Ellie Wilson
MS, RDN, CDN
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the largest organization of nutrition professionals in the world. March is National Nutrition Month®, a now 50-year-old education and awareness campaign highlighting the transformational power of food and nutrition, and March 8th is the annual celebration day for the Registered Dietitian-Nutritionists (RDNs) that make up most of its members. The theme this year is “Fuel for the Future,” which highlights that sustainability and nutrition are always connected.
Over 100,000 registered dietitian-nutritionists (RDNs) in the United States work to bring delicious, nutritious, top-quality science-based information to the table and improve wellbeing in their communities. RDNs work in our hospitals, schools, nursing homes, private practice, primary and specialty health care, public health agencies, hunger organizations, colleges and universities, institutional food service systems, food and water systems policy, college and professional sports programs, health insurance companies, telemedicine, food and nutrition data systems, app development, research, media, culinary medicine and chef training programs, medical and pharmaceutical colleges, grocery stores, non-profits, worksite wellness programs, restaurants, and farming, produce, and food product companies and more – the list is enormous, and their work benefits us all.
The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in September 2022 was focused on nutrition security and policy as key opportunities to support homeland security, improve equity, enhance local food systems, and reduce healthcare costs for chronic illnesses impacted by nutrition. Individuals from all walks of life are looking more closely at the quality of food, reducing food waste, supporting farms by eating local, and assisting those with fewer resources access healthy food. In every setting, RDNs are contributing their passion and commitment to ensuring sound science and practical food strategies are positively impacting the food environment and nutritional health of adults and children across the country.
I am very proud to be part of this profession, and perpetually in awe of the work my peers and colleagues do. Congratulations and thank you to them all on our National Day of Recognition!