Lydia Roberts

Lydia Jane Roberts (1879–1965) was a pioneering nutritionist in childhood nutrition, especially in creating government nutrition standards like the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) of minerals and vitamins. She studied and taught at the University of Chicago, receiving her Ph.D. in home economics in 1928 and later becoming department chair in 1930. She was one of four children. Her father was a carpenter. He moved the family to Martian, Michigan not long after the birth of Lydia. She completed a one-year course at Mt. Pleasant Normal School in 1899, and was later awarded a Life Certificate from Mt. Pleasant Normal School, allowing her to teach at any Michigan elementary school. During her time as chair, she also led the committee for creating the Recommended Daily Allowances, the suggested daily intake of nutrients. After retirement, Roberts continued to be active in initiatives for nutritional improvements for Puerto Rican families.

Work Roberts had been a leader in the development of the first set of RDAs, or recommended daily allowances. Roberts possessed the knowledge and expertise to create a scientifically sound set of RDAs. Her leadership approach was described as being democratic. and in 1957, for her work with nutrition services to children, she received the Marshall Field Award.

Additionally, Roberts has authored many books on nutrition. Her most notable book is Nutrition Work with Children, which was her dissertation for her Ph.D. before publishing it in 1928 as a textbook, focused on the nutritional needs of children.

Other books written by Roberts include The Road to Good Nutrition (1942), Patterns of Living in Puerto Rican Families (1949), and The Dona Elena Project: Better Living Program in an Isolated Rural Community (1963).

Death On May 28, 1965, Roberts died in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, from a ruptured abdominal aneurism. She is buried in East Martin Cemetery in Martin, Michigan.