About the Author

Becky Hand's teenage son and friends bolted in the back door and headed straight for the brownies cooling on the counter. "May we have some, Mrs. Hand?" they asked as they poured themselves glasses of milk. "Of course," she answered, cutting the brownies and plating them with a scheming smile on her face. The boys sang praises about those brownies, so Becky just had to let them in on the secret ingredient---pureed black beans. "What!" they screamed, mouths dropping wide open.As a registered dietitian for more than 25 years, Becky Hand knows that a sense of humor goes a long way when introducing unfamiliar foods and developing new eating habits. She is passionate about improving the health and wellness of people in her rural community, as well as the lives of people throughout the world via SparkPeople. Whether it be during her weekly radio talk show, planting seeds at a school's veggie garden, bringing farm fresh produce to the hospital's cafeteria, coaching adults and children during their weight loss adventure, or tackling a tricky question on the message boards at SparkPeople, Becky is deeply dedicated to the mission of health improvement and disease prevention.Hand lives in Indiana with her husband and two children. She is committed to having her family eat meals together at the kitchen table--it is often the only time to connect and catch up--and eagerly encourages other families to do the same.Hand has a bachelor's degree in food, nutrition and dietetics from Marian College and a master's degree in health promotion and education from the University of Cincinnati. She also has a certificate in weight management from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.