For C. Ariane Durden, one of her greatest passions in her career has always been nutrition—even more specifically, nutrition in children and those of the younger generation. It all started when she was just a student at the University of Georgia. As a Georgia Bulldog, Ariane was able to study Consumer Foods and Nutrition, graduating with a B.S. degree in Family and Consumer Sciences. Upon receiving that degree, she’s been able to devote the last 10 years of her career advocating for good nutrition, as well as exercise. Her biggest goal? “Fighting childhood obesity one day at a time.” 

Over the last decade, specifically here in the U.S., we’ve seen a huge increase in the consumption of fast food and sugar. Mix that with less than the desired amount of exercise and obesity becomes an issue. For Ariane, it’s just something she feels can be fought off—in children, especially. She feels it’s never too early to practice making those healthy decisions. That’s why one of the steps in her career as a nutrition educator led her to author her award-winning children’s book, Becoming a Superhero.

Becoming a Superhero encourages children to eat healthy foods and exercise through play. As to how she came up with this bright idea of getting through to children through this book, she credits that to her inspiration of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s school lunch initiative. “First Lady Michelle Obama is my business icon. I was inspired by her Let’s Move! Initiative while I was studying nutrition in Dr. Cotwright’s class at UGA in 2014.” Her debut book has even gone on to help Ariane become the recipient of two Independent Press Awards, which are given to those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing. Ariane says that as an active member of the National Organization of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition, her “overall mission is to aid lowering rates of childhood obesity.”

Ariane was also awarded as the 2021 Winner in Children’s Diet and Nutrition, as well as the 2021 Distinguished Favorite in Children’s Inspiration. Even though she has received these prestigious awards, Ariane says her journey as a nutrition educator is far from complete. She’s been able to continue work recently as a SNAP-Ed Program Assistant with UGA County Extension. As far as future plans, Ariane says, “I plan to get a Masters’s degree in Dietetics with a professional goal of becoming a Registered Dietitian.” As a registered dietitian, she’ll be able to take on an even bigger fight towards ending childhood obesity. 

With Ariane’s career centered around nutrition and learning the best way to stay healthy, she admits it’s not always easy. For those part of lower-income families and communities, it can seem even harder. That’s also been one of her focused goals as well. She witnessed that very issue in her own high school. However, she says it’s helped her to discover the desire she has to create that balance of knowledge when it comes to nutrition, no matter who you are. Ariane says her greatest life lesson is “to overcome life’s challenges and go after your dreams and never give up!”

You can visit https://www.becomingasuperherollc.com/ to learn more about Ariane’s mission and purchase a copy of Becoming a Superhero for a child you love. Make sure you keep up with Ariane’s journey of fighting to create a healthier world by following both her Instagram page (@supersashajones) and Facebook page (@SuperSashaJones).