The crucial importance of a well-balanced diet can’t be over emphasized.

I am applying to study
dietetics with young people or children and families, because I hope the professional training and
expertise provided by the course will support me in helping people cope with nutrition and life style
challenges. My Growing up as a child, I watched my uncles die from diabetes. Watching them go

through so much pain was traumatizing for me and my family. This prompt me to start making
research and getting more insight to the crucial roles diet play in our body. At the age of 5 my
son was diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AdHD). This made him very
hyperactive and always anxious. Aside taking medications I researched into dieting and
discovered certain foods could trigger these hyperactive episodes. I went on elimination diet
plan where I eliminated sugars, foods with artificial colorings, preservatives and processed
foods in general. I placed him on health diets, fruits, vegetables and outdoor exercise to burn
out energy.

My strong academic background in food science and technology gave me insight into the
components of foods, the importance of health diet, food service and community nutrition.
After graduating from college, I was opportune to work at the University of Calabar teaching
hospital as a shadow where I assist the chief dietician in planning meals for patients. I was also
trained in counseling clients on nutrition related issues and educating them on the importance
of eating healthy diets. These experiences brought me in contact with diabetic patient, patients
suffering from cardiovascular heart diseases, kids with nutrition related disorders and patients
dealing with obesity that needed to loose weight. I also had the pleasure of working with
children with special needs like autism, adhd and other neurological conditions. Some of the
challenges I have faced personally are mostly with new clients not willing to change certain
food habits and lifestyle. During my time at the University of Calabar teaching hospital as a
nutritionist, I had the privilege of working with a client who was highly motivated to change.
She was dealing with Obesity and diabetes but when we commenced the nutritional therapy,
she couldn’t stop eating less sugar. She didn’t believe the switch was important therefore it was
hard to be sustainable. She had a hard time changing her mind saying “her friend eats same
food and still looked beautiful.’’ We resorted to starting small; she started so small that she
didn’t feel like she did much of anything. We started by replacing the carbonated drinks with
smoothies and natural fruit juice, using smaller plates and also worked on reducing her food
portion while replacing it with green vegetables and also with two pushups a day.
Accomplishing these goals gradually made them habits which lead to increase in more activity
as time went by. It would be a privilege to be able to educate individuals and the public in
general on how to improve health through maintaining a healthy diet. I would also like to share
my knowledge and expertise so that both the elderly and younger generation understand the
importance of having a healthy diet so they can change poor diet habits thereby improving the
health of our future generation.

My passions towards the food industry motivated me into starting my own business called
Tasty Treat restaurant. I gained many positive and profitable life experiences as a restaurant
owner and as I train for a career in nutrition. I am glad that I have a great inside understanding
of the foodservice world. Owning Tasty Treat Restaurant has allowed me to apply food safety
concepts in a food service setting such as prevention of cross-contamination, time-temperature
abuse, and HAACP plans. Prior to acquiring Tasty Treat from the previous owner, its health
grades inspection varied from C to D. Two critical violations will result in a C. I noticed that most
of the violations were time-temperature abuse, cross-contamination and HAACP plans. I solved
this problem by training staff on a regular basis on the importance of time, temperature and
use of the food thermometer, preventing contamination of food by employees, practicing good
personal hygiene, fundamental knowledge of foodborne illnesses and outbreaks and the
hazards of cross contamination in food.

I have also had the privilege of working as a volunteer with the World Food Programme in
Nigeria. Where malnutrition threatens the world’s most vulnerable people, I and my team are
at the forefront preventing it, and treat it when it does occurred. My focus as a volunteer over
the past few years has broadened to encompass all forms of malnutrition including vitamin and
mineral deficiencies – also known as ‘hidden hunger’ and overweight and obesity, alongside
under nutrition. I have done so in recognition of the fact that, while seemingly unrelated, these
problem stem from the same root causes: poverty, inequality and poor diets in Nigeria-Africa
Furthermore, working as volunteer with the World Food Programme (WFP) in collaboration
with The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has given me more insight into programmes
integrated and designed to treat and prevent the direct causes of malnutrition, like insufficient
diets, complementing programmes that address the foundational factors, which include poor
knowledge of feeding practices or lack of clean drinking water. We concentrate our efforts on
the most vulnerable, targeting young children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and
people living with HIV. My Long term goal is to more effort in improving the health of Nigerians
living with nutrition related diseases through public health education about nutrition. My
research findings has brought to my knowledge that the University of Hull’s M.sc Dietetics(Pre-
registration) is one of the best in the UK with experts professionals as tutors which enables
students to be eventually become practically capable and creative. I would be immensely glad
and grateful if I am given this great opportunity to pursue a Master’s in Dietetics.