Kirstyn Brown, Oxygen’s newest Nutrition Editor.

That’s right! I’m the new Nutrition Editor at Oxygen! And I’m so excited I could burst like a blueberry in oatmeal.

Don’t get me wrong – I’ve truly loved being Oxygen’s Assistant Editor for the last 18 months. From Future of Fitness to the Cover Girl Confidential sections, I’ve felt each day like I was helping someone accomplish a goal on her vision board, and I was so grateful to be a part of that.

But since starting here as fact checker in 2009, I’ve managed to change my body and lifestyle, dropping 50 pounds and landing in our Fat Loss 2010 special issue  -- none of which would have been possible without the guidance and knowledge of nutrition I gained from working here. So to me, this new chapter feels like an opportunity to give back by putting my heart and soul into it, which won’t be hard, because I’m in love with food. I could spend hours wandering around a farmer’s market, discussing the difference between casein and whey protein, or reading up on which foods will best fuel my workout. Confession: I go to bed thinking about my morning coffee and oatmeal.

But it takes more than a love of food to be a good food editor. You have to know your readers, work with them, and give them the tools they need to improve their healthy lifestyles and be their best selves. Am I right?

So tell me, what are you craving from our nutrition pages? What features have you loved in the past? Which areas can we improve on and which features have blown you away?

Here are a few superstar recipes we’ve run in the past that have become repeats in my clean eating repertoire:

Quinoa Jambalaya
Chicken Florentine
Peanut Butter Protein Balls

And here’s a quick and tasty treat of my own creation:

Super Thick Shake

• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 scoop vanilla whey
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Possible toppings: shredded coconut or all-natural granola or 1 square dark chocolate, finely chopped

Blend ingredients together until smooth. It should be super thick! Top with a sprinkle of whatever you want and eat with a spoon!

One final note: I need to pay homage to my predecessor, Helen Vong, who is moving on to do incredible things in our digital department and for our special editions. Helen lived and breathed nutrition. In no way do I expect to replace her, as the passion and breadth of knowledge she brought to this role was one of a kind. I can only hope to build and improve on the foundation she’s helped build out of our nutrition pages, and continue to make Oxygen an authority on healthy eating for today’s fit woman. So thank you, Helen. You’ve done an exceptional job.