What is the S.T.E.P.S. Program®?
S.T.E.P.S. is an evidence-based nutrition therapy protocol designed by licensed dietitian-nutritionist Miriam Wiener, MS, MPH, to help clients transition from the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) in order to manage — or even reverse — chronic health conditions impacted by weight-loss resistance.
Miriam teaches the S.T.E.P.S. Program® in her 6-week series, Nourishment of the Soul: Uncovering the Hidden Secret to Permanent Weight-Loss. You can get on the Priority Notification List here.
Do you make meal plans?
Yes, we provide an individualized meal plan for every private client and a monthly meal plan subscription for the general public. If you’d like to get an idea of what our meal plans look like you can download a free meal plan here.
Do you accept insurance?
Private clients in our Jump-Start Program may be eligible for full or partial insurance coverage. Most health insurers will cover medical nutrition therapy (MNT) with a licensed dietitian. We will be happy to verify your benefits for you.
S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group is currently in-network with Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS), Aetna, United Healthcare, and Medicare Advantage. We are also contracted with Medicare Original for our clients with a diagnosis of diabetes or renal disease.
If your plan covers medical nutrition therapy but we are out-of-network, we will assist you in the reimbursement process by providing a “superbill” to submit to your insurance provider. However, full payment will be due at the time of service.
What are your out-of-pocket fees?
Fees for our customized meal plans are listed here. Fees for our lab tests are listed here. Our private Jump-Start fees are customized — once we’ve completed your S.T.E.P.S. Strategy Call and reviewed your insurance coverage, we will provide a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) to outline the exact details we suggest to help achieve your goals.
What is a S.T.E.P.S. Strategy Call?
Prior to working one-on-one with Jump-Start clients, Miriam provides a brief Zoom call where she has an opportunity to meet you and go over your goals, challenges, and any lab work you’ve uploaded to her private portal. She’ll explain how Jump-Start works and provide her recommendations for moving forward.
How do I work with S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group?
To order a customized meal plan subscription go here. To order labs go here. For Jump-Start go here.
Where are you located?
S.T.E.P.S. Nutrition Group is a virtual nutrition practice. Our licensed healthcare providers live in the United States and work virtually with women and girls in the United States. Miriam Wiener, MS, MPH, lives in Los Angeles and facilitates an online group program with women from around the world.
I live in a different state. Can we still work together?
We are licensed to practice in most U.S. states. If there are any licensing restrictions in your state, we will let you know prior to our initial meeting.
I live outside of the United States. How can I work with you?
Due to licensure laws, we only work in a one-to-one model with clients in the United States. However, you can be a part of our online group program, and we encourage you to get on the Priority Notification List.
Do you offer professional-grade supplements?
Yes, our online dispensary offers 20,000+ professional-grade supplements at 15% off plus an additional 5% with auto-ship — that’s 20% off all professional-grade supplements purchased in our online dispensary. Access to our supplement dispensary is offered to our private clients only.
What types of payment do you take?
We accept all major credit cards and health savings accounts (HSA) and flexible savings accounts (FSA) for lab testing, meal plan subscriptions, supplements, group programs, and our private Jump Start Program. We also offer payment plans.
Do you provide reduced-fee services?
If there are special circumstances that require reduced-fee or pro bono care, we offer a number of services through the nonprofit arm of our practice. Please fill out an Inquiry Form and let us know your specific needs.
You use evidence-based practice methods, what does this mean?
We live in the “age of information” — for better or worse — and most of the nutrition advice trending online is misleading or false. That miracle diet, doctor endorsed superfood powder, or homeopathic sugar pill that promises to take away your cravings and chronic pain — these trends are little more than sales pitches from people with very little clinical experience.
It’s more important than ever to choose a healthcare provider who utilizes an evidence-based approach. Evidence-based providers give advice and treatment plans based on the most rigorous and reliable scientific data paired with clinical evidence and years of professional expertise. There is no right diet or supplement for everyone. This approach ensures that treatments and advice are not only reliable, but also safe and tailored to your individual needs.
What is the difference between a licensed dietitian-nutritionist and a nutritionist?
There is a big difference between a licensed dietitian-nutritionist and a nutritionist.
Nutritionist
Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. There is no board or governing body that regulates the term. This means that your personal trainer or your neighbor with no formal training in nutritional biochemistry can do some research online and call themselves a nutritionist.
Licensed Dietitian-Nutritionist
A licensed dietitian-nutritionist is a credentialed healthcare professional – either a registered dietitian (RD) or a certified nutrition specialist (CNS) – who is qualified to utilize an evidence-based nutritional approach to healthcare. Only an RD or CNS can order therapeutic diets for patients in a hospital setting.
To become licensed, a person must complete a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college. In addition, the CNS credential requires a master’s degree in nutrition science to qualify to sit for the CNS board exam. The RD credential requires a bachelor’s degree in dietetics.
Core academic requirements for both the RD and CNS credential are the same and include food and nutrition science, anatomy and physiology, lifespan nutrition, organic chemistry, nutritional biochemistry, and pathophysiology.
The CNS credential requires additional training in functional lab assessment, nutritional genomics, evidence-based botanical therapies, drug-induced nutrient deficiencies, supplementation, and detoxification.
RD graduates receive additional training in food services management for hospitals and nursing homes, with a focus on USDA Dietary Guidelines such as My Plate and The Food Pyramid.
RD graduates are trained to prescribe specific diets for specific conditions, such as The DASH Diet for hypertension or the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Diet for lowering cholesterol using a low-fat approach.
CNS graduates are trained to take an individualized approach when addressing complex chronic health conditions — with a focus on the reduction of systemic inflammation and the regulation of immunological response.
All licensed dietitian-nutritionists must complete a nationally recognized internship program. Internships are highly competitive and provide a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised clinical hours. CNS internships provide experience in functional nutrition with 50-90% of the internship hours in client-based clinical settings. RD internships are primarily in hospital settings.
Upon completion of the internship, the candidate is qualified to sit for the national board exam. Passing the exam earns them the title of either “Registered Dietitian” or “Certified Nutrition Specialist” and the candidate can then apply for licensure on a state-by-state basis.
Why is licensing so important?
Increasingly, we see individuals promoting themselves as nutritionists while having little to no formal training in nutritional biochemistry.
For example, unscientific modalities such as “applied kinesiology” and “homeopathy” are repeatedly debunked in double-blind, placebo-controlled studies as being no more effective than placebo. Yet, despite overwhelming evidence that these modalities are neither effective nor rational, they persist.
Professional licensing laws help identify who is a qualified practitioner and who is not. Individuals who lack the objective accredited education, clinical experience, examination, and ongoing continuing education demonstrating their competency are not qualified for licensure.
Didn’t see your question?
If you have a question that wasn’t answered here, please fill out an Inquiry Form and we will do our best to respond within 2-3 business days.