Green Kitchen Economist, Laura Bruzas, founded Healthy Dining Chicago (HDC) in 2003. The grass-roots volunteer-driven, member-supported effort focuses on spreading the message that good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are the cornerstones of a good life and paramount to disease prevention and management.

HDC offers a steady diet of bite-sized, easy-to-digest morsels of practical information and valuable resources to help hungry, time-pressed, health-minded consumers make smart, informed choices that are kind to Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants via a weekly e-newsletter and the delivery of wellness and green programs to the workplace, local libraries and community groups and clubs.

Described as a thriftster who totes a magnifying glass, calculator, measuring cup, notebook and library card, Bruzas spent five years working at Whole Foods Market where she learned the grocery business inside out. Bruzas is the author of Eat Well for Less, a collection of dozens no-coupons-required money and time saving tips whether eating in or dining out and the Chicago Restaurant Go Guide, a local resource guide which includes tips on eating healthy when dining out and a listing of earth-friendly city and suburban eateries that offer high-quality, Earth-friendly healthy fare.

Bruzas has taught adult education classes at the Moraine Valley Environmental Institute, Latin School and Francis Parker, received a community grant for developing and delivering a series of wellness workshops, taught healthy cooking classes at Whole Foods Market and presented a motivational lecture series on wellness and personal effectiveness for Chicago Public Library patrons. She has also served on the Board of Directors for a variety of local organizations including the Society for Human Resource Professionals and the Human Resources Association of Greater Oak Brook.

Bruzas has delivered corporate Lunch-n-Learn programs for numerous organizations including Career Builders, National Realtors Association, the U.S. Dept of Public Health, National Future's Association, Marketing Innovators, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, Bang & Olufsen, and Options Clearing Corporation. In addition, she has delivered programs at numerous libraries and served as a panelist at The Big Read, Green America Festival, FamilyFarmed.org Expo, Chicago Women in Publishing (monthly program), and Chicago Green Drinks.

For more information, pricing or to book a Healthy Dining Chicago Program To Go for your community group, club, library or corporate Lunch-n-Learn program, contact Laura@HealthyDining.org or call 312.666.9979.