Personal Statement

Did you know?... that thirty years ago, Americans spent almost 20% of their paycheck on food and less than 10% on healthcare, but today we spend roughly 10% of our paycheck on food and 17% on healthcare?*  Something is amiss!  We spend more per capita on healthcare than any other nation, but very little of it on promoting preventative care, like healthy diets.

Why am I a self-proclaimed "Dietitian for Life"?  Because I care about nutrition and, in the United States, I believe it needs needs a stronger voice.  I am among a growing number of health professionals who believe that the eating habits of Americans are quickly deteriorating leading to unforeseen consequences to healthcare, the economy, the environment.  The message that eating a nutritious diet along with daily exercise can lead to a healthier, longer life as well as using fewer prescribed medicines is getting lost in the marketing of fast foods, fad diets and convenience.  At the same time, fresh fruits and vegetables are being priced out of reach for financially struggling families.

In this global economy, everything is interconnected.  To be pro-environment now is to question where  foods are coming from.  To be a humanitarian is to recognize the harm we do to our bodies with a poor diet and to turn the tide.  So what can we do?  We can promote nutrition education at every level so that consumers can have the power to make smart choices.  We can send representatives to Washington who are willing to make a change in how foods are marketed to the American people.  And we can start at home and buy smart.  No change is too small.

My evolution: 

I believe everything in my life to date has driven me towards a career in nutrition, even if it hasn't been a straight road.

Growing up, my parents did not put an emphasis on healthy eating.  It was the 1970’s - a time when processed food promised to release moms from the “chains” of the kitchen.  Aside from sitting down for family meal each night, my eating habits were poor.  

After college, I moved to France for a job.  It was there that my food re-education began.  I shopped almost exclusively from outdoor food markets.  I started a food journal, bought my first cookbook, visited a friend who was working at a cooking school to learn techniques. All the while, getting to know the food market vendors and trying new things. Over time, I gained a distaste for processed foods. At this time, I began to hear about the “slow food movement” and loved its message: small portions and many courses, eat slowly and let your brain catch up to your stomach, digest with coffee and let that be your dessert.

When my son was born with food allergies, I was committed to learning more about the effect of processed food on one's health and about the production of food in this country.  I volunteered at the Asthma & Allergy Foundation and was quickly offered a job.  Learning about the sharp incline of asthma and food allergies and the sharp decline of availability of natural, fresh, unprocessed foods launched my desire for a second career in nutrition.

My part to play: 

The projects I have worked on at the Asthma & Allergy Foundation (AAFA) have begun to have an impact on people outside my own family and friends.  Working for years on AAFA's scholarship committee, I would see high school seniors who have achieved amazing accomplishments despite their handicap.  I created a booklet of winning and honorable mention essays from each year's scholarship applications so that others teens and families can learn from the inspirational students who have moved beyond their suffering and anxiety to help others with asthma and allergies.  Some of these students have made cookbooks to help those who are afflicted with common food allergies.  Others have worked with their high school administrative team to provide safer food service in their cafeteria and raise awareness of seriousness of the situation.  Still others have worked successfully with their doctors to manage their asthma to become captains of their sports teams.

Currently, I am working on a new booklet for families of newly diagnosed food allergy patients.  This booklet aims to be a quick but thorough guide on the following topics: (1) What is anaphylaxis, (2) How to use epinephrine, (3) Questions you should ask your doctor, (4) How to read food ingredient labels, (5) How to keep your child safe at child care, school, camp, traveling, and (6) Resources: support groups, books, magazine, organizations, allergy-conscious food companies, etc.

Other: 

For over 10 years, I have been involved with the Haitian Health Foundation, whose mission is to improve the health of the people of greater Jérémie, Haiti.  www.haitianhealthfoundation.com

I am a member of the Mass Dietetics Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

*Joel Fuhrman, Disease-Proof blog and Derek Thompson, How Americans Spend Money on Food, The Atlantic Magazine

Personal Statement