Today, March 13th is Registered Dietitian Day! It’s a special day to celebrate the work RDs do and recognize how important an RD can be to you with your wellness goals! Last week, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Women in Science day at LATI. This day is for 8th grade girls who are interested in a career in science. There were several other professionals there and the girls rotated through our stations as they learned more about careers in science. Whenever I do talks like these, I usually get asked interesting questions, but the question that stood out to me most was asked by a very polite and nice young lady from Sisseton. She asked, “what made you decide to be a dietitian?” This question sparked my attention and I was happy to share with the group why I chose dietetics as my profession and how I got to where I am today. To celebrate RD day, I thought I’d share a little with you as well!

As many of you know, I grew up in a medical household where talking about anatomy, biology, health, and science was a daily and normal thing. We (my older brothers and I) would get to follow my dad on rounds at the hospital on Sundays before or after church and spend time roaming the clinic (this usually involved wheelchair races…we never broke anything or got hurt so don’t worry!) when he was charting after hours (this was the time of paper charts, not EMR!). I took as much science and math classes as I could in school and I was fortunate to take a nutrition class taught by Jensi Andrus my senior year at WHS.  I was already interested in health and nutrition but this class really sparked my interest. I decided to go to Augustana College as a pre-optometry student majoring in Biology. I enjoyed my classes and the school, but something didn’t feel quite right. I took another nutrition class at Augie and knew from then on, that was what I wanted to do. In a matter of a few days I decided to change my major to dietetics and since Augie didn’t have dietetics, I transferred to SDSU. The transfer was one of the best things I have ever done as I also got the opportunity to compete on the new Varsity Equestrian team while I was there.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with a great group of people here at Brown Clinic and of course all of you! The best part of my job is seeing the improvements people make in their health, wellness and lifestyle just by improving what they eat and how much (and course exercising!). Nutrition can really play a key role in disease prevention and disease management. We can’t control our genetics but what we can control is the choices we make in regards to food and activity…and getting to be a part of these improvements is very fulfilling and well worth it!

So to celebrate RD Day, I challenge you to consume an extra serving of fruit or veggies today or get an additional 10-15 minutes of activity. Gradually work into these changes and they will eventually become habit!

-Kelsey