RDN Spotlight: Kimmie Singh, MS, RD, CDN

What is your ethnicity/race? Did your family have any customs related to food? Please describe.

I'm Indian. One of my favorite customs was eating aloo parathe for brunch on Sundays. They are a seasoned potato-stuffed flatbreads eaten with yogurt. They taste amazing and always remind me of my family.

Where/when did you go to undergrad/dietetic internship/grad school?

I went to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro to earn my MS in Nutrition and complete my dietetic coursework requirements since I studied physics during my undergrad. I went to The City University of New York-Hunter College for my Dietetic Internship.

Why did you decide to choose nutrition and dietetics as a career?

I found a special appreciation for nutrition through my eating disorder recovery when I learned about Intuitive Eating.

What do you do now as an RDN and what does a typical day/week look like for you?

I work at a group practice and see clients that struggle with eating disorders and disordered eating. I also do some speaking and consulting about weight stigma in healthcare and fat body politics.

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?

I found it incredibly tiring to be both a woman of color and a fat woman studying to be a dietitian. I oftentimes felt like my identities weren't represented and respected.

Have you had any mentors in your career if yes how have those mentors affected your career/life?

Yes! They were incredibly helpful in supporting me to recognize my worth and what I could contribute to this field.

Why do you think diversifying this field is important?

It will help us in countless ways. I hope it supports the people we try to help as they may feel better understood. I also hope it helps aspire current dietitians that have trouble feeling isolated in the training process and in their professional community.

What is a piece of advice you would give a student of color interested in entering the field of dietetics?

It really does get better.