Hi! I’m Ashley. I am a graduate student at New York University pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Nutrition. I will be starting my Dietetic Internship at NYU this fall. I grew up in Massachusetts and went to Babson College for a BA in Business. I worked as an off-price buyer prior to attending NYU. I live in New York City with my husband and two children (Emerson, 5 years old and August 2 years old). I love all things food and fitness!
How did you get into the field of nutrition?
I worked in fashion for 10 years after undergrad, but always loved cooking and putting my own healthy spin on recipes. This hobby morphed into a passion for learning what it meant to nourish our bodies. My boss at the time introduced me to her friend who was a dietitian to gain insight into what a career change could look like. I had seen firsthand so many people suffer from food related diseases and relationships with food and I knew I wanted to learn how to help them. There is so much noise out there telling us how to eat for various reasons but I wanted to learn the science behind research based recommendations in order to confidently offer advice. I decided to apply to New York University for a Master’s in Clinical Nutrition and eventually become a Registered Dietitian.
What do you see yourself doing as a dietitian?
I would love to work in Maternal and Child Nutrition Care. During pregnancy as well as pre and post pregnancy women undergo so many changes that require certain vital nutritional needs that they often times are not aware of. This is also the first opportunity to nourish our children and set them up for a healthy life. Eating habits are established with the first introduction of food and I would love to help parents in developing healthy, adventurous and happy eaters.
Favorite food(s)?
Big salad loaded with lots of different goodies
Ice cream
Roasted veggies – Brussels, broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, shiitake ‘shrooms, etc!
Peanut butter
Pizza
Least favorite food(s)?
Tomatoes and cucumbers
Chicken thighs
Favorite meal to cook?
Crisper Pasta – Roast any/all veggies in the crisper, mix with either whole wheat or chickpea pasta and either pesto or tomato sauce. So easy and always delicious.
Fun fact?
I ran the Boston Marathon – twice!
When I’m not at school, you can find me: at Dancebody, at the playground with my kids or cooking in my kitchen.
Ashley interned with Sammi from September 2018 through March 2019. She’ll be starting her Dietetic Internship this fall at NYU. Follow her on Instagram at @ashleygishnutrition.
