We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Mathis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.

Andrea , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I worked in many areas: the hospital setting, public health, and long term care. While working in long term care, my life changed. I got married and had two kids and wanted to spend more time at home. I was struggling with how to balance work life and family life, so I started blogging to help serve as an outlet for me. I shared recipes and a few personal stories that resonated with several people. After a few months of starting that blog, I received so many opportunities that eventually allowed me to leave my long term care job and work from home doing what I love-blogging!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Since high school, I’ve always been interested in food and how it impacts the body. My high school home economics teacher, who happened to be a Registered Dietitian, noticed my enthusiasm for this subject and started talking to me about the wonderful world of dietetics! I was so intrigued and proceeded to look at universities that offered this major. I ended up attending the University of Montevallo and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Family & Consumer Sciences with a Concentration in Dietetics. After that, I completed my dietetic internship at Oakwood University and received my Master’s Degree in Health Studies at the University of Alabama.

Beautiful Eats & Things was the result of a tired, over-worked mama who desperately needed a creative outlet! I loved to cook, and I especially loved recreating some of my favorite comfort foods into healthier options for my family. After several months of receiving requests for my recipes, I decided to start a food blog to share my recipes with everyone and to also share a few personal stories along the way. Some of those personal stories included a few of my struggles as a plus-size woman navigating a world that appears to be obsessed with obtaining unrealistic body goals. I had no idea that those stories would resonate with so many people, so I started to share more stories and started providing tips and encouragement for accepting your body at any stage of life and learning how to develop a better relationship with food.

In addition to being the owner of Beautiful Eats & Things, I am also the author of The Complete Book of Smoothies: 115 Healthy Recipes to Nourish, Heal, and Energize, which contains several of my tried-and-true smoothie recipes, as well as helpful tips and tricks for making the most out of your smoothie blends. The great thing about this book is that it’s not about juicing or cleansing or drinking “healthy sludge” to cut calories—it’s about adding a daily dose of nutrition in the form of a delicious drink into your everyday lifestyle.

In addition to publishing The Complete Book of Smoothies, I’ve also contributed to several media outlets including Good Morning America, Prevention, Shape, The Kitchn, Healthline, EatingWell, Taste of Home, MSN, Livestrong, Ebony Magazine, Cooking Light, and many more!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As a Black, plus-size Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I’ve faced so many obstacles. Because of my race and size, my credibility was often questioned which made it hard to work with patients and connect with colleagues. Their judgement and unsolicited comments caused me to question my career path on several occasions, until I started to receive messages from incoming dietitians that looked like me. They mentioned that I inspired them to pursue their dream of becoming a dietitian which made me rethink my purpose in this field. Instead of trying to gain a seat at a table that I wasn’t welcomed, I learned to create my own space to help and inspire others.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn that it’s okay to be different. As a Registered Dietitian, most dietitians in this space look the same…white and thin, which made me question myself. I had to learn that it’s okay to look different and stand out. It’s also okay to be yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beautifuleatsandthings.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautifuleatsandthings/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautifuleatsandthings/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-mathis-b68730164/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeautifulEandT
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@beautifuleatsthings/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@beautifuleatsandthings/