Jessica Fishman Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN is a registered and New York State-certified dietitian nutritionist and the founder of Nutritioulicious, a New York-based nutrition communications and consulting business with a focus on culinary nutrition. Jessica has extensive experience as a recipe developer, writer, editor, and speaker. She is the co-author of We Can Cook: Introduce Your Child to the Joy of Cooking with 75 Simple Recipes and Activities (Barron’s, 2011). Jessica is also the Culinary Corner columnist for Today’s Dietitian Magazine, and maintains the popular Nutritioulicious blog.

Jessica has been featured as a nutrition expert on television and radio outlets, including NBC, Fox 5, and NY1, in national magazines like Prevention, Glamour, Fitness, and Woman’s Day, and on numerous health and lifestyle websites. Jessica has an MS in Nutrition and Dietetics and a BA in Psychology, both from New York University. She is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) and various Dietetic Practice Groups of the AND, including Nutrition Entrepreneurs, Dietitians in Business and Communications, and Food and Culinary Professionals. In addition to her professional work, Jessica enjoys all things related to food and wine and spending time with her husband and twin daughters.

Make sure to follow Jessica on all her social media sites!
Facebook: Nutritioulicious
Twitter: @JlevinsonRD
Instagram: @JlevinsonRD
Pinterest: @JlevinsonRD
Blog: http://www.nutritioulicious.com/blog
Website: http://www.nutritioulicious.com

Questions

Why do you encourage patients to incorporate dry beans into their diet?
Because they are nutrient-rich, delicious, cost-effective, and can be used in so many ways in the kitchen!

What is your personal favorite bean to eat and why?
Chickpeas because there are so many amazing culinary uses for them that span every meal of the day, snacks included!

Please provide your top 3 nutritional insights about beans, explaining why people should eat them.
Rich in fiber, which is a nutrient of concern, as most people don’t get enough in their diet. Helps keep blood sugar levels stable and adds to the satiety factor of meals; High in folate, a B vitamin that’s important for reproductive, nervous system, and cardiovascular health; beans are a good source of lean vegetarian protein, which is important for maintaining lean muscle mass and satiety at meals.

Please share your favorite bean recipe and explain why it is your favorite recipe.
This is a hard one – I have so many! One of my favorites is my Sweet Potato Black Bean QuesadillaI. I love it because it’s full of flavor, full of nutrition, and a recipe my whole family loves -including my 4 year old twin girls!