Meet Maria
A California girl turned island dweller. I've always had an appreciation for good food. I love a good cup of dark Kona coffee, avocados, dark chocolate, and veggie tacos...just to name a few favs.
I've been a Registered Dietitian for over 20 years and was vegetarian for 28 years before I transitioned to vegan. Why now? This approach to eating just felt more aligned with my values and where I'm at in my life at this point.
Many of my dietitian years were spent specializing in kidney disease and working with dialysis patients. While this was a great experience and I will always have a soft spot for my kidney patients, I had a strong desire to want to help people prevent disease and live their healthiest lives.
My own plant based journey
I became vegetarian in my early 20’s while I was battling chronic fatigue syndrome. At the time, meat was starting to turn me off and after moving to the Oakland/Berkeley area I started working at Whole Foods Market where I was surrounded by vegetarians and vegetarian options. The transition was actually pretty easy for me!
My health, on the other hand, took years to improve. My immune system was really compromised. When I first transitioned to a vegetarian diet I was still eating a lot of processed foods and my sugar and dairy intake continued to be high.
Fast forward years later, with the help of supplements, being more conscious about what I was eating and upping my exercise and activity level, my health dramatically improved! Once you experience this difference, you truly appreciate what it feels like to feel healthy and your quality of life is so much more apparent.
This is what I want for YOU. I’m so happy you’re on this plant based journey with me!
Editorial Process
There is a lot of nutrition and health information on the internet. What makes this website a reliable one with information you can trust?
All content is created by Maria Tointon, RDN, LDN unless otherwise indicated. Maria has a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition from San Francisco State University, has completed 1,200 hours of supervised practice through an accredited dietetic internship program, and passed a national exam to obtain her dietitian credential. To maintain this credential requires 75 hours of continuing education every 5 years.
All articles are written based on Maria’s 20+ years of experience as a registered dietitian and based on current literature and research. Our content includes references to peer-reviewed research articles, academic text books, or websites you can trust (from government or academic institutions). Veg Out With Maria is about science and not popularity, click-bait, or trends.
When a guest author posts on this website, all content is edited and fact checked by Maria prior to publication. Guest authors use the same process of research and referencing. All content is reviewed at least annually and updated as needed based on changes in science.