Note: This is the final installment in a series of blogs about Registered Dietitians to coincide with the American Dietetic Association's Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo.  Over the past several days we've featured interviews with some of the best and brightest dietitians in the field.  See our first post about what a dietitian is here, our interview with Chef Kyle Shadix here, our interview with Mary Lee Chin here and our interview with Michelle Pittman here. 
 

Here at the International Food Information Council Foundation we have four Registered Dietitians (RDs) on staff.  Here are their thoughts on what it means to have this important career…

At first, I thought I wanted to be a physician; you know, help sick people become well people. Then, my mother was diagnosed with bladder cancer and then lung cancer and then a brain tumor, which finally took her life all too soon. It was then that I realized that I wanted to devote my life to helping well people stay well. I changed my major from biology and got my bachelors and masters in nutrition and exercise science, and then became a registered dietitian and trainer. To me, registered dietitians – or RDs - are the Real Deal. We have food and nutrition knowledge and training, but we also have a real desire to help inspire, motivate, and lead others to better overall health through food and nutrition. Helping others stay well so they can lead the life they were meant to have is why I am a RD today.

I stumbled into becoming a dietitian. In college, I enjoyed studying human biology, and thought for a while that I would become a science writer or journalist. My sophmore year I enrolled in a Principles of Nutrition class and became hooked on pursuing a degree in nutrition. It wasn't until my senior year in college that I earned a post-graduate  nine to 12 month dietetic internship is required to become a dietitian and that most dietitians work in hospitals. Going through the dietetic internship program exposed me to the multitude of unique roles dietitians can serve in and I have tremondous respect for all of the work they do to research, educate and help people through nutrition. What I've realized over my professional career is that helping people improve their health is a deeply personal thing.  People connect over the food they eat and who they eat with; and these connections create some of our best and worst memories. It is great to be in a profession where we can relate to people through something so personal and help them develop a relationship with food that combines the pleasurable with the healthful.

I have always loved food and cooking and operate by the principle that food is just as much a pleasure as a necessity. To me, being an RD is all about helping people find the balance between enjoying their food maintaining a healthful diet and lifestyle. I love seeing the light-bulb go off when someone makes the connection that they can eat well, be healthy, and feel great without giving up their favorite foods.

Food and health information can be hard to ‘digest’—it’s often confusing, very technical, and sometimes conflicting. As an RD, I’m most motivated by having the expertise to translate complex and constantly evolving nutrition and food safety science into simple, action-oriented messages to help people take that first step towards a more healthful and active lifestyle.