29 - Anjali Prasertong, MPH, RD

Anjali Prasertong is a writer and public health dietitian focused on food systems, racial equity, and nutrition. She led an innovative city-funded corner store program in New Orleans that increased fresh food access in low-income neighborhoods and worked with food entrepreneurs in the city looking to operationalize racial equity in their businesses. Now living in Denver, Colorado, she writes the reader-supported newsletter Antiracist Dietitian.

Our conversation included the nuts and bolts of what working towards becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD). We also discussed in depth why the lack of diversity in the nutrition field causes real problems that must be faced in our communities. Currently, it is estimated that only 2.6% of RDs are Black. The costs of becoming an RD are high and include an undergraduate degree in Dietetics, a Masters's degree, an unpaid 10-month clinical internship that usually costs roughly $10,000, and a national board exam with a high failure rate. Within this path are continual situations that many have spoken about as being inhospitable to those who are not white. 

Please follow Anjali's writing to learn more about racism in the nutrition field. She is a wealth of knowledge and activism.