Meet the Balanced Nutrition Team
We believe eating should be easy and enjoyable.
Our goal is to bring back the simplicity, sanity, balance and joy of nourishing our bodies.
No more confusion.
No more gimmicks or rigid rules.
No more nonsense.
MEET
Becky Balemian
RD, CDN, CLC
CO-FOUNDER
Pediatric, Health and Weight
Nutrition Specialist
Becky Balemian, RD, CDN, CLC is a registered dietitian who collaborates with individuals across all age groups, specializing in GI and women’s health, eating disorders, and medical nutrition therapy. Her enduring passion for nutrition and well-being inspired her to pursue a career in this field after the birth of her three boys.
Earning summa cum laude honors, Becky received her Bachelor of Science in nutrition and dietetics from the University of New Haven. She furthered her education through a dietetic internship at the University of Saint Joseph, emphasizing nutrition across diverse age groups, with a specific focus on her experience at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
Embarking on her career at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Becky acquired invaluable expertise in diverse healthcare settings, including the NICU, PICU, and outpatient clinics, catering to individuals across all age groups. Later, she dedicated six years to ProHealth Physicians, actively participating in the Healthy Me Program and aiding families in their quest for overall well-being.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Becky finds joy in spending quality time with her husband and children. She has a penchant for tropical getaways, engages in running and workouts, and explores her creativity in the kitchen.
Fun fact: Becky also has a degree in music with a concentration in vocal
performance.
Jackie Muszynski RDN, CDN, NASM-CPT is a Registered Dietitian and passionate advocate for health and wellness, with a focus on sports nutrition. She earned her undergraduate degree in dietetics, nutrition, and food sciences at the University of Vermont and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, specializing in diabetes education. Despite her time in Vermont and Maryland, Jackie's heart remained in New England.
Her journey into sports wellness began in high school, where she discovered the importance of proper nutrition while running for her own health. Now, Jackie works with athletes of all levels, emphasizing the crucial role of nutrition in their training regimens and weight management goals.
In addition to her expertise in sports nutrition, Jackie holds certifications as a personal trainer and yoga instructor. She is dedicated to promoting healthy relationships with food and physical activity, whether she's helping busy individuals and families with meal planning, supporting those with eating disorders in building balanced relationships with food, or assisting clients in weight management.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Jackie enjoys embarking on adventures with her husband, exploring new countries, experimenting with exotic cuisines, staying active year-round, and indulging in a good book.
Fun fact: Jackie is currently learning to read, write and speak in Polish.
MEET
Jackie Muszynski
RDN, CDN, NASM-CPT
CO-FOUNDER
Sports, Health and Weight
Nutrition Specialist
MEET
Julie Peterson
MS, RD, CDN
Registered Dietitian
Health and Weight
Nutrition Specialist
Julie Peterson, MS, RD, CDN has been a registered dietitian for over 25 years. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of Wyoming and dietetic internship at Oregon Health Science University. She received her master’s degree at the University of Connecticut.
She stayed with UConn for a few years, first by providing nutrition counseling at Student Health Services, followed by inpatient and dialysis care at the UConn Health Center. After the birth of her 3 children, she worked part time with UConn community nutrition programs. She went on to work with the ProHealth Healthy Me program for 5 years. There she focused on helping children and teens learn to make healthy lifestyle choices and form a good relationship with food.
Julie loves to help young people find adventure and excitement in food and physical activity instead of looking at it through the lens of dieting and rules. She teaches mindful eating habits for all ages and can provide help for the picky eater or emotional eater.
Outside of work, Julie enjoys exploring the beauty of nature and finding new places to hike with her family. She loves to work outside in the garden and bakes homemade bread every week.
Julie is available for video call/telehealth appointments.
Fun fact: Julie grew up on a pinto bean farm in the middle of Wyoming
Maia Smith MS, RD, CDN, is a Registered Dietitian who received a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences (2021) and a Master’s Degree in Health Promotion Sciences and Dietetic internship at the University of Connecticut (2023). Go Huskies!
She found her passion in nutrition from learning how to fuel as an all-state cross country athlete in high school. In college, Maia ran a peer education group called S.H.A.P.E. (Student’s Helping to Achieve Positive Esteem) where she provided education on eating disorder signs and symptoms to college students and worked closely with the on-campus dietitians. This is where
she discovered her interest in working with clients with eating disorders.
From the dietetic internship, Maia was able to gain experience in a variety of different settings, including providing nutrition care with a variety of medical conditions at the Veteran Affairs Hospital in West Haven, providing education at the Trinity Health Diabetes and Endocrinology center to clients with Type I, II, and gestational diabetes, and teaching kitchen staff at Groton Public Schools about cross contamination and food allergies.
Maia is also currently working at Walden Behavioral Care with adolescent and adult clients with eating disorders in the PHP or IOP programs. She seeks to empower clients to heal their relationships with their food and their bodies, as well as to support them in navigating consistent eating in their everyday life, including support with meal planning, meal preparation, and grocery shopping. In addition to eating disorders, Maia has interests in pediatrics, sports nutrition, and medical nutrition therapy for GI disorders and diabetes.
Maia grew up in Stonington, CT. In her free time she loves to learn new recipes, take cycling classes, and visit the beach with her family. She recently adopted a senior cat named Ollie who she loves to snuggle with after work.
Fun fact: Maia met Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran in Watch Hill, RI in 2013.
MEET
Maia Smith
MS, RD, CDN
Registered Dietitian
Pediatric and Eating Disorders Specialist
MEET
Nick Copenhaver
MS, RD, CDN
Registered Dietitian
Health and Weight Specialist
Nick Copenhaver, MS, RD, CDN, is a Registered Dietitian who received his Masters Degree from the Coordinated Dietetics program at the University of Connecticut. He discovered his love for the field of dietetics midway during his undergraduate studies through his passion for and prioritization of his own physical health.
His interest in physical health and wellness truly began while he was in high school, where he participated in varsity soccer, basketball, and baseball. While it kept him very busy during his high school years, it taught him the value of properly fueling one’s body for optimal performance on the field (or court!).
During his Master’s program, Nick gained hands-on experience in treating various health conditions through nutrition at healthcare facilities like the Veteran Affairs Health Center in West Haven, UConn Health in Farmington, and the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain.
In addition to working with Balanced Nutrition, Nick is a Registered Dietitian at a skilled nursing facility in New Haven, CT. This position allows him to understand the diverse nutritional needs of residents as he builds long-term relationships with them.
Nick's primary passion lies in assisting clients with athletic backgrounds, akin to his own. Additionally, he is keen on supporting individuals with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and those striving for heart health or weight management goals.
Outside of work, Nick enjoys spending time at the gym, trying new foods and
exploring restaurants that he has not yet visited, and playing out in the yard with his dogs, Kora and Bailey.
Fun fact: Nick won the National Championship in Orlando for his travel baseball team, and he was also an all state soccer player!
Our commitment to you
All of our Balanced Nutrition Services are:
individualized
To find the best solution for your health goals, we focus on you: your body, your labs, your history, your lifestyle. Forget one-sized solutions. We custom fit your plan so that it's effective and enjoyable.
no-nonsense
To give you the best return on your investment, we refuse to spend your time and money on products you don’t need or that will cause long-term imbalances. We offer only proven, sensible solutions.
lasting
To achieve real change, you cannot settle for quick fixes. Our tailored programs make it easy for you to make lasting changes and create sustainable results you can enjoy for the rest of your life.
tasty + fun
To make changes that stick, they need to be doable, enjoyable and fit easily into your life. You are not signing up for a punishing bootcamp; you're rediscovering the joy of eating and healthy living.
Learn more about how we can help
Hear from our awesome clients
I worked with Jacqueline for about one month and that’s all it took for me to see great results. I was having trouble gaining weight for a long time and it was starting to feel like it would never change. I met with her and she gave me some easy, yet effective changes that I would need to make to my diet and eating habits. Fast forward about a month and I’d already gained weight! She helped me learn what I needed to put into my body to fuel it properly for workouts and every day in general. I can’t thank her enough for her help and for her incredible kindness! She was also super nice and easy to work with so I know I can reach out any time in the future if I need more help!
AMANDA G
I started working with Jackie so I could get help on changing my eating habits. I wanted to know how to balance my meals, the portions of each meal, and lose the extra weight I carried when I played football. Jackie helped me by introducing new fruits I had never tried before, which allowed me to include fruits and vegetables in my diet more often. I learned that the foods I ate before were very high in saturated fats, how to control my quantities of food with each meal, what I should eat, and good tips to lose weight. Working with Jackie helped me lose 23 pounds since football season ended. One long term result is knowing which foods are high in saturated fat and limiting how much I eat those foods. She also helped me change up my workouts. I also will use the tips I learned for the rest of my life.
ADAM G
You do not get a one size fits all approach at Balanced Nutrition! I came to Becky because I wanted to have a healthy pregnancy and avoid gaining too much weight (like my first pregnancy). She says all the right things to make me feel good in my skin and is so reassuring and supportive! Overall health and good food choices are more important than counting macros or calories. At Balanced Nutrition, you know you're getting the best advice for your overall health and nutrition and not some fad diet. I can't wait to continue working with Becky after my delivery and slowly and healthily getting back to my pre-baby weight and beyond.