Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D. is a freelance writer and nutrition consultant. She is the author of The Pocket Idiot's Guide to the New Food Pyramids (Alpha Books, 2006); Healthy Foods, Healthy Kids, A Complete Guide to Nutrition for Children from Birth to Six Years Old (Adams Media, 2002); and Pregnancy Nutrition: Good Health for You and Your Baby (Wiley, 1998). Ward is also the co-author of Super Nutrition After 50 (Publications International, 1994).

Ward has been a speaker at more than 100 professional meetings, including The American Dietetic Association, The Massachusetts Dietetic Association, The Florida Dietetic Association, The National Association of Catering Executives, The Pennsylvania School Food Service Association, and the International Congress of Dietetics in Paris.

Formerly a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, Ward was featured in nearly 1,000 print and broadcast interviews, including CNN, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe.

Ward created and conducted corporate nutrition education programs for five years at Medical Care Affiliates in Boston, and designed nutrition education programs as well as provided diet instructions for the Harvard Community Health Plan. She has worked at the Joslin Diabetes Center and the American Heart Association, and for seven years counseled children and adults about healthy eating and disease prevention at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Boston.

Ward completed her undergraduate degree in human nutrition at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; a one-year dietetic internship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and a master's degree in Mass Communication at Boston University. She is the recipient of the 125 Alumni to Watch Award from the University of Massachusetts, and was named Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year by the Massachusetts Dietetic Association.

As a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Citrus, Ward communicates the importance of fitting daily breakfast consumption into busy lifestyles and the key role that 100 percent orange juice plays in promoting a healthy, nutritious, and convenient every day diet.

Ward lives in Reading, MA, with her husband and three daughters.