In honor of Veteran’s Day, this month we focus the spotlight on retired Navy Commander, Kathy Maalouf who spent 23 years as a Navy Reservist but is now ranked an RDN. She earned her credentials during the COVID-19 pandemic having completed her entire course of study at Montclair State University. “I became an RDN mid-pandemic and after considering the employment landscape I decided to use the time to begin the process of starting a private practice while waiting out the pandemic,” said Kathy.
A born and raised Jersey girl, Kathy describes herself as being naturally curious who has had the good fortune to pursue multiple passions. With a background in the Navy and the Federal Bureau of
Investigations as a Supervisory Intelligence Analyst, her route to a career in dietetics was born from her love of endurance sports and the outdoors. “My interest in endurance sports was sparked the first time I saw the Iron Man Triathlon in Lake Placid, New York. I was awed by the grit of the athletes and the excitement and energy of the spectators. I decided to enter a local sprint triathlon and got hooked. As the distances I was racing became longer I wanted to figure out how to improve my performance, including how to fuel increasingly more demanding training. I decided on dietetics to apply the science of how the body uses fuel (food) to promote general health and athletic performance,” said Kathy.
These days, her life may be less dramatic than her days as a civil servant, however they are no less
demanding and fulfilling. Guided by the credo “adapt, improvise, and overcome,” Kathy manages her own private practice sharing that “I don’t have a typical day but on a weekly basis I divide my time between in-person and virtual meetings with clients.” Also licensed to practice in New York, She is grateful for the flexibility that the field of dietetics offers. “Training for full distance or half Iron Man takes A LOT of time so if I am in a training cycle for a race, I have to fit in training 6 days a week that includes a “long” day for each discipline (up to 6 hours on the bike, 3 hours for a run, 1+ hour swimming) and a few 2-a-day workouts.”
Obviously, a fan of the outdoors, Kathy and her family spend a lot of time in the Adirondacks “enjoying hiking, paddling, snowboarding, snowshoeing, breweries, and special events the area has to offer! During my internship I even did a rotation at the Lake Placid Olympic and Paralympic Training Center – what a great experience that was!”
An ardent believer in giving back, Kathy interned with My Sports Dietitian for more than a year, worked on the Eat 2 Win app testing team where she was a team leader for meal planning, and serve as treasurer for her American Legion post.
Kathy is honored to call New Jersey home and gushes that her favorite thing about the Garden State is the variety packed into such a small state. “Within an hour you can be in the most exciting city in the world, the beach, forests and lakes, horse farms, or college towns. The state is also rich in historical sites and has he best pizza and bagels.”
