It has been my honor and privilege to work with Shani since 2009, when I founded the California Center for Healthy Living (CCHL), a first-of-its kind multidisciplinary team that addressed a spectrum of weight and body image related concerns for children, teens and eventually adults. Over the dynamic five years of its existence, Shani contributed greatly to her patients and to our team. Never satisfied with giving anything less than cutting edge guidance, she proactively sought out answers to her questions, thereby optimizing her clients’ care and educating the professional team in the process. She has a drive to seek knowledge across a multitude of health care domains, knowledge that was integral to helping the concept of CCHL take root and flourish. In addition to having broad and deep knowledge base, Shani is an exceptional counselor and a deeply caring advocate for her clients. She is able to walk the fine line between providing structure and information, yet maintaining empathy. She meets the parent and child where they’re at, then guides them where they want to go. These are rare yet vital skills in a registered dietitian.

Elaine Rosen, M.D.

I have known and worked with Shani over the past three years. I was in need of a dietitian to whom I could refer my patients, someone who truly understands the nature of the referrals, and someone who would communicate with me about my patients. I found those qualities in her and am also very pleased with the feedback that I receive from families in my practice.

Lauren R. Crosby, MD, FAAP,

We really enjoyed working with Shani. She was warm, easy to talk to and available. We implemented her feasible plan and saw changes with in a month. My 13 year old son is still going strong 4 months later. Our original goal was for our son to have a healthy outlook on food, eating balanced, and losing weight. He wanted this not us, but we wanted him to do it in a realistic and age appropriate way. The plan they came up with together met his needs. It taught him to really slow down when eating, listen to his body before, during, and after meals, and to eat a balanced plate.

Dayna L, Los Angeles

When I met Shani, I was hopeless given all my digestive challenges and lack of energy. At just 23 years old, I felt like my life was over and I would almost rather die than feel as sick as I felt. Shani changed everything. There was no stone left unturned, and no question or issue that she would not go to the ends of the earth to answer for me. She was a godsend, a true angel in my life. Shani is not just a dietician, she is a full service lifestyle coach. Words could never express how truly grateful I am for Shani. I would recommend that ANYONE in the world goes to see Shani.

Caroline B, Los Angeles

The biggest challenge for me upon meeting with you was admitting to myself I needed to change my lifestyle to preserve my body, to ultimately save my life, and get control of my life. I was not educated enough about food and how certain foods and or ingredients effects my body and the function of my body. I also was challenged with my own confidence and will power…thinking and believing I couldn’t make these changes. Shani changed my thinking. The biggest outcomes in working with Shani is the educational piece to food. How food works for your specific body and your nutritional goals/needs. Shani breaks down this information in very tangible, effective, efficient, and user-friendly ways to gain knowledge about food. Shani is supportive through emails and phone calls to support her clients when she is not in session with you. Shani is warm, welcoming, educated, approachable, professional, and is invested in her clients. Shani authentically wants to help people and approaches this work with a “we” instead of “you.” She is inspirational, kind, and understands the struggle of wanting to be healthy. Shani breaks down in very easy and tangible ways to better understand food, your body’s connection to food, and effective ways you can shift your relationship to food.

Michael M, Los Angeles

I began seeing Shani after suffering for many months from GI problems including abdominal pain, diarrhea, headaches, chills, and fatigue. My first GI doctor removed my gallbladder (unnecessarily) and my second GI doctor was working to figure out the true problem. He recommended that I see a nutritionist and luckily, I found Shani. She immediately took a genuine interest in helping me and was extremely supportive. She patiently listened to my lengthy medical history, symptoms, and concerns, and created a thoughtful plan to help me. Through herbal supplements and dietary changes, my symptoms have almost completely disappeared. She is extremely knowledgeable in her field, but more importantly she truly cares about her patients’ well-being.

Marissa W, Los Angeles

Our family was already on a healthy path, but we were aiming to tighten our nutrition up a bit when we found Shani. She was the perfect fit for our family. Calm, loving and nurturing. My kids adore her! I think one of our greatest achievements in woking with Shani was learning how to “balance a plate.” I think knowing that we don’t have to completely cut things out fun food is freeing, but rather eating in moderation is beneficial so our bodies. Shani and I went through each of my childrens’ nutritional challenges and broke down what each of their little bodies needed. Each had different challenges. One child needed gluten cut out and the other needed to reduce dairy and it made a huge difference. I would have never caught the fact that my daughter should not have been eating dairy without her suggestions. The world of vitamins also is very overwhelming. Shani helped us sort out what each of us needs and also quality sources which I really appreciate.

Velana C, Los Angeles

Five years ago, I lost nearly 50 pounds with a popular weight-loss program. I knew how to lose weight and keep it off but I always felt deprived and hungry and I never really understood how the foods I was eating affected my body. Working with Shani has changed my relationship with food and helped me tune in to my hunger. Rather than eating out of boredom or habit, I learned how to create nutritious meals that left me satisfied so I didn’t need to constantly snack. She also provided useful tools to help me conquer emotional eating, which I’ve always struggled with. As I continue on this journey, I’m very happy to have found such a knowledgeable and approachable partner in Shani.

Alyson G., Los Angeles

I needed support in helping my teenage daughter overcome her eating disorder and was introduced to Shani. Already after the first session she made my daughter and I understand which food groups we needed to focus on in order to achieve a healthy weight gain. The program she devised for her was very clear and easy to implement. My daughter did not have the feeling of being “overfed” and understood the role and importance of nutrients her body needed. Shani was there when we had questions and my daughter is now gaining back her weight slowly but surely.

Corine, Los Angeles

The program you recommended for my son, which we followed religiously, was highly successful. He looked better and had more energy right away, and while everyone else got the flu, he did not. Second, and this is a big one: Three days ago he decided to eat more protein. Since then he has been making up for lost time, sampling every sort of protein there is. His sister said, “Is it my imagination or has he grown?” (You should know that my wife and I made the same observation soon after he started working with you). I think this may have been a result of our meeting with you. He got very concerned about how tall he would be, and what sort of brain development he would have if he ate little protein. We are continuing with your recommendations, just with the addition of more protein. Actually, my wife and I have been doing it along with Sean. It’s working for me.

Michael C, Los Angeles

When I came to meet with Shani for the first time, I had very low self confidence and an unhealthy relationship with food. Although I spent my entire life wanting to lose weight, I didn’t have enough faith in myself or the tools to understand what healthy weight loss was. Throughout my sessions with Shani, the biggest thing I walked away with was a true appreciation and love for myself. I came into her office for the first time with a short list of things I liked about myself and a long list of things I didn’t like about myself. I left her office the last time with a true acceptance of my “flaws” and an appreciation for these flaws because they make me unique. During our sessions we also worked extensively on easing the pressure high school girls like myself face. I learned not to compare myself to others but rather cherish what I have. Lastly, our sessions taught me a lot about balancing a healthy diet and gave me the tools to work on my weight loss as I went onto my journey to college. We talked about much more than just food and weight loss, because issues with food and weight loss bring up other issues such as self-confidence, pride and happiness. By working with Shani, I grew into a confident person who could tackle her weight loss and feel less pressured to look a certain way.

Celine R, Los Angeles