After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Maleka and Eric Beal relocated to Texas for two years to recover and rebuild. While in Texas, they realized a passion for learning and nutrition that transformed their lives in more ways than one.
“While we were displaced, we lost nearly 300 pounds,” Maleka explained. “Everything we had tried before was related to trendy weight loss tricks or gadgets, but this time, we were learning about nutrition and physical activity and how that affects the body.” Eric said that it was an interview he saw with Shaquille O’Neal that spurred his research into nutrition. “I started to investigate and realize that the different foods we eat contribute different things to our bodies, and it made me dig deeper and deeper.”
The Beals used their newfound knowledge to incorporate foods they knew they liked eating into a nutritious diet to help them make lasting changes. In 2007, when they returned to New Orleans, no one recognized them. They continued in their prior careers, but not for long.
“Our oldest son’s sixth grade teacher was also a DJ and asked if I could come and share my story on his radio show,” Eric said. “From there, it was a snowball effect and before we knew it, we were on Oprah and Dr. Oz, and the phones didn’t stop ringing after that!”
Eric and Maleka found their passion in helping others live healthier lives with long-term, sustainable solutions. “We were so driven to help people because we knew the impact that nutrition could have to transform people’s health, but our time was divided,” Maleka said. The couple sat down and discussed the calling they felt on their lives, and in May 2010, “through faith and a lot of prayer,” they made the decision to walk away from their careers and start Better Choices, a personal health coaching company. Because of the rise of social media at the time, they were not only able to help address the health disparities in their area but also to reach out to individuals outside of New Orleans.
Five years into their business, they met roadblocks to expansion. “We wanted to reach more people, and we had talked about some corporate wellness programs, but all those doors were being closed because while we had the experience, we lacked the credentials,” they explained.
The Beals began looking into bachelor’s programs in nutrition, and that’s when they found UA’s bachelor’s in Food and Nutrition, available 100% online through UA Online. “None of our local schools were offering ACEND-accredited or recommended programs, and after our research, we saw that Alabama’s was a top-ranking program,” Maleka said.
They both had prior college credit, but Eric needed to raise his GPA before being accepted to UA, and Maleka’s prior college coursework was in an unrelated field. “It was basically starting over for both of us,” she said. “But it’s about not being defeated by your mistakes, but pushing forward when it’s important.” So with a thriving business and two children at home, Maleka began the program in 2016, and Eric joined her in 2017. “Our plate was full,” Maleka said. Eric added, “But we were able to do it because of the flexibility of online coursework.”
Eric and Maleka said that their experience and self-taught learning had gotten them far in their understanding of nutrition, but the coursework of the program has helped explain the research behind much of what they practice and encourage others to practice. “We knew a lot of the how and the what of proper nutrition, but UA helped fill in the why,” Eric said, and Maleka interjected, “The evidence-based why!” They organized their classes so that Eric could catch up with Maleka to graduate together.
In Spring 2020, to complete their clinical practicum requirements, they found a preceptor willing to take them as a couple: Ryan Yates, a UA graduate and registered dietitian at New Orleans East Hospital. While they had initially wanted a community setting instead of clinical, they said in hindsight it was one of the best experiences they’ve had. “It allowed us to put together our prior experience and what we had learned through the program, and it really confirmed that this is where we’re supposed to be,” Maleka said.
Eric said that the hospital assignment brought all the puzzle pieces of their story together for him in a way that proved their calling to help others through nutrition, particularly in a predominantly African American community. “Maleka and I were able to connect with the patients because of our shared experiences, having grown up in the same neighborhoods and having similar stories, and that helped us communicate effectively and help break down the scientific information in a way that they could connect with and trust,” he said.
Throughout their practicum, most of the patients Eric and Maleka saw struggled with diabetes, kidney trouble or high blood pressure. But at the beginning of March, right after Mardi Gras, they began seeing many patients presenting with pneumonia. On a Tuesday afternoon while they were finishing their rounds, Eric went with Ryan to visit one such patient. Less than two days later, they realized where all the pneumonia cases were coming from and recognized the patient as presumptive positive for COVID-19. By Sunday, they received confirmation that they should self-quarantine, and for the next 14 days, they isolated and dealt with mild symptoms themselves.
Fully recovered and having completed all practicum requirements and coursework for the bachelor’s program, Maleka and Eric officially graduated in May 2020. By 2024, all new registered dietitians will be required to have a master’s in the field, and the Beals plan on earning their master’s in Human Nutrition, also 100% online through UA Online. Then they will pursue their licenses to become registered dietitians. They’ve been through a lot from Katrina to COVID-19, but they’ve had each other for support through every twist and turn.
Reflecting on their accomplishment, Eric said, “Since 2004, we’ve been side by side in every venture. From Katrina to recovery and rebuilding – we did it step by step, piece by piece and side by side. When we lost weight, we did it together, side by side. And when we embarked on this journey with UA, why would that be any different? We did it side by side.”
Published: August 31st, 2020