Category Archives: Dietetic Diaries

In one of my previous roles as a Registered Dietitian, I regularly taught cooking classes for adults on healthy eating on a budget. Since space was limited, I took many of the class registrations over the phone, which included asking registrants if they had any food allergies so that I could adapt recipes if necessary.Continue reading “Confession #13”

I was chatting with a coworker about our favorite cultural foods (coworker is Colombian, I am Puerto Rican) and my white manager butts in and says “Wow, don’t you guys have any healthy food, do you?” I immediately felt defensive and tried to spout off some healthy cultural foods of ours, to be met withContinue reading “Confession #12”

When I was applying to dietetic internships, my DPD director told me that I should apply to places in South Texas, where there’s a lot of people that don’t speak English. I said no, I want to stay here. I don’t know anybody in South Texas even though I am Hispanic. She then said sheContinue reading “Confession #11”

When I joined my dietetics course BSc Hons Dietetics in the UK I was stunned to be 1 of 3 females from a south Asian background. The rest of the induction class consisted of white middle class girls who had their preppy water bottles and overpriced notepads and pens. Automatically felt like I didn’t belongContinue reading “Confession #10”

When I was applying to DICAS, my DPD director told me that I should just get my diet tech instead. She said I wasn’t likely to get matched since my GPA wasn’t high enough, especially considering I am Asian American.

My colleague who is a POC brought his lunch in. before he started eating he apologised to me to say he was going to eat with his hands. I asked him why are you apologising? He explained to me at his last placement when he ate his own cultural food with his hands the dietitiansContinue reading “Confession #8”

I was talking to another dietitian about opportunities for students, and she said it was good for students to have experience working with people who are underprivileged. I asked for clarification since that word can mean many different things to different people, and she said, “oh, you know, like volunteering in Africa” as if theContinue reading “Confession #7”

I did my dietetic internship in the Midwest, 19 years ago. During my renal rotation, my preceptor told me she could not take me with her to visit a clinic in a rural town. She apologized but matter-of-factly said “The people there are old-fashioned and won’t accept you.” I’m Indian, and this was a yearContinue reading “Confession #6”

Our clinic ordered Indian takeout and I (Indian) was sitting with another RD (white). My plate was stacked high with butter chicken, samosas and naan. She turned to me and said how unhealthy and rich Indian food is, and how she doesn’t like it. I told her “not all Indian food is the same, andContinue reading “Confession #5”

I’d like to preface this by saying that I talked to this individual and explained why her actions are incredibly harmful but since then, no changes have been made. And in the age of the Internet, it’s your OWN responsibility to educate yourself and become a better ally. I came across a dietitian that brandedContinue reading “Confession #4”