RDN Spotlight: Diana Mesa, RD/LDN, CDCES
Follow Diana on Instagram at @EnLaMesaNutrition!
What is your ethnicity/race? Did your family have any customs related to food? Please describe.
Latina, born in Cuba. Every celebration in our family is centered around food. Every Christmas and/or New Year’s Eve for as long as I can remember, my family roasts a whole pig. We used to dig a deep hole in the ground, fill it with wood and start a low fire and the men in the family would take turns rotating the pig all day and night until it was nice and crispy. This preparation is called “lechón asado en púa”. We pair it with congrí (white rice and black or red beans), and yuca with mojo (a garlicky, citrusy sauce), honoring our Indigenous, African, and European roots.
Where/when did you go to undergrad/dietetic internship/grad school?
Florida International University for undergrad and I did a distance internship with Keith & Associates Distance Dietetic Internship
Why did you decide to choose nutrition and dietetics as a career?
I was in the foodservice industry for over a decade before I decided to transition into dietetics. It just seemed obvious to me since I have such a passion for everything food-related and I want to help my community achieve health while still enjoying the foods we grew up eating.
What do you do now as an RDN and what does a typical day/week look like for you?
I have two jobs; by day I am a dietitian and diabetes educator in a community clinic. I see 8-11 patients a day there, mostly in Spanish, and also provide community education classes and cooking classes once a week. On evenings and weekends, I work on my private practice, En La Mesa Nutrition, where I work with clients virtually and guide them on a mindful and intuitive eating journey to achieve food freedom while still honoring their cultural foods. In my practice I also provide live and prerecorded cooking demos, create content for my Instagram, and collaborate with other RDs and diabetes educators on programs, presentations, and journal articles.
What is/was the biggest challenge for you in becoming a dietitian and how did you overcome that challenge? This can be related to being an RD of color or not just any challenge?
The biggest challenge was figuring out my internship. Aside from it being almost financially inaccessible, I also could not physically relocate. My program had a coordinated bachelor’s program that was discontinued my junior year and I was left with no plan B because I was betting on that. I overcame this challenge by doing a lot of research and reaching out to different programs and dietitians who would possibly be preceptors for me. I did not match during the primary match because my rotations were not “acute” enough, but I found KADDI during the secondary match and they were thrilled with me as a candidate and offered to provide virtual support in the areas I could not find a rotation in. I worked a few jobs during my internship to make ends meet, including catering gigs and being a senior chef instructor with Common Threads. I was extremely lucky and am super grateful to all those who believed in me and gave me these opportunities.
Have you had any mentors in your career if yes how have those mentors affected your career/life?
Yes! A few; Alex Cortright, RD— she was my preceptor for almost all of my rotations and helped me incorporate my private practice. She even helped me come up with the name! Also, Lorena Drago, MS, RD, CDCES for seeing my potential, continuously offering me opportunities, and taking the time to teach me invaluable things all the time. Lorena inspired me to become a CDCES
Why do you think diversifying this field is important?
The field does not reflect the country’s demographics, to put it simply. We cannot reach people if we aren’t speaking their language, figuratively and literally. Representation matters.
What is a piece of advice you would give a student of color interested in entering the field of dietetics?
Make sure it’s what you really want to do because it’s a long process and it’s hard work with lots of barriers. Network! You never know who can help you accomplish your goals and what you can learn from others. The connections you make now will impact your life and career forever.