Home Delivery Meals, Yay or Nay?

By Danielle Moore

As a dietetic student and intern I get asked certain questions all the time, but the one I struggle with most is: “You must love to cook, right?”  The very short answer to that question is: “Absolutely not!”.  The long answer is: “Dear God, please, I will do anything to not have to cook tonight, including the risk of starvation.”.  When this question is asked of anyone within the dietetics community, it is readily assumed that the answer will be an emphatic: "Why yes, I love to cook.", so when my reply doesn’t fit their expectations, I’m met with a confused tilt of the head.  

Ladies and gentlemen, just because I am a "food professional" and have an in-depth knowledge of food and its inherent health benefits and consequences, does not mean that I want to cook a meal, whether it be for you, me or anyone!  This is my daily struggle, how do I find the time, energy and interest in cooking for myself?  I know that I need to eat healthy and to not fall into the fast food trap, even though I looooove the convenience and taste of it. When I got into this profession, I promised myself I wouldn't become one of those hypocrites that professed one thing to others, while following my own different path. What to Do? What to Do? So, after much internal angst, I decided to explore some of the home delivery meal service options, such as; Blue Apron, Home Chef, HelloFresh, Plated, Sun Basket, and Gobble, to see if that will help with my daily struggle.

            Most home delivery services offer free or heavily discounted trial sessions to potential new, recurring customers.  Though I was initially tempted to try each one over a period of time due to my meager finances, I narrowed it down to three because of time constraints. During the course of my explorations, I discovered that there are some advantages and disadvantages to these home delivery meal service options. I have listed the Pros and Cons for the services, as I see them and given my verdict and the end; however, it is up to each individual to determine if these services are something that they may desire.

PROS:

·         Perfectly Portioned Portions:  When you order, you have the option of ordering portions for 2 to 6 people.

·         Easy Recyclable Packaging:  Pretty self-explanatory, no hydrocarbons here. 

·         Nutrition Labels for Each Recipe:  Each recipe comes with a recipe card and a nutrition label, which makes it easy and convenient for those individuals looking to monitor their diets.            

·         Vegetarian Options:  As a true omnivore I enjoy my meat dishes as well as my vegetarian dishes so I was pleasantly surprised with the amount and variety of vegetarian and vegan options available.

·         Vegetables:  A great variety of vegetables and ways to prepare them. 

·         Recipes:  These services provide many new recipes that people can add to their own personal cookbook. 

·         Variety:  These systems make it easy to try different foods and recipes that you may not otherwise have had the time, inclination or have thought to try.

CONS:

·         Directions:  At times the directions may be a little vague for unseasoned cooks.  Having taught enough cooking lessons; as well as having worked with inexperienced cooks, some instructions may not be so obvious to those less experienced.  As an example, “Drizzle a small amount”, was a common instruction, and I can see where a small amount to one person, could be a whole lot to someone else.  This simple term could have the adverse effect of altering the final nutrition labels that accompanies the recipe.

·         Limited Recipe Options:  Recipe options for any given week may be limited and if a person doesn’t have the experience or imagination to alter the given recipe, they may well be stuck with what was sent. 

·         Excessive Salt:  Many of the recipes call for added salt due to the comment: “salt and pepper to taste”.  I omitted the salt from most of the recipes and felt they were better off without the excess sodium.  Additionally, adding salt to an existing recipe could again skew the nutritional labels.

·         Delivery:  The kits are delivered and left outside ones’ house or apartment; depending on the weather, this could mean that the kits are left out in the elements for hours before being taken inside and put in the fridge. Additionally, the threat of theft is always a possibility.

·         Lack of Single Serving Options: There were not many options for just one person, most of the home delivery systems were for 2 or more people.

·         Waste:   There is a tendency to create an excessive amount of waste through poor packaging of the food.

The Verdict

The home delivery meal systems are a fantastic way for a busy person to make a home cooked meal in a reasonable amount of time.  With much of the prep work done, these recipes are basically ready, you just need to put all the ingredients together.  It takes the guess work out of cooking and saves you the ever-dreaded trip to the grocery store.  Living alone, I got the two-person meal kits and was able to take the second serving as lunch the next day, saving me much needed time in the morning. That is not to say that the systems are without fault.  Once the reduced priced trials are over, these systems can get pricey, with prices ranging from $65 to well over $100 a week.  You are definitely paying for the convenience. Overall, for the working adult who has little time for menu planning, grocery shopping, and daily cooking these home delivery systems are great, and with a little searching, finding one that fits your budget isn’t too hard. 

Expectations within the Profession

By Kate Miller

As a dietetic intern, you constantly make first impressions.  Among meeting new preceptors and their colleagues every two weeks, you must also make connections with volunteer coordinators, community members, patients, research associates and more.  Additionally, a dietetic internship experience can vary greatly depending on how much your preceptors appreciate your company or assume your ability.  The American Psychological Association states that a “snap judgment” takes only 50 milliseconds, which is less than the blink of an eye, and a 2010 Harvard study revealed that 55% of someone’s first impression is based on their visual appearance.  To add, the psychological concept of serial position effect, specifically primacy effect shows that people remember a person by their first impression of them more so than what comes after that.  Meaning, first impressions and pre-judgments for a dietetic intern matter, a lot.

It is no secret that within the dietetics profession, there is a profound lack of diversity.  As of February 2018, The Commission on Dietetic Registration lists 99,949 Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) in the United States.  Within that population of professionals, 89% are females (or more since 7.2% didn’t report), 76.3% are white, the average age is 40.4 and 45.2% received bachelor’s degrees in Health or Human Sciences.  This data implies that when preparing for a new rotation one can usually assume that their preceptor will be a middle-aged white woman.  Additionally, and potentially more detrimentally, this preceptor can usually assume that their next intern is a white female who the same education background and experiences as her.

So, this begs the question, what happens when you don’t fit this construct?  How do you make good first impressions, and have the best possible learning experience, when you aren’t what you’re “assumed” to be?

Research conducted at Cambridge University in England has shown that even the lowest levels of unmet expectations (such as an unexpected looking dietetic intern) are highly correlated to drops in neural dopamine levels and subtle increases in threat responses.  Dopamine is the neurotransmitter of desire, reward, curiosity and interest.  Meaning, that in order to best sustain a preceptor’s interest and curiosity in you, you must meet their expectations of what you’re “assumed” to be within that 50 millisecond first impression window.

My experience of the dietetic internship has been greatly impacted by the subliminal pressure for me to attempt to try and fit into the constructs that have been laid out before me.  Personally, that means that I must make a conscious effort to dress more feminine and cover all my tattoos while at internship.  Additionally, it means that I must always be aware of the way that I present to my preceptors, trying to be quieter, softer, less confident and generally less “me.”  It means making a choice everyday about whether its best for me to correct a preceptor who assumes I am straight, or assumes I share the same political viewpoints as her.  It means knowing I am going to stick out like a sore thumb when I enter a room with my classmates, and knowing that I won’t be able to relate to them on more topics than I can count in both hands.  Finally, and most importantly it means knowing that I am going to have different viewpoints on intervention plans than my preceptors and classmates, and knowing that I am going to have to fight for those opinions to be heard.

In order for our profession to grow and in order for RDN’s to give the best care that they can to every patient, every time, diversity and implicit biases need to be addressed more seriously.  Undergraduate and Internship programs need to make significant improvements on their recruitment process and they need to target more than one type of student.  The Academy needs to offer CEU incentive credits for diversity and bias training and financial aid so that all qualified students can actually attend one of these expensive internship programs.  Additionally, all potential preceptors should attend teaching trainings and be screened more thoroughly.  Finally, we need to create a conversation and a space for the RDN’s, interns and dietetics undergraduate students who don’t fit the construct of what they’re expected to be.

So, without further ado: my name is Kate Miller, I am your raging liberal tattooed lesbian dietetic intern, I have a loud laugh, a big smile and I’ll probably skateboard to clinic, but I’ll be there on time and I’ll be happy to make those copies for you.

The Career Option for Dietitians (almost) Nobody Talks About: Online Business

By Megan Matthews

It’s no secret there are countless career opportunities in the field of nutrition and dietetics. In fact, it is one of the things I have loved about this career path from the beginning. The words of my undergraduate academic advisor always resonated with me: “the opportunities in dietetics are only limited by your imagination”. Throughout our education and the dietetic internship, we are exposed to numerous job opportunities and gain hands-on experience in many positions. For example, this year we have interacted with dietitians who work in eating disorders, private practice, schools, hospitals, clinics, and wellness centers to name a few. But there is one career option we talk about less often: online business. This a relatively new path for Registered Dietitians, but one that should not be overlooked nonetheless. Sure, it’s a bit abstract and not a “traditional” path to follow. But it’s intriguing.

Like many others, I have followed food bloggers on Instagram and other forms of social media for quite some time. However, I noticed most of the accounts I came across were run by foodies, wellness coaches, and nutritionists. Until recently, I found only a small social media presence of individuals who had those beloved credentials behind their name: RDN.

I’ve always found the idea of starting an online business fascinating, but thought “that’s great for them, but that could never be me”. However, recently I started learning more about the online business field, simply out of curiosity. I’ve watched webinars about food photography and how to create a successful 6-figure online business. I’ve listened to podcasts about why and how people decided to become an online entrepreneur. I’ve started following Registered Dietitians who have made a name for themselves through their online business. In gathering this information, one thing has been clear: people are making a real living as online business owners, entrepreneurs, and influencers. Not only are they making a living, they LOVE what they do. This path is a feasible career option for nutrition professionals. Here are 5 reasons why online business should not be overlooked by dietitians:

     1. Others are doing it, we need Registered Dietitians to do it too!

We are all aware that there is a plethora of health information on the internet. Even if individuals doeverywhere. In blogs, commercials, magazines, ads, posts, etc. Unfortunately—as we know—this includes plenty of misinformation. An article published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders in 2014 identified dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors among “healthy” living bloggers. Many of the bloggers claiming to promote healthy lifestyles had an eating disorder themselves, were currently dieting, experienced difficulty with menstruation or fertility, or wrote negative messages about food. While this study had a limited sample of only 21 bloggers, it brings light to an important issue: the fact that anyone can publish anything online. It is important that as the food and nutrition experts, Registered Dietitians have a voice in this pool of accessible online information. This is a great opportunity to make our evidence-based practice accessible to a wider audience.

      2. Money, honey.

I think most of us would agree that people typically don’t enter the field of nutrition and dietetics for the money. In my experience, the dietitians and nutrition students I’ve interacted with genuinely want to make a difference in the lives of others. Again, this is something I love about our field. But after five years of schooling, I’m ready for (and in need of) some real income. At first, one of my biggest skepticisms of online business was whether or not someone could actually make a living from it. Based on what I’ve heard from people who are currently running online businesses, the answer is YES, YOU CAN. In fact, I’ve listened to a food photographer share her story of how she makes over $100,000 annually through online food photography. A dietitian who recently shared her success in online business generated over $200,000 of revenue in 2017. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the median salary of a Registered Dietitian was $63,700 in 2015. This indicates that there is potential for major profit in online business compared to some of the more traditional careers of Registered Dietitians. 

     3. It’s versatile.

Remember, “the options are only limited by your imagination”. This moto applies to online business as well. You don’t have to be a food blogger that develops recipes—although that sounds pretty fun to me. There are a variety of services you could offer online. Much of the nutrition and dietetics field is about educating others. I’ve heard quite a few people say “with the way technology is these days, anything that can be taught in person can be taught online”. I’m sure some would disagree with this, and I do not want to minimize in-person interactions in any way. But as I mentioned before, offering online education and services provides an avenue to reach a broader audience. Services offered online by a Registered Dietitian could include anything from meal-planning, cooking classes, and nutrition education to online counseling, or even gardening help.

     4. Schedule flexibility.

I’m certainly not an expert on entrepreneur lingo, but I think it goes something like this: work from home, be your own boss, set your own hours. Sounds good to me! If you’re someone who doesn’t love the traditional 9-5 work day schedule, starting your own online business can provide the flexibility you are looking for. This is by far one of the most common perks I have heard online entrepreneurs discuss. Shannon Monson, a dietitian who started the company Nutrition Simply, has shared how she is able to decide when and where she works while still financially supporting her family. She was able to take a vacation, personal leave, and spend time with her children over the summer in 2017 and still had her most profitable year to date.

     5. Have fun & channel creativity.

For many online entrepreneurs and influencers, their business has become a creative outlet (or their creative outlet has eventually grown into their full-time job). McKel Hill, an RDN and Founder of Nutrition Stripped, is very open about how her creative outlet naturally evolved into her successful online business. As the food and nutrition experts, dietitians have valuable knowledge to share with others.  Starting an online business is a way to relay that information to the public in creative and innovative ways. It is easy for the elements of fun and creativity to be overlooked when talking about careers. However, I believe these are important components of job satisfaction. At the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) this past fall, two RDs expressed the importance of creativity and having fun. Dawn Jackson Blatner, the dietitian for the Chicago Cubs, said, “you would be more successful if you added more fun”. She outlined how chasing her passions has led to several successful job positions. Similarly, Rebecca Lewis, the head Dietitian at HelloFresh stated, “the last ingredient [for success in your future career] is creativity. You don’t want your career to get stale, you don’t want your passion to dry up”.

Of course, there will also be challenges to starting an online business, as there is with any new career endeavor. If you are interested in learning more about the journey of a dietitian who has successfully created her own online company, check out McKel Hill’s “5 Years of Business Advice” at https://nutritionstripped.com/5years-business-advice/

Media Sources:

http://www.keepcalmandposters.com/poster/5527013_keep_calm_and_ask_a_dietitian

http://businessbharat.com/online-business-kaise-start-kre-no-investment-in-hindi/

http://www.alliantstaffing.com/agency-nursing-highest-pay-most-flexibility

Other Sources:

Rodgers, D. (2015). Compensation and benefits survey 2015. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 166(3), 370-383.

Boepple, L. & Thompson, J. K. (2014). A content analysis of healthy living blogs: Evidence of content thematically consistent with dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47(4), 362-367.

Wolf, A., Blatner, D. J., Manring, D., & Lewis, R. (2017, October 23) Hot career paths in nutrition: expert panel. Presentation at the Food and Nutrion Conference and Expo, Chicago, IL.