National Nutrition Month: Interview with RDN Andrea (Andy)

March is here! March for me means warmer weather (hello Spring!), National Nutrition Month AND Women History Month. I want to commemorate these events by highlighting several African American female dietitians blazing a trail as the food and nutrition experts. I reached out to four registered dietitians nutritionists (RDN) passionate about making a difference in their communities, and all over the world. Each week, in March I will feature one of these registered dietitian nutritionists on my website. These remarkable women graciously answered 5 nutrition-related questions and happily shared a recipe for you to try at home. Yum!

Andrea (aka Andy), creator of Beautiful Eats & Things is the first RDN I’m featuring this week. The beautiful woman pictured above is a Southern, Food Lovin’ Wife, Mommy and Registered Dietitian who is obsessed with all things beautiful; especially beautiful food! Her passion is creating healthy and wholesome recipes that are easy, practical, and delicious!

Here’s a little bit more about Andy….

1.) Why did you become a registered dietitian nutritionist?

Honestly, the thought of becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist came about when I was thinking of a way to help myself lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle! I know, crazy right?! Selfish, but very true! Throughout most of my teen years, I tried EVERY fad diet imaginable! When it was time to think about college, I came across the profession, Dietitian. Since the word dietitian included the word ‘diet’ I was convinced that this profession was an expert on dieting and would know the perfect diets to try for weight loss! As I researched this profession a little more, I was completely shocked that I was wrong! Dietitians work in a variety of settings and are very complex! My research caused me to become even more intrigued and eager to become a dietitian! Ironically, when I became a registered dietitian nutritionist, my goal was to change the mindset of people that thought like me and try to promote healthier body images!

2.) If you could be any food what would you be and why?

Star Fruit, also called carambola, is a sweet and sour fruit that is in the shape of a five-point star.

Star Fruit! Lol!! I’m not sure why I picked that food…I’ve actually never tried it but I’ve always admired its appearance! It’s different and stands out amongst the other fruits/veggies in the produce section, so who wouldn’t want to be a star fruit!!

3.) Must have kitchen tools

I would have to say my large Pyrex glass measuring cup is my must-have kitchen tool! I use it as a mixing bowl when making pancake batter, sauces, glazes, etc… It helps me to prevent dirtying up unnecessary dishes! I HATE washing dishes so I often try to find ‘hacks’ that will lighten my clean-up load!

4.) Favorite meal as a child and favorite meal as an adult

Well, I went through a very long food jag as a kid and wanted PB & J and onion rings almost every day! I don’t why I wanted this, but my mom prepared it for me every time I asked for it! Lol! As an adult, my favorite food is popcorn! I can eat it all day, every day! It’s a dangerous thing because I can eat a VERY large bowl of popcorn if I’m not careful! I just love popcorn!!

5.) The best thing about being a registered dietitian nutritionist?

The best thing about being a registered dietitian nutritionist is the satisfaction of helping others! I currently work as the Director of Food Nutrition/Registered Dietitian at a long-term care facility and whenever I see my nutritional interventions providing a positive outcome, it truly makes me feel warm inside! It especially warms my heart when my patients/residents thank me for helping them! I’ve been a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for a while and that warm feeling NEVER gets old! I’m also extremely sappy, so there have been several times that my eyes have teared up from hearing their appreciation! I can’t help it! I truly love what I do! Registered Dietitian Nutritionists rock!!