About
Coco Newton, MPH, RD, CNS is owner of Lifetime Nutrition, LLC, a virtual private practice in Maple City, Michigan. She has expertise in Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy (FMNT) for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases and syndromes. Currently she is devoted to therapeutic guidance for patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (pALS), as well as educational programs for professional, academic, and non-profit organizations. She serves as Director, ALS Clinicians Council at healingALS.org comprising multidisciplinary healthcare professionals that study and treat ALS using Functional/Integrative Medicine to slow or stop ALS progression, improve quality of life, and regain function.
Coco received her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Dietetics & Community Nutrition from the University of California, Davis, and Masters of Public Health (MPH) in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota. She completed her dietetic internship at the University of California, San Diego. She is a Registered Dietitian (RD) through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) through the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists at the American Nutrition Association.
Coco co-founded and served on the Institute for Functional Medicine’s Nutrition Advisory Board from 2007-2010. In 2010, she co-founded the University of Kansas’ Nutrition Fellowship Program, a collaborative program through the University’s departments of Integrative Medicine and Dietetics & Nutrition.
In 2007, Coco served on the state of Michigan Board of Dietetics and Nutrition and championed the repeal of the anti-competitive and discriminatory Dietetics/Nutrition Licensure Law in 2014, the first repeal in the United States.
PUBLICATION “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): The Application of Integrative & Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy (IFMNT)” in the textbook: Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy: Principles & Practices, (Springer, April 2020)
AWARDS from Dietitians in Integrative & Functional Medicine (DIFM), a practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:
2020 Lifetime Achievement Award
2021 Visionary Award
What is Functional Medicine? https://www.functionalmedicine.org/files/library/Intro_Functional_Medicine.pdf
What is Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy? https://integrativerd.org/ifmnt-radial/
I love REAL FOOD! My passions include cooking, vegetable gardening, and advocating for an organic, sustainable and humane food supply. We need to reclaim the right and the access to healthy food. I am involved in projects to unite farmers, food service purveyors, educators, healthcare professionals, medical institutions and the public to promote a healthy food systems.
I frequently educate professionals and the public about applying Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy (FMNT) in preventive and clinical practice. Conventional medical schools and dietetics programs do not require FMNT in their curriculums, however, this is the medicine that is increasingly sought by the public and practiced by advanced professionals.
In Michigan, I played a leading role in the state legislature to prevent the Michigan Dietetic Association from obtaining a monopoly over the nutrition profession. It took 8 years, several testimonies before the House and the Senate. We built a large coalition of healthcare practitioners from all disciplines, along with public support, to finally succeeded in repealing an exclusive Dietetics Licensure Law. We reversed a law that would have made it illegal for qualified nutritionists, other than Registered Dietitians, from practicing nutrition. Now the public has access to nutrition practitioners of their choice!
"Coco Newton brings crucial qualities to her work with people seeking better health. She is grounded in nutrition science, yet is not limited by formulaic approaches to diet and disease. Coco is able to weave progressive concepts from Integrative Medicine into practical strategies for change. And finally, Coco is passionate about helping people find their best health."
— Steve Thiry, MD, Chief of Staff, Family Medicine, St. Joseph Mercy Health System, Ann Arbor, MI
Academic Background
University of California, Davis - Bachelor of Science (BS) Dietetics & Community Nutrition
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis - Masters of Public Health (MPH) Nutrition
University of California, San Diego - Dietetic Internship (RD)
Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists - Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)
Professional Associations
Presented at healing als conference 2019 Food, nutrition supplements, detox and gut function. 300 attended onsite (100 patients with als) and 1000 attended virtual internationally. This conference was organized by https://healingals.org
