About

Barbara Ruhs, M.S., R.D.N., is a Registered Dietitian and the owner of the MarketRD™, a nutrition communications consultancy focused on retail health & wellness strategy. Since 2014, she has been the nutrition expert for Avocados From Mexico (www.MyAvoNutrition.com). Some of her other clients include: Mariani Nut Company; LaCroix Sparkling Water; Arla, and The United Soybean Board.  She’s implemented promotional campaigns at national and regional retailers: Albertson’s/Safeway, Hannaford, Hy-Vee, H-E-B, Giant, Kroger, Jewel-Osco, Northgate Markets, Price Chopper, Schnucks, ShopRite, Walmart, Wegmans, and others.

While working as a supermarket dietitian for Bashas’ Family of Stores (AZ), she had the vision to launch an educational and networking forum for RDs with the goal of transforming health, one shopping cart at a time. The Oldways Supermarket Dietitian Symposium (2010-2018), brought together the top 50+ supermarket decision-makers to collaborate with leading food companies & commodity groups to improve the nutritional quality of food and how it is promoted and sold to customers. 

Barb’s Retail RD column in Today’s Dietitian magazine features her retail expertise and insights. Her writing has also appeared in Progressive Grocer magazine, Supermarket News, Seafood Business, and Environmental Nutrition. She’s presented at the Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE), The Food Marketing Institute (FMI); Institute of Food Technology (IFT); Natural Products Expo West; The Produce For Better Health Foundation (PBH); Culinary Institute of America (CIA), to name a few. 

Prior to moving to Arizona in 2008, Barb was a nutritionist at Harvard University and owned a successful private-practice, Neighborhood Nutrition, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She earned an M.S. degree in Nutrition from Boston University and a B.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics from Cornell University. A former collegiate tennis player, Barb is an avid singles player and competes in the Southwest USTA. Born and raised in Bellport, NY, a small, coastal town in Eastern Long Island, her passion for food started at an early age …catching and eating local seafood and enjoying freshly picked strawberries (and shortcake).