It only made sense that, on National Dietitian’s Day, I should celebrate my path towards becoming an RD and share a little bit about what the profession means to me.

Those of you who know me intimately well ( very few of you to be fair haha) or follow me on social media ( especially those who watch my Instagram story videos) will know that I carry out my dietary pattern at a high level of healthfulness. 

If you have made the assumption that I currently eat very well, you would be correct.

However, if you have made the assumption that I have ALWAYS eaten well, well you would be quite wrong on that point

I’m not going to get too much into it, because frankly it is quite a cliche story, but I was an unbelievably unhealthy kid and teen. 

When I say unbelievably healthy, believe me, my diet was ridiculous. 

Numerous trips to the vending machine for candy… cookies after school, Mc Donald’s and quite frankly not a fruit or vegetable in sight. 

And on top of all that, I was actually somehow very UNDERWEIGHT.

I was essentially a poorly nourished, poorly eating underweight kid.

Frail would be the right word.

Anyway… around the age of 16/17 I somehow found myself on a  long arduous journey to learning what it meant to eat healthy.

Once I had experienced a taste ( pun intended) of the power food had to improve my health, I knew I wanted to become a dietitian.

To be perfectly honest, there was never anything else I really wanted to be.

But all you aspiring dietitians out there should know that my path was NOT easy.

I messed up a ton along the way, barely got into internship and had more than my fair share of bad days when I got there.

I did not let any of that deter me though, and the rest is history.

What I Love About Being An RD ( with a blog, Instagram account and private practice)

So, I’ve just shared a little bit about my why I decided to become a registered dietitian.

Next I want to share the 5 reasons why I will never regret that choice.

Hopefully it will serve as good motivation for all the young, aspiring dietitians out there!

1. I truly love going to work: I mean dang, how lucky am I?! As a private practice dietitian  I see people on a regular basis who actually want to see me. They selected me in a free market of dietitians, and I take that selection very seriously. They are there because they want to be see me and are completely and utterly open to my feedback and suggestion. Every client appointment I have is literally an absolute pleasure.

2. I get to help people be healthier and happier:  If you know me you know that I love helping others. Whether that means sharing an insightful blog post, a funny meme on a hard day or  helping someone in a 1-on-1 setting  become the healthiest version of themselves. My instagram, blog and private practice mean I can achieve all of the above.  Growing up as a very unhealthy kid I know how many challenges I created for myself , and how much better it felt to be healthier. The fact I help others in need experience this same relief, it means everything to me.

3. People truly appreciate my work:  I will tell you right now the look of joy on a client’s face after they start experiencing the benefits of healthier eating, there is literally no better feeling and it never gets old.

4. It challenges me: We live in a time where there is so much non-sense being circulated about nutrition that it is growing increasingly challenging for the average person to figure out what on earth they are supposed to eat.  I love being one of the good guys who is out there debunking myths , shooting down people with intentions other than the public’s best interests and cracking a few jokes along the way.

5. I love being an authority on nutrition:  Being a dietitian means that you are an authority on one of the hottest topics in the world, which means your thoughts and opinions are highly valued and respected. This is a great privilege and responsibility, but also very rewarding. 

So guys those are probably my 5 favourite things about being a dietitian, what are yours?

Share them with me on social media!  Facebook / Instagram / Twitter  

To be honest I probably could have easily made a top 10 list but I didn’t want to get too repetitive…

Hope you guys enjoyed it 🙂

Until next time,

Andy De Santis RD MPH