a Master’s in Nutrition, Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist, and Diabetes Health Educator. Nationally recognized for her work in women’s health, sustainable weight loss, and diabetes care, Jodie has been featured on CBS News, Fox 5 Good Day New York, and radio broadcasts. She also served as a college professor in NYC before relocating to San Diego with her family.

Currently, Jodie is the Dietitian at The Golden Door Spa where you will find her weekly (https://goldendoor.com ), a Frequent Guest Presenter at  Rancho La Puerta, Mexico (https://rancholapuerta ), and is on staff at Scripps Del Mar Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery Clinic and Fay Nutrition. Previously, she worked at Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute, where she empowered individuals with Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes to live their healthiest life!

Jodie specializes in adult wellness, with a focus on menopause, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes care. With thousands of clinical hours in weight management, healthy lifestyle coaching, diabetes prevention and care, menopause, gut health, and maternal health, she is dedicated to helping clients achieve their health goals through personalized, evidence-based nutrition strategies.

In addition, Jodie holds a Certificate of Training in Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management Nutrition. She has taught Healthy Nutrition Cooking At High Bluff Academy and led classes and camps in Del Mar, CA. She started a Food Revolution in the Del Mar School District in a quest to ensure all students receive healthy, nutritious, and delicious school lunches. 

As a concierge dietitian, Jodie offers personalized nutrition services tailored to meet each client’s unique needs. Her virtual programs and consultations make it easy to get professional guidance—no matter where you are.

Jodie’s programs include her flagship 3-Month Wellness Program, designed to provide the tools and knowledge for sustainable, long-term results, as well as specialized programs like Type 2 Diabetes Wellness Classes, Continuous Glucose Monitoring Education, and Weight-Loss Medication Strategies.

Gift Certificates Available! – Give the Gift of Health to someone you care about—perfect for the holidays, birthdays, or special occasions.

Building Healthy Habits for Life
Usually, Scripps Diabetes Prevention Program groups meet with certified lifestyle coaches and registered dietitians weekly for the first four to six months, then twice a month for the remainder of the year.

Pandemic restrictions were still in place when Butsumyo began the program, so classes were held online. She liked the convenience of the virtual setting and appreciated her program facilitator, Jodie Block—a diabetes health educator and registered dietitian.

Butsumyo credits Block for her expertise in nutrition, the real-life examples she shared, and her insistence that the process was a lifelong experience, not a quick fix.

**“I was worried going into the program that it was going to be hard for me because I’m a social eater,” she says. “Thanks to Jodie, I learned not to beat myself up about that. If I’m at a social gathering, I don’t have to eat something just because it’s offered to me. Or I can take something to be polite, but I don’t have to eat it.

“I can go out to restaurants and just look for healthier choices—not avoid the restaurant altogether. And even though I’m not a cook, Jodie and my classmates all had suggestions for ways to eat healthy. The accountability to other people really helped.”**

A Focus on Small, Sustainable Steps
Scripps’ Diabetes Prevention Program focuses on “baby steps”—small changes that patients are comfortable sustaining for the rest of their lives.

Facilitators like Block work with each patient to establish an action plan that includes realistic ways to overcome obstacles.

“Most people who join the program are good at losing weight, but keeping that weight off is the problem,” Block says.

**“We know that when people lose weight and gain it back, they often gain even more than they lost—and they aren’t regaining the muscle they also lost.

“That’s why I emphasize that this is not a diet; it’s a lifestyle.”**

Under Block’s instruction, no food is entirely off-limits. However, she counsels patients to avoid foods high in fat, sugar, and salt in favor of those lower in fat and sugar and less processed.

Not a Diet—A Lifestyle
“A lifestyle change does not mean deprivation. I recognize that food is about so much more than just nutrition—it’s about socializing, it’s about culture,” Block says.

**“You don’t need to deprive yourself of foods you like to make these changes,” Block continues. “Research shows that a 5% to 7% weight loss is all you need to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.

“All that requires is a little bit of awareness and making small changes and healthier choices. Over the long haul, those small choices make a big difference.”**

Moving More and Feeling Better
Block applauds Butsumyo’s commitment to the program and to making sustainable lifestyle changes.

“Nancy’s transformation was incredible,” Block says.

**“I kept encouraging her to find a way to eat for the rest of her life, and she totally got it.

“At the end of the year, her blood glucose levels went into the normal range. She felt it was effortless because she was eating more than before but making healthier choices. She’s such a success story.”**