Full Disclosure!

I've been a Nutritionist now for over twelve years after graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics in May 2008. I went one step further by completing an internship, a year of graduate work in Human Nutrition through The Ohio State University.

The pairing of my degree and internship experience allowed me to be eligible to sit for a national registration examination in August 2009. The passing of this exam gave me the credential RDN, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

To date, I've practiced as a RDN for eleven years and no one can take my education or experience away from me. On May 13th, 2020, I voluntarily submitted a letter to CDR, the Commission on Dietetic Registration, to retire my credentialing number.

This was not a decision I took lightly. Honestly, I'd been contemplating voluntarily giving up my credential, almost daily, for the past five years. It feels refreshing to have finalized my decision in parting with these three letters previously placed at the end of my name, RDN.

On the surface, my passion and love is for the practice and teachings of Yoga and Meditation and I wanted nothing to distract me from this reality. A considerable amount of time, energy, and money goes into keeping and maintaining the credential RDN, and moving forward I wanted these resources to go toward the art of yoga instead.

With most topics in my life, there are levels, and on the deepest level, I don't vibe well with CDR. They're in partnership with Eat Right the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, whom - to me - appears to have no standards for sponsorship. Accepting support and funding from companies, such as, General Mills Cereal, Campbell Soup Company, Danone North America (their portfolio includes dairy based products and alternatives), GSK (Pharmaceutical/Vaccine company), PepsiCo, Premier Protein and Orgain (manufacturing processed protein products) to name a few examples.

How can CDR and Eat Right possibly encourage our nation correctly, requesting real whole foods to be thy medicine, and to avoid processed convenience products as much as physically possible if their supporters are those who create the drugs and the processed products? They're left to encourage a nationwide team of RDNs to state that "everything in moderation is ok." The truth is it's not ok. Terrible products, in moderation, still remain terrible for your one and only temple. Moderation is surely better than excess but avoidance will always be better than moderation, when it comes to terrible products. I feel CDR and Eat Right can't be committed to improving the nation's health and accept support from just any individual or organization.

Each day I try my hardest to be sure my values align with my thoughts, feelings, and actions. The credential RDN has a monetary yearly value and on May 13th, 2020, I made my final decision to stop sending CDR my financial support. CDR is in bed with Eat Right and Eat Right is in bed with high sodium based processed products (cereal, soup, and dairy companies), high sugar based processed products (PepsiCo), plus the pharmaceutical industry. I don't want to be in bed with any of these individuals or organizations and thus I'm going to start putting my money where my mouth is or better said withhold my money because of my mouth.

I remain a LD, Licensed Dietitian with the state of Ohio but honestly, only because of COVID-19, as my credential was extended to 90 days after the declared COVID-19 emergency ends, or December 1st, 2020, whichever comes first. Soon this credential will cease to exist under my name. I phoned the organization trying to voluntarily retire this credential too but they noted no process in place to support my request, that if I don't submit funds it would expire naturally in time.

Thanks to the University of Cincinnati, the State University of New York at Purchase, and my beloved parents whom encouraged, supported, and funded my education, I will remain a Nutritionist and a Certified Health Coach (CHC) forever! This blog will also be in existence for as long as I am as health and wellness is very near and dear to my heart and is in line with the Yogic way of life.

There you have it, my full disclosure!

May your actions too fluidly align with your values, thoughts, and feelings!

Peace, Love, & Everlasting Protection!

Namaste,

Maggie