6 min read
We all need to eat in order to survive, but there isn’t just one way to do that. How you eat depends on where you live and what food is available. It can also depend on your heritage and your racial, ethnic, and religious background.
Dietitians from diverse backgrounds can support culturally appropriate nutrition counseling and guidelines. But finding a professional who shares your background can be difficult since 80% of dietitians are White.
Why does racial and ethnic diversity matter in the nutrition and dietetics profession? Tamara Melton, MS, a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder and executive director of Diversify Dietetics, shares her views on the current state of diversity in the field and why increased representation matters for nutrition counseling.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
WebMD: Why does diversity matter when it comes to nutrition counseling?
Melton: It’s critical that we have more diversity if we want to stay relevant and make sure we’re listening to the communities we serve. If we don’t have diverse colleagues across the field, we’re left with a huge blind spot.
As dietitians, we can look at a food and break it down to its chemical components and know how it supports or negatively impacts health. It’s our superpower. But people don’t eat nutrients. They eat food, and food is tied to culture. They choose what they eat based on taste, then price and what’s available. Taste goes with your preferences and what you grew up with and what you know. Nutrition is down the list.
WebMD: With less diversity, what are the blind spots?
Melton: In our field, we promote and share what’s considered healthy, which is based on scientific evidence. That, in turn, informs major governmental programs like SNAP [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] and the [National] School Lunch Program. It’s also what goes into textbooks that are used to train future dietitians. It’s what’s used for graphics shown to the general public and in public health campaigns and individual counseling sessions. It informs what food brands decide to invest in and put out into the market.
But you can’t be evidence-based if you’re not researched. What foodways are the academic community researching to see if they support health? As humans, we tend to focus on what we know and what we’re exposed to. Not having all cultures represented can lead to a major blind spot or bias that leaves out diverse cultures and ways of eating.
WebMD: Why does culturally relevant care matter from a patient’s perspective?
Melton: We’ve seen improved outcomes for patients of color and improved compliance if they receive care from a diverse care team. We know that health inequities – perceived or actual – decline.
Many times, especially in an acute care setting and even in an outpatient setting, patients aren’t there because they want to be there.