Printable Biography of Zonya Foco

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An expert on nutrition and wellness, author and professional speaker Zonya Foco worked for 8 years as a clinical nutritionist for the Michigan Heart and Vascular Institute at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She led the work-site nutrition wellness programs, performed individual nutrition counseling for weight and cholesterol control, and taught weekly weight/cholesterol workshops. She was also a guest lecturer at her alma mater, Eastern Michigan University.

A certified health and fitness instructor with the American College of Sports Medicine, Foco earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics and is a Registered Dietitian with the American Dietetics Association. She works to help people achieve their maximum energy and health potential by providing them with the information and resources they need to be fully successful. Her approach is not about strict eating plans or fanatic exercise. It is about manageable change, substitutions and choices. It is for people who want to be strong, vigorous and energetic, who want to create balance in their lives and avoid health problems, as well as for those who are currently choosing to correct or counter problems with weight, cholesterol, blood pressure or diabetes.

Foco's passion for healthy eating and physical fitness was inspired by her own struggles. Trim as a child, she kept up with her two active brothers and her physically fit mother until her junior year in high school, when that preceding summer she packed on 20 pounds. As a cheerleader, Foco felt particularly self-conscious, especially when fellow teammates began urging her to "go on a diet." Thus began four years of yo-yoing, each time landing higher in weight than when she had started. In her first college nutrition class, Foco dedicated herself to mastering weight control the healthy and permanent way. Little did she know that her commitment would be the catalyst to a career dedicated to inspiring and helping others learn about healthy lifestyle changes that affect everything from weight to cholesterol control, heart health, and diabetes management.

With clients telling her everything they needed in order to succeed at a healthy lifestyle, she created her 400-page Lickety-Split Meals for Health Conscious People on the Go!, which includes all the recipes and tips people need to make lifestyle changes with ease. After ten years of listening to her clients and compiling all the information for her unique book, Foco has calculated that those who use the book to its capacity can save five hours and lose 1-2 pounds per week, and lower blood pressure & cholesterol, all while the family enjoys delicious dinners at home. And in April 2005, Foco will dish up an inspirational, educational "shot in the arm" each and every week on "Zonya's Health Bites," a 30-minute weekly television series coming to PBS.

Nobody has more fun talking and writing about health, nutrition and exercise than Foco. She's vocal and visual about helping people "get it," giving them the information and tools to make healthy choices despite hectic lifestyles. Beans and broccoli, apples to zucchini, she's dedicated to helping people "make their good intentions come true."