Brandi Givens, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Nutrition Writer, Nutrition Counselor

Education

BA in Dietetics, Eastern Michigan University

Certifications

Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist
International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant

Experience

WIC Dietitian/ Lactation Consultant 2010-2018
Nutrition Columnist, Pickleball Magazine 2018-present

Personal Quote

“Eating well is personal and should never be judged. Only you can find your own balance of playing by the rules to feel your best and stay healthy, while still enjoying life to the fullest by your own definition.”

Background

As a fifth-generation California farm kid, Brandi grew up enjoying the freshest local produce while developing an appreciation for the labor that goes into growing food.

After graduating from high school as a valedictorian in 1992, she began her Navy-spouse life with her husband, piecing together a college education wherever possible as they migrated around duty stations. They had their first child in 1995, a ten-week premature little boy.

Inspired by the care that their fragile infant was given by the lactation consultants and dietitians at the Supplemental Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC), Brandi decided to change her major from biology to dietetics, vowing to someday give back the care and knowledge she was given.

In 2010, Brandi graduated with magna cum laude honors from Eastern Michigan University’s Coordinated Program in Dietetics and began working for the WIC program as she had hoped. She worked with Pregnancy Aid WIC in Washington State for seven years, earning her IBCLC certification along the way.

During her employment with WIC, she served as a nutrition counselor and lactation consultant to WIC participants, promoted the annual WIC Farmers’ Market program (which supports both local farms and WIC families), and provided education to WIC staff.

Her favorite responsibility was writing educational newsletters and handouts that staff offered to participants.

Brandi stepped away from her community health care roles in 2018 and began other business ventures with her family.

She kept dietetics and breastfeeding knowledge fresh with continued education, by writing a nutrition column for Pickleball Magazine, and through volunteer work with the Snohomish County Breastfeeding Coalition where she co-chaired the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace program.

Realizing how much she enjoyed educating through writing, Brandi now finds herself in a freelance nutrition writing role.

She hopes to spread her love for well-researched information as far as the internet will take her articles. You can find writing samples and evidence of her easy attitude toward nutrition in her Confessions of a Dietitian blog at brandigivensrd.com.

When Brandi is not writing or pestering her beloved adult children with too many phone calls, you can definitely find her on a pickleball court with her husband, having the time of her life.