A Day In The Life Of A Dietitian

First & Foremost is a nutrition science company, founded by dietitians and grounded in data. We believe nutrients should come from food, and supplements should be just that — supplemental. It’s nearly impossible to eat a perfect diet with enough of all the essential vitamins and minerals, which is why supplementation is beneficial for nearly everyone. 

As dietitians, we’ve watched the VMS space for years, and we weren’t satisfied with the options out there — we knew there had to be a better approach to supplementation that provided the essential nutrients and optimal bioavailability.

We’ve developed our own methodology, with evidence-based reasoning that supports our day-parted program for optimal nutrient bioavailability. At first glance, it may seem overwhelming to have to fit this new supplement program into your daily routine, but we designed the program to fit into your healthy lifestyle.

We’ve asked one of our leading dietitians, Sarah Pettry, to chronicle what an average day of work and healthy eating with F&F looks like to show you how seamless this program is! 

Sarah’s journey to becoming a dietitian began in high school when she shadowed a friend’s mother who was a recipe developer for cookbooks, and immediately fell in love with recipes and healthy eating. As her passion for health, wellness, and self-betterment grew, so did her credentials. Sarah Pettry is a licensed Registered Dietitian with a Bachelors in Food and Nutrition and a Masters in Human Nutrition, and completed the ACEND accredited Coordinated Program of Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Alabama. 

Sarah pursued a career in nutrition because of an interest in helping people better their health and because of an innate curiosity about how the body works.  In her career, Sarah has worked cross-functionally to launch and scale a national home-delivery food brand and developed multiple nutrient supplementation programs. At First & Foremost, she brings her expertise in nutrition science, product development, analysis and label compliance to develop and deliver products that align with the brand’s nutritional standards and offer an optimal consumer experience. 

Sarah’s research has brought forth a robust understanding on how each nutrient acts, reacts, pairs with, and antagonizes each other as they are digested in our bodies, along with food in the average American’s diet. Like all of us, Sarah is human — even as a dietitian, she doesn’t always eat perfectly, and her mantra is “I can always be better.” She aspires to meet her hydration and nutrition goals each day, but as for everyone, life can sometimes get in the way. Sarah acknowledges it is extremely difficult (and expensive) to keep a stocked inventory of fresh produce at home, prepare every meal from scratch, and have a perfect diet – and even then, you’re probably not meeting the RDA of each nutrient. And that’s where supplementation comes in — it provides a baseline nutrient intake to bridge the gap between what you eat and what you need.

People often wonder what eating looks like for a dietitian — while food is functional, Sarah doesn't sacrifice flavor. She’s someone who lives to eat, not eats to live, and she approaches her diet with moderation.

As an advocate for food-first nutrition and a supporter of science-backed supplementation, here is what a realistic weekday looks like for our Sarah Pettry: