Meet Melanie Betz
MS, RD, CSR, FNKF, FAND
Hi! I’m Melanie, a nationally recognized kidney stone dietitian in Chicago, IL for more than 10 years. I founded The Kidney Dietitian blog in 2020 as a way to educate both patients and healthcare professionals about kidney stone prevention via nutrition.
For many years, I worked at the University of Chicago with some of the top kidney stone doctors. The more I learned, the more I was disgusted by the terrible advice people got about kidney stones online, and unfortunately, even from their own doctors. In 2020, she decided to do something about it. The Kidney Dietitian was born!
As Seen In
Melanie's Career as a Leader in Kidney Nutrition
Education
- Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from Rush University
- Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics from Michigan State University
- Certification in renal nutrition (CSR)
- Fellow designation with the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics and the National Kidney Foundation
Professional Leadership
- Current Chair-Elect for the Renal Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics
- Current President of the Illinois Council on Renal Nutrition
- Member of the Professional Advisory Board for the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois
- Member of the Dietitian Advisory Group for the American Kidney Fund
- Executive Committee for the Healthy Aging Dietetic Practice Group for more than 8 years
- Published numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers
- Presented at endless local, state & national professional conferences
About The Kidney Dietitian
The GO TO site for accurate, useful kidney stone nutrition
I have been lucky enough to work with some of the top doctors in kidney nutrition, including the kidney stone program at the University of Chicago. Unfortunately, most dietitians and doctors are not well versed in kidney stone prevention. I’ve found myself in a small group of Registered Dietitians nationwide who are well-versed in 24-hour urine tests and providing personalized nutrition recommendations.
It is heartbreaking to hear from people who have been suffering with kidney stones their entire life (or, even just once!) knowing that there is SO MUCH they could do to stop them. Most people are not even offered the basic testing required to come up with an effective kidney stone prevention plan. If anything, people are given advice that is outdated, not relevant for their situation, or blatantly incorrect.
My promise to you is that every single blog post, recipe, email, video and social media post you see from me is backed 100% by actual science and data.
The mission of The Kidney Dietitian is to empower and give every person with kidney stones the knowledge they need for PERSONALIZED prevention – and to access the joy of eating all humans deserve.
How We Help You
The Kidney Dietitian provides free information to the public via the blog, Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest pages, as well as the Eat Away Kidney Stones Podcast.
We offer more comprehensive and personal help via our self-paced online course, Kidney Stone Nutrition School and our 1:1 patient packages.
To help improve the care of people with kidney stones on a bigger level, we offer resources for dietitians and other healthcare professionals. Melanie also speaks regularly at professional conferences about kidney nutrition.
My Nutrition Philosophy
My passion is helping those with kidney disease and stones adopt a tailored, healthy lifestyle that supports their kidneys.
I understand the challenges patients face when confronted with lengthy lists of “forbidden” foods, leaving them feeling disheartened. I believe healthy kidney-friendly eating doesn’t have to be complicated, and there are plenty of delicious foods that you can indulge in.
My goal is to simplify the science behind healthy eating for kidneys and make it more accessible. I pursued a career in nutrition because I simply love food! I spend much of my free time testing new recipes, reading about food, and trying new restaurants.
As someone who cherishes the joys of food, I am committed to helping my patients find ways to enjoy their meals while protecting their kidneys. Food is more than just nutrients; it carries cultural, emotional, and celebratory significance. A healthy diet should not come at the expense of indulging in life’s pleasures, like birthday cake or Grandma’s cookies!
The Kidney Dietitian Team
Melanie Betz MS, RD, CSR, FNKF, FAND
Melanie is the Founder & CEO of The Kidney Dietitian with more than 10 years of experience. Melanie creates or reviews all content published to The Kidney Dietitian website and social media channels. She is also the host of the Eat Away Kidney Stones Podcast and instructor of Kidney Stone Nutrition School.
To help meet the mission of The Kidney Dietitian to improve nutrition care for ALL people with kidney stones, Melanie regularly educates fellow healthcare professionals at the local, state and national level.
Carla Gutke RDN, LD
Carla helps people prevent kidney stones via our 1:1 patient packages.
She is also an outpatient kidney stone dietitian and has a passion for using nutrition to help her clients improve their health, prevent disease and get their life back from kidney stones! She has worked as a dietitian in clinical and outpatient settings for 10 years, primarily in kidney nutrition. She also has experience in kidney disease, dialysis, heart disease, intuitive eating, diabetes and digestive problems.
Emily Kuettel MS, RD, LDN
Emily has been with The Kidney Dietitian since March 2022 . She manages communication for The Kidney Dietitian from the public, prospective students and collaborators.
In addition, Emily is a Clinical Dietitian at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL with a variety of populations including people undergoing lung transplantation. She also found a passion for kidney health while working alongside Melanie over the past few years.
Emily serves on the Chicago Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Board and is involved with the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, the accrediting body for dietetics programs.
In her free time, Emily enjoys cooking and exploring new Chicago restaurants.
Kelly Nemec MS, RD, LDN
Kelly helps people prevent kidney stones via our 1:1 patient packages.
She is also an outpatient kidney stone dietitian at a large academic medical center in Chicago, Illinois. Kelly has been a dietitian in the clinical setting for 8 years and has experience in kidney transplant, diabetes, weight management and cardiovascular disease.
In her free time Kelly loves to travel, hike and try new recipes. Kelly is a firm believer in individualized nutrition education that is specific to each patient. Kelly is motivated and determined to help her patients get rid of those pesky kidney stones once and for all!
Ben Puodziunas MS, RDN, LDN
Ben joined the team in March 2024. He does a ton of all of that “behind the scenes” stuff necessary to help everything run smoothly. Ben keeps blog content on The Kidney Dietitian updated, generates new Pinterest content, formats and uploads Eat Away Kidney Stones podcast episodes and the endless other tasks.
Liz Weinandy MPH, RDN, LN\D
Liz helps people prevent kidney stones via our 1:1 patient packages.
She is a registered dietitian nutritionist with over 15 years’ experience working with patients to prevent kidney stones at a large academic medical center in central Ohio. In addition, she has extensive experience in OB, weight management, diabetes, and the ketogenic diet. Liz’s goal is to help anyone move towards optimal health through small shifts in how they eat and view food. She enjoys simplifying complex and contradicting diets to take the uncertainty out of eating.
Our Editorial Process
Why should you trust the information you find on The Kidney Dietitian?
Blog Posts
Every blog post is written or reviewed by Melanie Betz MS, RD, CSR, FNKF, FAND. She has been a Registered Dietitian for more than 12 years and has a Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition, a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics, and is certified in renal nutrition.
Registered Dietitians must obtain a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited dietetics program, complete 1,200 hours of supervised practice and pass the national RD registration exam. In addition, at least 75 hours of continuing education must be documented every 5 years. Melanie is also a Board Certified Dietitian in Renal Nutrition, which requires 2,000 hours of experience working in renal (aka kidney) nutrition and completion of a national exam every 5 years.
All the information you find on this website is supported by quality, peer-reviewed research. This website does not promote fad diets, unrealistic solutions or click-bait. Each post is written based on science and Melanie’s 10+ years of experience working as a Registered Dietitian. Research articles and websites of other reputable sources are cited in each post for you to read yourself, if you wish!
Recipes
All recipes have been personally tested by Melanie for tastiness and are approved to be part of a healthy kidney diet!
Did you know that not all nutrition information is accurate – even on food labels? Getting accurate nutrition information for recipes is not as straightforward as it may seem. Melanie individually analyzes each recipe for nutritional content using state-of-the-art software. This nutrition information is included at the bottom of each recipe and includes nutrients of concern for kidney patients such as potassium, phosphorus and oxalate.