Anca-Maria Cunningham

About Anca-Maria

Hi, I’m Anca—a registered dietitian, nutrition educator, mother of daughters, doctoral candidate, and lifelong student of evidence-based nutrition. My role is to help you cut through the noise around food to build real-life nutrition strategies that support healing. If food feels more stressful than nourishing, or if you’ve tried countless diets and still feel stuck—I hear you! Are you overwhelmed by conflicting nutrition messages or facing a complex health challenge? I am glad we will connect. Together, we will explore what is driving your symptoms, structure a care plan that honors both your biology as well as your day-to-day reality. I’ll meet you where you are now and help you move forward—step by step, with clarity, compassion, and tools you can trust.

Approach to care

Your nutrition story is layered—emotionally, behaviorally, biologically—and deserves time to unfold. I don’t believe in quick fixes or one-size-fits-all plans. Instead, I center my practice on: • Personalized Nutrition: tailored strategies for your clinical situation and your lifestyle. • Evolving Care Plans: adjustments may be needed as your lab values shift, diagnoses evolve, and life circumstances change. • Builder’s Mindset: small, doable changes based on the ‘Atomic Habits’ framework for lasting progress. • Sustainable Journeys: no crash diets or revolutions—just short-term wins and long-term growth.

Your first session with Anca-Maria

During our initial 55-minute meeting, I will want to hear your main concerns and have a glimpse into your nutrition story. Some helpful info and data that can guide our work include • Recent lab results and medical history, current medications, supplements • Your daily routines, preferences, and goals • Any challenges you have faced with food, diet, and nutrition. If you do not have everything on hand, that’s okay—we gather together over time what is needed. Best Practices recommend scheduling weekly appointments for the first month, then moving to every other week for the following few (12 sessions in 4-6 months is a research-based formula for improved outcomes). We will aim to set a couple of achievable goals at our first session. Everyone's journey is different, and I want to honor yours. Let’s take the guesswork out of food and craft a sustainable plan—one step at a time.

Location

📍 San Francisco, California

Education

Bachelor of Science Dietetics, Master of Arts Nutrition Education, Doctor of Clinical Nutrition candidate

Hobbies

reading, cooking, board games, traveling, urban walks, nature hikes

Licenses and Certifications