About the Good Housekeeping Nutrition Lab
Who We Are
The Nutrition Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute is housed on the 29th floor of Hearst Tower in New York City. Led by GH's registered dietitian nutritionist Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., the Nutrition Lab rigorously analyzes and assesses food products to see whether they meet the standards for the GH Nutritionist Approved Emblem. Products are vetted based on specific nutritional criteria as well as taste, and we also take simplicity, convenience, and transparency into account. Additionally, the lab evaluates any food products that are interesting in earning the Good Housekeeping Seal.
Our Mission
The GH Nutrition Lab aims to provide consumers with evidence-based nutrition content and recommendations to help you make informed food choices and live your healthiest life. Our key objectives include:
Encourage consumers to make more nutritious food choices in their everyday lives and supports a shift to healthier food and beverage choices
Evoke the "tried and tested" assurance of the Good Housekeeping brand in the food space
Help shoppers shop smarter and navigate the aisles of grocery stores
Demystify food labels giving consumers confidence in their purchases
Maximize personal health and wellbeing (including fiscal, social, and environmental responsibility)
About Stefani Sassos
How long she's been at GHI: Since January 2020
What she does: Stefani oversees all of the nutrition-related content across Good Housekeeping's media platforms. Her day-to-day includes reporting on and writing about food trends, weight-maintenance, food products, and breaking news in nutrition and health science for consumers. Stefani oversees all of the food products that apply for the Good Housekeeping Seal and for the Good Housekeeping Nutritionist Approved Emblem. She develops and executes GH's consumer taste-tests, in which she establishes nutritional criteria for products in a food category and carries-out large-scale taste-tests to report to readers. Stefani has appeared on a number of televised segments, in addition to podcasts and radio outlets. She also executes weekly "Motivation Mondays" instagram stories on GH's social media platform.
About her background: Stefani has a Master of Science Degree in Clinical Nutrition at New York University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutritional Sciences from the Pennsylvania State University. She completed her dietetic internship through Long Island University to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (R.D.N.). Prior to Good Housekeeping, Stefani served as a Senior Oncology Dietitian at The Cancer Institute at St. Francis Hospital, and also ran her own nutrition private practice in Great Neck, NY. Stefani became one of the few Board Certified Specialists in Oncology Nutrition in New York State, and many of her nutritional recommendations stem from her cancer background. During her time in the clinical field, Stefani would not only provide nutrition interventions to patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, but she also coordinated and executed several outpatient programs for cancer patients and their families. By collaborating with local organizations, Stefani was able to obtain grants to lead oncology-based cooking classes and nutrition lectures to help patients throughout the cancer continuum. She also served as a nutrition spokesperson for the hospital, contributing to regional and national publications as well as appearing in a number of televised segments. Stefani also counseled clients in her personal private practice on Long Island, where she specialized in weight management, heart health, diabetes, and gastrointestinal disorders.
Outside of GHI: Coming from a big FIT Greek family, Stefani loves staying active with her family and friends. She is an NCCPT Personal Trainer, Schwinn Certified Indoor Cycling Instructor, former triathlete, and now is an avid Crossfitter. She has a passion for whole, real, natural food and loves to cook. Her and her husband have traveled all across the globe (Morocco, Bali, Greece, Italy, and Poland to name a few) and she drags him to a cooking class wherever they go.
Her own health transformation: Stefani has lost 30lbs and maintained it for five years plus! She says that this transformation took a lot of hard work, dedication, and integrity. Stefani made small changes and lost the weight gradually, and she tries to reinforce to readers that consistency is so much more important than perfection. Stefani feels that her weight loss journey was a gift because it helped her more effectively counsel and motivate clients. She is dedicated to leading a healthy and active lifestyle, and inspiring others to do the same.
Foods you'll always find in her kitchen are: Kefir, dark chocolate, Trader Joe's cranberry and lime seltzer water, Cosmic Crisp apples nut butter, and Ezekiel bread.
Favorite indulgence: Her grandmother's spanakopita (spinach pie). She makes everything from scratch, even the filo dough. It's incredible and melts in your mouth.
Her #1 piece of nutrition advice: Drink more water! Stefani feels that so many of us are dehydrated and mistaking thirst for hunger. Water is important for every single cell in the body and you need proper hydration to optimize your metabolic rate. Stefani posts about hydration daily on instagram to help keep her followers motivated.
Her nutrition "pet peeve": #Keto. Stefani is all about sustainable, long-term weight loss. From her personal experience, she feels that the maintenance phase of a health journey is much harder than the actual weight loss part. Keto is not a long-term solution and Stefani warns dieters to be weary if a weight loss program is cutting out an entire food group or macronutrient.
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