Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Rodriguez.
Kimberly Rodriguez has had a love for nutrition ever since she was diagnosed with high cholesterol at a young age. Shortly after being diagnosed with high cholesterol, Kimberly wanted to find an alternative to medication. She began doing research on food and saw how it could positively impact the body. In doing so, she found a passion for nutrition. In 2013, she began her undergraduate degree at Georgia State University as a nutrition major. In 2015, she was accepted into Georgia State University’s Didactic Program in Dietetics. After graduating from undergraduate school in 2017, she started her Masters at Georgia State University along with completing a full time, year and a half long dietetic internship. After completing her dietetic internship, she gained experience in the clinical field, sports nutrition field, community, school nutrition, and corporate wellness. In addition, Kimberly gained an extensive amount of education on nutritional research and completed her Masters Project on The Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program: Nutrient Analysis and Food Safety Handbook. She graduated with her Masters in Health Sciences, concentrated in Nutrition in 2018. Kimberly has worked with personal trainers such as Flat Belly Kelly, to create wellness and nutrition videos on YouTube, and also worked with Rooted Essentials to provide nutritional meal guides for their clients.
Postgraduate School, Kimberly began her career in sports nutrition and worked as a Nutrition Coach for IMG Academy with their NFL Combine Program. She was one of the three dietitians that assisted in preparing the NFL to combine athletes through training. She provided one on one nutrition coaching, provided a full nutrient analysis on her clients and worked closely with the interdisciplinary team to help the athlete reach his goal(s). She has also written nutrition-based articles for the Nia Chantal Magazine, Georgia State University, Little Ones Learning Center, and Be You, a Health and Fitness Organization. Kimberly has now moved on to work as a Menu Specialist for one of the counties’ School Nutrition programs in Georgia. In addition to that, she is a Nutrition Accountability Coach for Twum Fit Luxe and provides services such as grocery tours, fridge and pantry makeovers, and cooking classes. She is passionate about teaching others how to love food and showing the balance of eating healthier and enjoying the foods they love.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey is still going, however, I will say that my journey through the nutrition field has been challenging yet rewarding. Before being accepted to my undergraduate nutrition program, I had my advisor actually tell me I should switch majors because they did not think my G.P.A. was competitive enough, but God. I remember the day I got accepted into my nutrition program like it was yesterday. I was actually waiting for my advisor, so she could switch my major to psychology because I was so discouraged and really doubted myself. As I was waiting for my advisor, I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw that one of my friends had got accepted into the program. My stomach dropped because I wasn’t sure if I was accepted or not. Then, out of the blue, I received an email stating that I was accepted into my nutrition program. All I could do was cry and I gave my advisor a hug and told her: hey, I did it, I went against all of the odds! Moving forward, the main struggles in my major classes were juggling school, personal life, and fitness. I really had to learn how to create balance for myself and fit in what was important to me.
While I was in graduate school, my biggest struggles were having to live on a budget and finding the balance I lost. I had to quit my job in September 2017. There was absolutely no way that I could work as a graduate assistant, take full-time classes and drive all over Atlanta for my dietetic internships. I actually lost track of the balance in my life. I started to forget about the importance of fitness and was so caught up in just school and some personal time. I made so many excuses for why I couldn’t work out, because of money, or why I couldn’t enjoy spending time with my friends. I swore up and down after I graduated, then my life would be smoother, but before then, I went through a low time in my life. I gained some extra weight that I did not want, I lost four family members in one year and I was trying to figure out my life after grad school. Upon graduating, I was offered a temporary position at IMG Academy in Florida, to work as a Nutrition Coach for the NFL Combine program. I knew that this is where God wanted me, but sooner than later, I found out that wasn’t the case. I moved back to Georgia with no job and all of the time in the world. So, I was living at home with no job and still trying to study for my RD exam. If you want to be a registered dietitian, the biggest struggle would have to be finding the time to study for your RD exam. It’s a tough exam, but you can get through it. After being jobless for four months, who knew how hard it was to find a job, I interviewed with a county school system for their menu specialist position. I got the job and it was the most rewarding feeling. I am blessed to say that I work in a very impacting field.
I am now the Nutrition Accountability Coach for Twum Fit Luxe by personal trainer Stephanie Twum and I have to opportunity to help motivate people and guide them nutritionally throughout their life-changing journey. I also offer grocery tours, pantry and fridge makeovers, and cooking classes. I have also worked with other personal trainers such as Flat Belly Kelly and Rooted Essentials before and after I graduated from school, I was blessed to have these entrepreneurs believe in me and help me financially by bringing their clients to me. There are people here that God will send you to help you when you’re in need.
My advice for women trying to get into the field of nutrition is to know that you will find yourself presented with setbacks such as not getting into a dietetic internship on the first try, not finding a job right out of school, or not passing your RD exam on the first, second, or even more tries. However, none of that even matters, because all of the hard work you put in will come to light. The field of nutrition is so rewarding and fulfilling. You can do so much with your knowledge and share it with so many people to change their lives!
Please tell us about NutritionwithKim.
As a menu specialist, I work on creating new meal ideas, ensuring that the nutrients in all of the food served to our students K-12 is within federal regulations, creating wellness and farm to school opportunities at different schools, work with special diets and allergy students, and promote the district’s school nutrition program on social media. I love to help educate people on nutrition and also coach them by guiding them through their health journeys. I enjoy cooking and creating healthy meal ideas that are doable for the everyday person and also showing people how they can find balance by eating foods that they love as well as making it more nutrient-dense. I am most proud of myself for being someone that can share my knowledge with others and seeing others having the confidence in nutrition to make the best decision for their lifestyle.
I would say that the biggest thing that sets me apart from others is my cultural background. I am of Trinidadian and Colombian descent and many people think they need to stop eating the foods they know and love in order to be healthy. However, I take pride in showing people how the food they love can be incorporated into their health-changing life goals.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Faith is really big for me. Like many people, I have to surround myself with things that helps grow my faith. In addition, I also enjoy listening and reading to items that will increase my knowledge in a well-rounded way. Some of the podcasts that I listen to are from Transformation Church, The Dave Ramsey Show, The Nutrition Diva, and Elevation. I am currently reading The Total Money Makeover and Your Opportunity for a Better Life, but there are a few women empowering, Day Trading, leadership and nutrition books that I have on my to-do list to read.
Contact Info:
- Email: nutritionwithkim1@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutritionwithkim/
Image Credit:
Kimberly Rodriguez
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