For the past 20 years, I have worked as a chef. I have always been passionate about food. Eating allows us to develop a relationship with the food we consume and thus serves as a universal conversation piece – something that all humans share. However, for me this relationship developed into a problem as I noticed a steady weight increase amongst myself and my peers. In addition, the majority of my chef colleagues were suffering from severe medical conditions caused by an unhealthy diet. Our love of sugar, salt and ridiculous amounts of saturated fat stimulated our taste buds and satiated our bellies, but we were blissfully unaware of the magnitude our indulgence was wrecking havoc on our bodies. Sadly, when a dear friend became diagnosed with …show more content…
This vast array of knowledge will also assist in my candidacy for this internship. Now I can put the knowledge into practice with actual patients and I am excited to do so.
Deciding to return to Lehman College for a second bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics is due to the level of dedication and respect I have for the field. I furthered my experience by volunteering at a wellness center, working directly under several dietitians. This experience empowered me to become better acclimated to the world of dietetics as it made me familiar with the process of nutrition counseling and assessment, diagnosis and intervention. My overall goal is to combine the culinary field with nutrition counseling, coupling my knowledge and training to assist patients based on their specific needs. Currently, I am working at the New York Common Pantry’s Live Healthy Program as a Nutrition Education Instructor. This position has allowed me to share the nutrition education I received in school and combine it with my culinary skill set. I work together with the direct education team leading nutrition lessons targeting underprivileged communities. I appreciate when my students gather and eagerly await the weekly lesson and cooking demonstration. I time each lesson to be precisely an hour and utilize my time to the best of my capability. It is truly a rewarding experience when you witness lifestyle changes among your students as you progress with the