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The Making of a Dietitian


How would you fill in this sentence?  I was born to _____ .  I know what I would say but before I do, let me give you a little background.

I have something called constitutional thinness.  I discovered it when I was doing research as a graduate student.  I have always been underweight.  When I was a toddler, the doctor told my mom to put cereal in a bottle for me to help me put on some pounds.  When I was in middle school, I got called down to the school nurse’s office and questioned about my weight and eating habits.  Looking back at my photos, I definitely looked anorexic.

I started running in 6th grade.  I wasn’t good at sports but I could run so I signed up for track and then cross country.  One season of high school cross country, instead of getting faster, I got slower.  My cross country coach told our team about iron-deficiency anemia and how it affects running.  I had a hunch I might be low in iron so I asked my mom if I could get my blood checked. 

My hemoglobin result was so low that the physician’s assistant was surprised I was still walking around.  I began taking an iron supplement and I improved immediately.  I felt less lethargic and my appetite increased.  I later learned that long-distance running can pop red blood cells in your feet.  It’s called footstrike hemolysis.

A few years later, I was a freshman in college.  I was a vocal music major but not the loud operatic type they were looking for so I registered for a nutrition course.  I loved it and switched my major to dietetics.

Sometimes the answer is so obvious you don’t see it.  That’s how it was for me.  I was born to be a dietitian.
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