Welcome!
Hi! I'm Maria Monaco, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, as well as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and founder of Sun State Nutrition! I'm a wife, mother of two, a foodie at heart, and your personal health and nutrition coach ready to help you meet your goals!
Our Approach
At Sun State Nutrition, you will be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to nourish your body and achieve your health goals throughout any stage of life. Whether it's achieving a healthy weight, ensuring a healthy pregnancy and postpartum, managing chronic health conditions, or aging with grace and strength, our private coaching sessions and individualized client-centered approach will meet you where you are. You will be supported as we walk together throughout your entire health journey.
Our Specialties
Healthy weight loss and weight maintenance
Pre, peri, and postnatal nutrition
Lactation
Diabetes
Blood pressure
Cholesterol
Elderly nutrition
-
What is the difference between a Registered Dietitian and a Nutritionist?The terms Registered Dietitian (RD) and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) are used interchangeably to describe a food and nutrition expert who has completed, as of January 2024, a minimum of a Masters Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, completed a 1,000-hour dietetic internship, and has passed a national board exam. RD or RD/N is the only recognized nutrition-related credential that can provide Medical Nutrition Therapy in the United States. They are protected titles, meaning only those who have completed the qualifications can claim those credentials. A nutritionist, however, is not a protected title and anyone can call themselves one without any training whatsoever. There is no standardized training for nutritionists and many training programs are unregulated. This means that when working with one, you are at risk for receiving information that is false, misconstrued, and/or just outright opinionated pseudoscience. When working with Sun State Nutrition, you will receive evidence-based, research-backed data from a Registered Dietitian.
-
Why work with a Registered Dietitian?For the same reason that you would work with a personal trainer, a physical therapist, an accountant, or a realtor, a registered dietitian is an expert and authority in their field. A registered dietitian is the only nutrition expert that can practice medical nutrition therapy to help treat and manage chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and gastrointestinal disorders.
-
Do you accept insurance?Yes! I am in-network with Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Care Network, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Carefirst, Cigna, Empire, Florida Blue, Golden Rule, Highmark, Horizon, Independence Blue Cross, Optum, Oxford, United Healthcare, United Medical Resources (UMR). You can see your copay amount and book an appointment with me here.
-
What if you don't accept my insurance?Initial assessments (90 min) are $175 and follow-up sessions (60 min) are $125. We will be more than happy to provide you with a superbill. A superbill is an itemized receipt detailing services provided, why they were provided, and how much you paid. In turn, you would submit this to your insurance for reimbursement.
-
Do you see clients that live outside of Florida?Yes! Currently, I am serving clients in the following states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, HI, ID, IL, IN, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OK, OR, PA, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, and WY.
-
Do you offer in-person appointments?Currently, all appointments are held virtually for your convenience.