Get practical nutrition tips from MUSC pediatric dietitian Kylie Deiss
Summer in Charleston means long pool days, sports camps, sleeping in late, and lots of popsicles. For parents, it can also mean daily chores: keeping kids hydrated, well-fed, and energetic without the structure of the school year.
To help families get through the season, we talked to clinical pediatric dietitian Kylie Deiss, RDN, CSP, LD, who works in the pediatric intensive care unit at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. Deiss, who moved from Texas to Charleston to complete her dietetic training at MUSC, now spends her days helping some of the hospital’s most vulnerable young patients understand and benefit from the power of nutrition.
She also provides pediatric/sports/general nutrition guidance through her personal practice, Taste & See nutrition services.
Originally from Dallas, Deise discovered she loved working with children early in her childhood, leading to the study of nutrition. While in college, he also competed as a track athlete at Texas A&M University. But it was a service trip abroad that really shaped his path.
During college, he traveled to Haiti through a faith-based athletic outreach program. The experience left a lasting impression.
“We learned everything we could about this organization, starting with building schools,” recalls Deis. “But they noticed that children were sleeping in class. They were not learning because they were hungry.”
The solution was surprisingly simple. He hired someone to grind peanuts and served peanut butter to children during school days. The results were immediate. “Once they started eating, babies stayed awake, they paid attention, they learned,” she says. “That moment really showed me how important basic nutrition is.”
Although she once envisioned doing nutrition work overseas for a long time, Deis realized that the same principles applied everywhere. “Here too, nutrition education matters,” she says. “Whether it’s helping a hospitalized child recover or teaching families the basics of keeping a balanced plate.”
