Ready to take care of your heart, without punishing your body?
Heart health isn't about eating perfectly. It's about eating well.
Our registered dietitians in Amherst, MA provide compassionate, evidence-based cardiovascular nutrition support, without restriction, shame, or one-size-fits-all diet plans.
What makes our heart health nutrition support different?
It's heart-healthy eating that's actually sustainable, and actually enjoyable.
Weight-Inclusive & HAES® Approach
Heart health is about so much more than weight. We use a Health At Every Size® framework that focuses on behaviors and biomarkers like cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, inflammation, not just the number on the scale.
No "Cardiac Diet" Deprivation
We don't hand you a list of foods to avoid and send you on your way. We help you build a genuinely nourishing, satisfying way of eating that supports your heart long-term — one you can actually maintain.
Collaborative Care
We work alongside your cardiologist, primary care provider, and care team to provide integrated nutrition support that complements your medical treatment plan.
Insurance Accepted
Cardiovascular conditions are among the most commonly covered diagnoses for nutrition counseling. Most major insurance plans include dietitian visits — we'll help you access your benefits.
Heart-healthy eating shouldn't feel like a punishment.
A diagnosis of high cholesterol, hypertension, or heart disease often comes with a long list of foods you're suddenly not allowed to eat. Eggs. Butter. Red meat. Salt. Anything that tastes good, apparently.
Here's what the research actually shows: heart health is built over time through consistent, satisfying nourishment — not through rigid restriction and fear. In fact, chronic stress about food, yo-yo dieting, and the shame spiral that often accompanies "heart healthy" eating advice can themselves be harmful to cardiovascular health.
At Happy Valley Nutrition in Amherst, MA, we take a weight-inclusive approach to cardiovascular nutrition that focuses on adding nourishment — more fiber, more variety, more plants, more enjoyment — rather than subtracting everything you love. We work with what's on your plate already, your culture, your preferences, your budget, and your life — and we build from there.
Because the best heart-healthy eating pattern isn't the most restrictive one. It's the one you can actually sustain.
Your heart deserves evidence-based care. So does your relationship with food.
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM AMANDA MITTMAN,
Registered Dietitian and founder of Happy Valley Nutrition
WE TAKE INSURANCE
Coverage depends on individual plans and benefits.
Did you know that you can use your insurance to cover visits with a Registered Dietitian, often with no copay?
Contact us to learn how and forand for any specific questions about using insurance to cover GI nutrition counseling.
We do not accept MassHealth or Tufts Public/Direct plans as they do not credential private practice dietitians. We offer out of pocket rates for these clients.
While we do accept Medicare plans for nutrition counseling, only Diabetes (not “prediabetes”) and kidney disease are covered.
cardiovascular nutrition support
we provide
High Cholesterol (Hyperlipidemia)
High LDL cholesterol or triglycerides are among the most common reasons people are referred to a dietitian — and one of the areas where nutrition can make a real, measurable difference. We help you incorporate foods that support healthy cholesterol levels (soluble fiber, healthy fats, plant sterols), understand what the research actually says about dietary fats and cholesterol, make satisfying, realistic changes that move the needle on your labs, and navigate the conversation about statins and lifestyle changes with your doctor. No egg-free, flavor-free eating required.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Hypertension is often managed with a combination of medication and lifestyle — and nutrition plays a meaningful role. We go well beyond "eat less salt" to help you explore the DASH eating pattern in a flexible, non-rigid way, identify your actual sodium sources and make targeted adjustments, increase potassium, magnesium, and other nutrients that support blood pressure regulation, and develop a way of eating that feels manageable, not medicinal.
Heart Disease & Secondary Prevention
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is often managed with sweeping elimination lists that strip the joy out of eating. We take a more targeted, individualized approach — helping you identify your actual personal triggers rather than eliminating everything that appears on a generic list, incorporating foods that support esophageal health, managing meal timing and patterns, and finding a way of eating that reduces symptoms without unnecessarily restricting your diet.
High Triglycerides
Elevated triglycerides are often tied to carbohydrate intake, alcohol, and overall dietary patterns but the fix isn't always as simple as cutting carbs. We take a nuanced, individualized approach to understanding what's driving your triglycerides, making targeted nutrition adjustments that are sustainable, balancing carbohydrate quality and quantity without unnecessary restriction, and supporting weight-neutral improvements in your lipid panel.
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol) significantly raises cardiovascular risk. We address the full picture with a weight-inclusive, whole-person nutrition approach that supports each component of metabolic health, focusing on nourishment and movement patterns rather than weight loss as the primary goal.
Family History & Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
You don't have to have a diagnosis to benefit from cardiovascular nutrition support. If you have a strong family history of heart disease, high cholesterol, or stroke, working with a dietitian proactively can be one of the most powerful things you do for your long-term health. We help you understand your personal risk factors and build eating habits now that can protect your heart for decades to come.
Eating Concerns & Heart Health
For some people, a cardiac diagnosis, or the fear of one, can trigger anxiety around food, hyper-vigilance about eating, or a history of disordered eating that gets reactivated by medical dietary advice. Our team is experienced at navigating the intersection of cardiovascular nutrition and a complicated relationship with food, holding both your heart health and your mental health with equal care.
We don't do fear-based heart health.
The conventional approach to cardiovascular nutrition often looks like this: here's a list of foods that will hurt your heart, now stop eating them. The result? Anxiety at every meal, a shrinking list of "safe" foods, and an eating pattern so restrictive it's unsustainable within weeks.
At Happy Valley Nutrition in Amherst, MA, we think there's a better way. Decades of research on heart-healthy eating — from the Mediterranean diet to DASH to plant-forward patterns — point to abundance, not deprivation. More vegetables, more legumes, more whole grains, more enjoyment. Not a joyless elimination protocol.
We also reject the idea that heart health is primarily about weight. Body size is one variable among many when it comes to cardiovascular risk — and intentional weight loss, particularly when pursued through chronic restriction and dieting, carries its own health costs. Our approach focuses on health-promoting behaviors and measurable outcomes: your blood pressure, your lipid panel, your energy, your quality of life.
The goal isn't a perfect diet. It's a sustainable, nourishing one — that you actually want to eat.
HOW IT WORKS
Step 1
LET’S TALK
The first step can feel like the hardest and we totally get that.
We'll begin with a free clarity call where you get a chance to tell us about you — your diagnosis or concerns, your history with food, and what kind of support would actually be helpful. No judgment, no scripts.
Don’t want the call? No problem- we can just book an initial appointment!
Step 2
LET’S WORK
During your first session, we'll complete a comprehensive nutrition assessment, review your labs and medical history, and begin building a personalized cardiovascular nutrition plan that fits your life, not just your diagnosis.
We'll create an approach that's genuinely doable and discuss the best ways to support you between appointments.
Step 3
LET’S GO
Eating for heart health is a long game, and we're here for all of it.
Sustainable cardiovascular nutrition isn't built in a single appointment. It's built through ongoing support, honest conversation, and a plan that adapts as your health, your labs, and your life change.
It takes courage to ask for help. We're glad you’re here.
Nutrition counseling services can be done in-person (Amherst office) or via Telehealth.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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At the present time, we are preferred providers with Aetna, BCBS, Medicare, Mass General Brigham/MGB (no ACO plans), GIC Unicare, Wellpoint, Cigna, Health New England, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and Tufts (commercial plan only). Medicare only covers the visit if you have diabetes or renal disease. We do not accept MassHealth. Please note that each plan is different and nutrition benefits can vary and we often need a referral on file. Please contact our client coordinator at hello@happyvalleynutrition.com for any specific questions.
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We offer out of pocket and sliding scale rates as necessary. We will always work with you to try to get sessions covered!
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We ask that you verify your insurance benefits with our handy script to use. Also, complete all paperwork no later than 24 hours before your initial appt (intake form, etc) so that your RD can be best prepared for appointment. We send gentle reminders!
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Yes! We often can see clients via telehealth for clients outside of MA, but it does depend on the state that you live in during the time of the call. Please send us an email to hello@happyvalleynutrition.com to inquire specifically.
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Yes, we absolutely do and would love to support you or a loved one.
GET HEART HEALTH NUTRITION SUPPORT THAT ACTUALLY STICKS
If you're searching for a heart health dietitian near Amherst, MA who takes a compassionate, weight-inclusive approach — you've found us. Whether you're managing a diagnosis, trying to get ahead of your family history, or just looking for a way to eat for your heart that doesn't make you miserable, we're here to help. Let's build something sustainable together.