Dietitian Spotlight: Mearaph Barnes

1. Tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a Texas girl with a love for all things related to food storage, food safety, and food allergies/sensitivities. I’ve had the pleasure of attending the illustrious Howard University in Washington, DC and obtained my BS in nutrition and RD internship hours in their dietetic program. I’ve interned and worked at some cool places like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)- Food Safety & Inspections Services (FSIS), Kraft Foods, Mondelez International, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (Washington, DC), and spent some time as the Child Nutrition Manager at BakerRipley. Currently, I’m establishing my private practice as a Food Allergy/Intolerance Dietitian for Roots Reboot LLC while also working part-time at a skilled nursing facility in Los Angeles, California. 

2. What’s your favorite part about being a dietitian?

My favorite part about being a dietitian are the “Aha!” moments that people have when you are able to offer them simple explanations for their biggest food questions. I love witnessing the moments of realization that clients have because it usually is closely followed by their own  renewed relationship with food. Some examples of questions I get are;

• “What is the deal with gluten-free?”
• “Could my migraines be triggered by what I eat?”
• “How much protein do I need?”
• “What is the difference between juice and a juice drink?”

The list goes on and on!

3. Describe what your typical week looks like?

My typical week is a hike through Runyon canyon on Monday mornings (I like to do the really steep path for a little more of a challenge), then I spend the rest of the day at the WeWork office in DTLA (downtown LA) working on my food allergy services launch (coming soon) and Roots Reboot office work. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, I work at a 98-bed skilled-nursing facility and provide RD/nutrition recommendations for patients, along with completing monthly food-service projects (food safety audits and special diet accuracy checks). Wednesdays are usually exactly like Monday’s except I workout at the gym. On Saturday, and Sunday, I’m squeezing in time with friends, practicing a lil self-care, checking out LA foodie spots, and planning out tasks for the following week.

4. How do you find balance between work & personal?

What’s awesome about working in your passion is that work is personal, or at least it is for me. I try to overlay my outings with friends to double as opportunities for content. For example, my friends and I went out to a pumpkin patch for Halloween but I brought my camera along so I could get some pics to promote the Teal Pumpkin Project (it’s a food-allergy/sensitivity awareness initiative during Halloween). However, to give another type of answer, I think blocking out time for certain things like self-care, turning off your phone for a few hours, and completing weekly goals sheets like the ones created by Courtney Brand is extremely effective. I also swear by Asana! It’s an amazing task/project platform that Taylor and I use daily.

5. What are 3 foods you can’t live without?

You guys know this one was super hard for me to answer. So I had to think about my fave dishes and work down to the ingredient that means the most to me.

• #1 is honey because I love tea and that’s my go-to sweetener. I usually use a local brand purchased from the farmers market, or this one my mom sends me by a couple in Texas who only sell their honey a few times a year.
• #2 is turmeric because it has so many benefits and I talk about them in the post Reboot with Curcumin on our website

• #3 is cilantro purely because Texas has amazing tacos and what is a taco without cilantro?!

To learn more about Mearaph check out her website here, and follow her on instagram here and here!