Before I decided to major in Human Nutrition and Foods, I spent 13 years of my life training to become a ballet dancer. I thought my only goal was to dance with a professional ballet company and I'm proud to say I was able to accomplish that. However, after 16 years of dancing (3 of them professionally), I decided to stop to start a new path where I could still be involved with this art form.
As a dancer, I witnessed through my experience and coworkers' experience how little knowledge we had about eating habits that could support our performance. This lack of knowledge can potentially make athletes more prone to injury which in consequence can negatively impact their mental health and their ability to enjoy a long-lasting career.
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The combination of a lack of nutrition education and the aesthetic nature of the ballet profession that puts an intense amount of pressure on the physical appearance of the performers, can trigger eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors that not only affect their careers but also other aspects of their life. if left untreated, they could deal with these disorders long after they've retired from dancing.
I continue to stay involve with the ballet discipline as an educator. I've been doing this for 10 years and more recently I've been paying more attention to eating behaviors and nutrition-related comments coming from both the students and the parents inside the ballet studio. I've educated my students, answered their questions, and debunked nutrition myths. I believe that developing a nutrition education curriculum in ballet academies is imperative to shape the next generation of dancers; nevertheless, it is just as important to keep the parents involved in these educational opportunities as they are the main behavior influencers and food providers of these aspiring dancers.
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It is for this reason that my professional goals involve practicing as a clinical dietitian with a specialization in eating disorders and/or sports nutrition. I would like to build the skills to provide medical nutrition therapy, counseling, and education to patients with all kinds of medical conditions including eating disorders in the inpatient setting, and also support my performing arts community on the side with the knowledge I gain from my clinical practice.
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