Why Diversity in Nutrition Matters
I’ve always tried to use my platform to shed light on privilege. As much as I believe that fears about food and an unhealthy relationship with food are actual, real problems, I also know that they’re privileged problems. It’s a privilege to have a choice of food as something to worry about.
And while I’ve never shied away from discussing privilege when it comes to nutrition, there’s certainly an area I haven’t touched on until recently: race and white privilege.
This past week opened my eyes to racial injustices that I thought I knew, but truly didn’t. Becoming more aware of my own white privilege – and by contrast, the blatant racism still occurring all around me – was not just long overdue, but supremely eye opening and necessary.
My social media accounts and blog are food- and nutrition-related. I use my social media as a way to reach more people as part of my career as a Registered Dietitian, so this fact will not change.
What will change however, is the way in which I discuss food and nutrition. I can no longer ignore the fact that race is among many of the inequalities in the nutrition space. I want to continue to discuss race as it relates to my career in the world of nutrition.
Diversifying Nutrition
The most blaring fact to me that can’t be ignored is that 2.6% of dietitians are Black.
2.6%.
Here’s why that matters:
Most – not all, but most – of my clients look like me. They’re white women, in their 20’s and 30’s, living in a big city and trying to navigate food amidst their careers. The reason for this is because we inevitably seek out providers who look like us. It’s easy to assume that someone who looks like us and has a similar story to us will be best able to understand us.
So, what do Black women do? What do Black men do? When only 2.6% of dietitians in the US look like them, how do Black women and men find a dietitian?
It’s not fair. We’re essentially telling Black people that they don’t deserve nutrition counseling. Or, at best, that they don’t deserve nutrition counseling from someone who looks like them.
I’ll be honest with you: I don’t have the answer. I’ve always aimed to see racially and culturally diverse clients and to stay informed on their different cultures and traditions in order to best counsel them. But now, I no longer think that’s enough to offer.
I think we can start, as a profession, by highlighting more diversity at events and in Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics leadership roles. Even on a smaller scale, because there are so few Black dietitians in the field, we all need to make sure they have a voice: hire them for projects, for panels and presentations; partner with them; make sure Black RDs are in preceptor roles so that Dietetic Interns see themselves represented in their future as a dietitian. We can all play a part.
I recently also learned about Diversify Dietetics, an organization that works to increase diversity in the field of nutrition by empowering students to become future RDs.
On my own professional level, I know I need to do more than just be racially and culturally aware. While my business only has 2 employees currently (myself included), I plan to partner with more Black RDs in the future to help highlight their voices (I recognize that right now many are being bombarded with partner requests, and am respectfully waiting a little).
If and when I hire more RDs or new student interns, I plan to create a team that’s more diverse as well. A diverse team is something that benefits everyone; myself, my other team members, my clients and my social media followers can all learn from more diverse viewpoints and perspectives.
Lastly, when I partner with brands on social media, I will do my part in making sure the company has values I support. Unfortunately, the past few weeks have shed light on companies with absolutely abhorrent behind-the-scenes practices (none that I have partnered with in the past that I know of). I have no intention to support backwards companies like this.
What Can We Do?
At the same time, I shy away from talking more about myself on a personal level because I don’t want to center the conversation around myself. This is so not about me.
But, if you’re like me and feel both forever changed by what you’ve learned over the past few weeks and deeply regret that it took you this long to learn and take action, here are some actions we can all take, both in the nutrition space and outside of it. My hope is that a more equal world in general will also help to build a more equal, diverse world in the world of nutrition and dietetics.
Get involved in your workplace. As a dietitian, I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t even know that Diversify Dietetics existed until recently. Organizations like this are crucial in order to make sure that different professions are diversified with different people. Of course, the size of workplaces and levels of comfort may vary, but still, I believe that even at a small level, we can all do our part to encourage students to enter our fields, to pass along resumes of interested candidates, and to encourage our workplaces to hire diversely.
Use your voice. Whether you’re an “influencer” or not, we all have a voice. Talk to your audience on social media. Talk to your friends and talk to your family. I truly believe that awareness is powerful. If you’re white, please remember that it is a privilege that we are able to simply talk about racism and not experience it. We can’t expect our Black friends to educate us and do the work for us. It’s up to us to educate ourselves and use our voices as best as we can.
Support Black-owned businesses. This week I ordered from Sweet Chick (on Uber Eats!) and plan to get ice cream from Mikey Likes It Ice Cream (I mean… those flavors!). Here’s an amazing link to 70 Black-owned businesses in NYC from New York Bucket List. Black businesses deserve our support right now.
Diversify your social media. It goes without saying that I was able to learn as much as I did this week because of the amazing and powerful facts, opinions and stories sharing on social media. We cannot understand how Black people experience the world – and the world of nutrition specifically – without consistently reading their stories (it’s important to note here that we also can’t expect that, like all white people, all Black people have the same exact experiences. We’re all different, and that’s why it’s important to diversify our feeds with different people). Here are just a few Black dietitians and food bloggers that I’ve either followed for a while or just recently found that I also know you’ll love:
Marisa Moore, MS, RD - Registered Dietitian and food blogger with delicious, plant-forward recipes
Maya Feller, MS, RD - private practice Registered Dietitian and cookbook author, who you’ve also probably seen frequently on TV
Food Heaven - two intuitive eating RDs, Wendy & Jess, both MS, RD, CDE who practice an accessible and inclusive, HAES approach to nutrition
Beautiful Eats and Things - Andy, MS, RD is a body positive dietitian with easy recipes and realistic nutrition tips.
Nutrition Tea - Shana Minei Spence, MS, RD is a private practice dietitian who does virtual counseling with anti-diet and HAES philosophy.
Donate. This one is difficult to ask people to do, because we’re in an incredibly financially stressful time right now. If you have the means, please do. And if not, please know that there are so many way other ways to contribute. I’m a strong believer that no amount is too small when it comes to donating. If 100 people donate just $5, that’s already $500. Here are a few organizations that I’ve read about that I believe have powerful, impactful and important missions:
Black Lives Matter - an organization dedicated to helping Black people around the world in various way.
Equal Justice Initiative - an organization that works to end mass incarceration and excessive punishments, especially to those who face the most injustices.
NAACP - aka The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is a civil rights organization working to ensure political, educational, social and economic rights of all people.
ACLU - aka American Civil Liberties Union, is a non-profit organization working to create and defend equal rights for every person in the United States.
Diversify Dietetics - an organization dedicated to creating more racial and ethnic diversity in the field of nutrition and dietetics specifically.
And as a reminder, my e-book, 7 Days to Make All Foods Fit, is still half off (less than $5) for the entire month of June using the code ‘BLM.’ Like in May, 100% of proceeds will be donated at the end of the month to Black Lives Matter and the Equal Justice Initiative. I will be matching everything donated. In May, together, we were able to raise $1,030 for Feeding America and the Restaurant Workers Disaster Relief Foundation. I’m confident that we can surpass that number this month.
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If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past few weeks, it’s that this is an ongoing issue. A few social media posts and blog posts aren’t going to make racism go away. If, like me, you’ve felt moved by learning and opening your eyes more to racism, I encourage you to continue to make strides against it.
We have to remember that all humans are human. We all deserve the same basic rights, opportunities and treatment. And it’s not fair to let Black people fight this battle alone. We’re all in it together. And it’s up to ALL of us to help make a change.
As always, I recognize the limit of my voice as a white woman in this discussion. If you have any feedback or comments, you are always welcome to comment on blog posts, on Instagram or send me a DM.
With love,
Sammi
Want tips on creating a stress-free healthy lifestyle? Check out my membership program, All Foods Fit, with 12 thorough lessons to teach easy ways to create a healthy relationship with food. Or, check out my e-book, 7 Days to Make All Foods Fit, to learn a step by step guide to create a healthier relationship with food in just 7 days.
