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Virginia Messina

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Virginia Messina
Born
Virginia Kisch
EducationUniversity of Michigan (MPH, 1981)
Occupations
  • Activist
  • author
  • dietitian

Virginia Messina (also known as Ginny Messina and The Vegan RD) is an American registered dietitian and veganism activist, best known for her research on plant-based nutrition. She has twice co-authored the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position paper on vegetarian diets.

Career

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Messina became a vegetarian in 1970s after reading the cookbook Laurel's Kitchen.[1] She became interested in animal rights and veganism in the 1980s.[1] She obtained a Master of Public Health degree from University of Michigan in 1981.[2] She was Director of Nutrition Services at George Washington University Medical Center from 1987 to 1989 and a dietitian for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) from 1989 to 1992.[2] She was on the PCRM Board of Advisors from 1997 to 2012.[2] Messina is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Loma Linda University.[2]

Messina is a member of the Vegetarian Resource Group and has been on their Board of Advisors since 1997.[2][3] Messina and her husband founded Vegetarian Nutrition: An International Journal.[4] She is a founding member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group.[2][3] Messina co-authored the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly American Dietetic Association) position paper on vegetarian diets in 1997 and 2003.[5]

In 2011, Messina co-authored Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy on a Plant-Based Diet with Jack Norris.[6] It was updated in 2020.[7][8]

In 2018, Messina was a speaker at the Boston Veg Food Fest.[9]

Personal life

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Messina is married to Mark J. Messina, a nutritionist and soy researcher.[10] They reside in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.[3] She is an animal rights activist and vegan who volunteers with Berkshire Voters for Animals.[3] Messina serves on the Board of Directors of Alley Cat Rescue.[11][12]

Her father William Joseph Kisch died in 2003.[13]

Selected publications

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  • The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family (with Mark Messina, 1996)
  • Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets (2003)[5]
  • The Dietitian's Guide to Vegetarian Diets: Issues and Applications (with Reed Mangels, 2010)
  • Vegan for Her: The Woman's Guide to Being Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet (2013)
  • Never Too Late To Go Vegan (2014, with Carol J. Adams)[14]
  • Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy on a Plant-Based Diet (with Jack Norris, 2020)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Vegan dietitians for life: Interview with Jack Norris & Ginny Messina". Vegan News. 2013. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Virgina Messina, MPH, RD". The Vegan RD. 2025. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "Nutrition myths in the vegan community with Ginny Messina". The Proof. 2022. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Vegetarian Action: Profiles of Three Leaders in Vegetarian Nutrition". Vegetarian Journal. 1997. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Mangels, Reed; Messina, Virginia; Melina, Vesanto (2003). "Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets" (PDF). Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 103 (6): 748–765. doi:10.1053/jada.2003.50142. PMID 12778049.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Hoffman, Piper (2021). "Book Review: "Vegan for Life" by Jack Norris & Virginia Messina". Our Hen House. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy on a Plant-Based Diet". Blackwell's. 2025. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025.
  8. ^ "Vegan For Life: Updated, Revised, Expanded, and All-New". The Vegan RD. 2020. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025.
  9. ^ "2018 Boston Veg Food Fest Speakers" (PDF). Boston Vegetarian Society. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 18, 2024.
  10. ^ "Mark J. Messina, Ph.D." 2025. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025.
  11. ^ "Board of Directors and Advisory Board Members". Alley Cat Rescue. 2025. Archived from the original on February 25, 2025.
  12. ^ "Ginny Kisch Messina, MPH, RD". The Vegan RD. 2025. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "William Joseph Kisch". Legacy.com. 2003. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025.
  14. ^ Storey, Meagan (2014). "Never Too Late To Go Vegan: The Over-50 Guide to Adopting and Thriving on a Plant-Based Diet". Library Journal. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025.
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