Meet The Nutrition for Optimal Performance Team
OWNER & FOUNDER
Theresa DeLorenzo
Dr. DeLorenzo has been a Registered Dietitian (RD) since 2001. She received her Bachelor in Science in Food Science and Dietetics from the University of Rhode Island and her Master of Science and Doctorate of Clinical Nutrition from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She has worked in a variety of settings including in the clinical setting in the neonatal intensive care unit, the outpatient pediatric setting, and academia including her current position as Program Director at Logan University as Director of Master of Science in Nutrition and Human Performance and the Master of Science in Applied Nutrition and Dietetics. Dr. DeLorenzo serves as the Dietitian for the USA Para- Olympic Powerlifting team.
In addition to dietetics, Dr. DeLorenzo is a 200 hour trained yoga teacher and is currently obtaining her certification in yoga therapy with an emphasis on improving body image. She teaches online yin yoga and power yoga and provides yoga therapy for clients with anxiety, body dysmorphia, and pain.
As owner and founder of Nutrition for Optimal Performance, Dr. DeLorenzo works with athletes to help them to make sure they are eating the correct proportion of macro and micro-nutrients to perform their best. She also helps athletes come up with a race day nutrition and hydration plan to feel and race as good as possible. Looking to lose or gain weight or improve your gastrointestinal health? Dr. DeLorenzo can help with this as well. Dr. DeLorenzo is a former gymnast and diver and currently spends her spare time running and training for the next marathon while also staying flexible with her own yoga practice. While not working or exercising, you will find Dr. DeLorenzo cooking or creating a new recipe.
Dr. DeLorenzo speaks at local, national, and international conferences on how to help people find their own healthy by speaking about her story and the dangers of restriction.
NUTRITION TEAM
Stephanie Macri
Stephanie is a Registered Dietitian who has experience working in both clinical and community settings. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from SUNY Oneonta in 2018. Shortly after graduation, she relocated to South Carolina, where she currently resides with her fiancé, stepkids, and dogs.
Stephanie has a passion for gastrointestinal-related diseases and disorders, and the strong impact food has on them. She recently took a training course that focuses on the FODMAP elimination diet. Stephanie also has a passion for working with children and families.
Stephanie’s love for nutrition can be seen in the kitchen. While enjoying cooking (and baking) for her family, she loves to create recipes with colorful and nourishing foods—that taste delicious too! Stephanie’s goal for clients is to have them fall in love with food while nourishing the body with what it needs.
Outside of work, Stephanie loves to do anything outdoors. With the kids, she loves to go to the park, play baseball with the family, and go to the beach. Stephanie also enjoys visiting upstate NY, where she grew up, and taking in all that the beautiful state has to offer.
Tim DiLeo
Tim is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and a ISAK Certified Anthropometrist. Tim earned his bachelor’s degree in Applied Exercise Science from Springfield (Mass.) College in 2010, and his Master’s in Human Nutrition & Food Science from Framingham State (Mass.) University in 2015. At Springfield, he earned two letters playing shooting guard position for the Pride; in-between attending both universities, he spent time in the strength and conditioning field in the New England area.
As a sports performance dietitian, Tim has worked primarily in the collegiate setting, with stops at the University of North Carolina, Baylor University, and the University of Colorado-Boulder. Within these athletic programs, he had the opportunity to work extensively with a variety of athletes across many different sports including: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, tennis, swimming and diving, and golf among others. Tim has also worked with a number of athletes who have gone on to play professionally in the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
Tim enjoys helping athletes reach their full potential with evidence-based nutrition strategies and helping them develop habits that are sustainable for a lifetime. You won’t find any fad diets (keto, carnivore, intermittent fasting) here!! His hobbies include playing basketball, working out, cooking up new recipes, trying out new restaurants and watching sports.
Marisa Bellanca
Marisa is a Registered Dietitian that has spent most of her career in the School Nutrition field as well as individualized menu planning for clients. She graduated from SUNY Oneonta in 2018 with a Bachelors and Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics. She currently resides in Rochester, NY with her boyfriend and two German Shepherds.
Marisa has a passion for helping people meet their nutrition goals however it may look. She is very conscious about food intolerances and allergies having dealt with them on a personal level. She believes there is an "alternative" for almost any food desire.
Marisa has always had a passion and interest in food. Especially in the kitchen, she is always testing new recipes for her boyfriend (and sometimes dogs) to try. She grew up cooking alongside her grandma who passed along generations of family recipes to her and her two sisters to make for their future families. Her goal for her clients is to make sure they enjoy all of the special food traditions while also meeting their nutrition goals.
Outside of work, you can find Marisa camping in the Adirondacks with her boyfriend and two dogs, hiking a mountain or relaxing on a boat somewhere. And if you still can't find her, she is probably watching a Yankee game in the comfort of her living room.
Danielle Viola
Danielle has been a Registered Dietitian since 2007. She has experience working in a wide variety of settings including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, general pediatrics, pregnancy and lactation, postpartum and long-term care.
Danielle is passionate about helping people make peace with their bodies by letting go of food restrictions and taking a more mindful approach to eating and movement.
Danielle believes that you can both love your body and want to make changes to it. She helps clients understand the nuance in nutrition and knows that there is no one way of eating that will work for everyone. She gives clients tools to build a realistic and individualized lifestyle that includes feeling good and having fun.
Danielle is a 200-hr certified LYT Yoga instructor. She uses yoga as a tool to help clients feel good in their bodies and learn how to move and build strength in a sustainable way.
Outside of work, you’ll find Danielle at the baseball field with her two boys or enjoying time with family and friends. She enjoys visiting new restaurants and trying new foods. Her happy place is at the beach with a good book.
Gabriella Rao
Gabby is a Nutrition and Dietetics student with experience in private practice and biotech. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition from Tufts University in 2022 and is very excited to be completing her dietetic internship at Bastyr University in Seattle, WA beginning in fall 2023.
As an avid runner and RRCA-certified running coach, Gabby hopes to one day work with athletes in private practice, helping to guide both their nutrition and training. One of her major ambitions in entering the field of Nutrition and Dietetics is to refute the misinformation spread by diet culture, such as the idea that leanness begets faster race times. Gabby aspires to help athletes understand the importance of nutrition in reaching their greatest athletic potential, and more importantly to value, not fear, food.
In her spare time, Gabby can be found running, frolicking outdoors, eating ice cream, trying new restaurants, or daydreaming about future travel plans.
FITNESS TEAM
Marta Dauphinee
Movement and exercise have always played an important part in Marta's life. Running her first race in the 6th grade sparked something. She loved the competition and running with the team. Later competing at collegiate level, she ended up burnt out and injured. Searching for that "runner's high", she fell in love with indoor cycling and group exercise classes. She found this was a perfect complement to running and fun. Nowadays she finds some way to move daily to clear the mind, reduce stress or just to get out of the house. She is grateful for the ability to move her body each day - it's truly a gift!
Marta is excited to help you on your fitness journey and is passionate about making fitness fun and accessible to everyone. Her classes will focus on muscular strength and endurance by utilizing high-quality movement and proper form.
Marta holds a certification from YMCA Foundations of Group Exercise through ACE, as well as specialty certs in Spinning (Mad Dogg Athletics) and PLYOGA. She is currently working on her NASM Personal Training Certification.
“I highly recommend Dr Theresa Delorenzo as a nutritionist. When I first started to meet with her, I had high triglycerides and my goal was to lower this through nutrition. I have an active lifestyle which also helped me with the decision to work with Dr Lorenzo since she does too. She has a thorough academic understanding of nutrition and can explain how food affects our body. She is extremely knowledgeable about nutrition and so compassionate about food. She introduced me to many new foods and alternatives I would have never tried on my own and opened a whole new world. She worked with my needs and helped me gearshift these into daily habits that also fueled my athletic needs. I’m happy to report that I hit my goal and the triglycerides are now closer to the normal range! ”