My “Why” For Becoming a Registered Dietitian

For my first blog post I want to share with you my “why” for becoming a Registered Dietitian and why helping others improve their health ​is my sole passion in life. This is my journey!  

​Birth

Prior to being physically brought into this world, I had already been negatively affected by food intake and how our bodies decide to react to that intake. My mother was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes(GD) during her pregnancy with me and while the pregnancy hormone strongly contributes to the development of GD, poor food choices do as well. By the time I was born I weighed 10.9 lbs. (God bless that woman), which is a common side effect of GD.  

After giving birth her blood sugar levels went back to normal, but she was now at a much higher risk for developing full blown Diabetes and with this disease being predominant in my family, she was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes when I was 5 years old. It’s general medical protocol to actively test and monitor a child born from a mother with GD, as well as having a family history of Diabetes, to assure they have no further health complications. Luckily, every test came back negative, however, I did contract one major side effect of my mother’s disease; childhood obesity.  

​Early Childhood

As a young child I had no understanding of calories, what saturated fat was or that there were even different types of fat, why processed foods can be bad for our bodies, why staying away from fried foods is a good idea, and most importantly I was never educated on healthier options. I have experienced problems with my weight and body image for as long as I can remember and suffered most of my childhood and adolescence because of it. At school I was called embarrassing names, made fun of, always picked last, had zero interest from the opposite sex, and had very little friends. To a young girl, this was devastating and destructive to any self-confidence or self-esteem I could have had. ​

Adolescence

This damaging mindset continued throughout the majority of my teenage years until one day I was just OVER IT. I became so overwhelmingly fed up with my insecurities that I had to create a change for my own sanity and future success in my life.  But, this time I decided to take a different approach.

Instead of relying on starving my body or a quick fix diet, I decided to research proper nutrition and figured out how to read a nutrition facts label as quickly as possible. My only goal in sight was to be healthy, not to be “skinny” or a size zero, but to be healthy and dedicated to myself. Throughout my journey I lost 50 pounds and gained a new respect and outlook on the incredible impact of nutrition. 

Community College

Several colleges and a few majors later, I found myself sitting in an audience at a Health Career Fair listening to a Registered Dietitian speak about her career and all of the incredible ways that she helps others.  In that moment I had an epiphany, I realized that NOTHING could be a better fit for what I am meant to do with my life and how I am going to impact this world.  This was it!

California State University, Long Beach

I transferred to Cal State Long Beach a year later and quickly realized a few things about nutrition. First, I had no idea what I was getting myself into and second, how hard the road to becoming a Registered Dietitian would be. It’s not just a bunch of vitamins and minerals, it’s Chemistry (and LOTS of it), Biology, Food Service, Community Nutrition, volunteering, hospital experience, learning how to counsel an individual, being on a leadership board (former Vice President of the Student Dietetic Association here, holla!), getting into a Dietetic Internship that has a 50% acceptance rate nationwide and SO MUCH MORE.

But, I also learned that nutrition is outrageously exciting because it is the fundamental basis for preventing chronic disease and that is the fire that keeps me going on a daily basis! 

Small rant: most importantly, I learned that it’s not about perfect eating (lord knows I couldn’t do that even if I tried), but it’s about BALANCED NUTRITION.  I’ll discuss this further and regularly on this blog, but this was the greatest takeaway from my education. We all need to realize that we are human and everyone loves french fries and ice cream, but it’s all about how much we consume and the frequency.  

Graduation

The day I graduated was the most proud I have ever been of myself and the first HUGE goal I accomplished in my life.  It wasn’t pretty though, it took me 10 years after graduating high school to graduate from college, lots of tears, and mental breakdowns but I DID IT.  ​​​

​Dietetic Internship

I completed a grueling Dietetic Internship with Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina (a.k.a. paying a university to work yourself to the bone, for free, for a year) and on August 22nd, 2016 I passed my Registered Dietitian exam (pictured below)!  

​Andrea Marincovich, R.D.

Today I am a practicing Registered Dietitian and there is nothing that could make me happier about that. ​I get to help people improve their health, join them on their journey, and assist them while they reach their goals on a daily basis, how amazing is that?!  It was a long and hard road, but I take pride in my journey every single day. 

This is my “why” for becoming a Registered Dietitian.