Reimagining a Comfort Meal

 Written by: Courtney Day; SLU Dietetic Intern

        Almost everyone has a comfort food, a meal that makes you feel better on a bad day and brings back happy memories. Whether it’s something nostalgic from childhood or a more recent memory, that emotional connection combined with what is usually an indulgent (and maybe a little less healthy) meal brings a happy, cozy feeling with every mouthful. My perfect comfort food is my mom’s chicken fettuccine alfredo. I’ve asked for it for my birthday every year for the last 15 years. Comfort foods like alfredo are often categorized as unhealthy, and being a dietetics intern this year I’ve been on a mission to find recipes and simple ways to revamp my favorite comfort foods and pack a few more nutrients in. With the seasons finally changing to my all time favorite, autumn, those delicious autumn flavors have definitely been on my mind. What can I say? I’ve always been a pumpkin spice girl. To say I was THRILLED to find a similar recipe for my favorite comfort meal with a fun, healthy, fall twist is an understatement!

        Shout out to damndelicious.com - this recipe for Butternut Squash Alfredo is a delicious cozy comfort meal with a boost of nutritional value from the original that I added. The butternut squash brings in some extra fiber, vitamin A, and antioxidants as an added bonus. With just the simple addition of a vegetable, we can make a delicious, satiating meal while keeping the comfort and indulgence. Other simple adjustments can make this recipe even more nutritious without sacrificing one ounce of comfort: trading some of the whole milk for chicken or bone broth to lower the fat and add protein, switching from regular to turkey bacon to lower the fat, or mixing in a handful of spinach for some iron and B vitamins. Whether you let your inner chef shine with some of your own changes or follow the recipe as is, this dish is a great version of alfredo with a rich fall flavor and makes me wonder: what other comfort meals could use a fun, fresh, seasonal update?

Credit Recipe with additions/modifications from me - https://damndelicious.net/2017/10/13/butternut-squash-alfredo-pasta/

Credit Graphic - My creations and templates found on Canva

Dietetic Students Hit the Trails!

 Written by: Hannah Collin; SLU Dietetic Intern

This weekend, I had the privilege of participating in Ride the River Bike trail health fair. What started as a very early morning (5:30am to be exact), turned out to be a beautiful day. I had never seen or been a part of such a large bike ride before, but these bikers were riding a 100-mile ride today. This ride was organized by Trailnet which is an organization that’s mission is to promote healthy living by building a community that centers around exercise like biking and walking. All the bikers that were participating in this event were doing it for the love of the ride and enjoying their Saturday by being outside and exercising. With talking with the dietitian on staff named Cindy who works on the management team, she told us about her love for this organization. On a grander scale, her love for public policy and being a part of change being made in the community.

Keli, Emily, and I got to the first rest stop in Grafton, Illinois to begin setting up the station for the bike riders to come and get fuel. There were snacks ready in coolers that we needed to prepare and assemble. All the snacks were great fuel sources to help energize the bikers as they embarked on their journey. Some of these snacks included PB + J sandwiches, bananas, energy chews, pickle juice, and electrolyte tabs in throw in their drinks. The snacks were primarily carbohydrate sources to give quick energy, but as the rest stops went on, the snacks differed to give the riders more options for fuel later in the day.

The bikers came from across the river by ferry and then they continued their race. There were about five legs of bikers coming off the ferry. In total, we fueled around 250 bikers as they went on their ride. Everyone was in great spirits and incredibly thankful to us for providing fuel for them.

From the video I shared, us interns all had an amazing time at the Ride the River health fair. This ride inspired me to look within myself and think about changes I can make to my daily life to engage in more physical activity in my free time. Now during this internship, my free time is slim. All of us interns on our lunch breaks still try to make an effort go on walks and spend the little time we have outside. While I listen to Rabia’s lecture, I try to do it while I walk on a trail to get some time outside in nature. I think we can all reflect on our life and consider integrating physical activity in small ways. Whether our schedule allows us 60 minutes or even just 10 minutes. Any movement is better than none. Between us interns, this experience made us all consider possibly doing this bike ride next year.

MAJO'S OG CHOCOLATE OATMEAL RECIPE

 Written By: Maria Jose Cardenal; SLU Dietetic Intern

Is there something that you could eat everyday and never get bored off? For me, that’s oatmeal. When I was in my undergraduate, I had trouble with breakfast -not because I used to prefer sleep over food, or because I wasn’t a morning person, or because I didn’t have an appetite, but because I was living in a dorm with only a microwave and a mini fridge (I’m guessing quit some can relate). Yes, during those years the dining hall existed, and so did Cheerios and Rice Chex, but the problem was that I am allergic to gluten and dairy, and the cereals were the only option they had for me to eat and they didn’t provide me with the energy I needed. Therefore, as a desperate student, I decided to buy myself eggs and cook them in the microwave-which only lasted a day because the egg exploded. 

Clearly, since eggs weren’t going to work out and I needed a simple allergy friendly option, I remembered about - a less dramatic breakfast - oats. Throughout my four undergrad years, I never stopped eating them. Every morning no matter what, I would wake up and prepare my own chocolate oatmeal from scratch in my dorm microwave. As time passed and I started taking my nutrition and dietetic classes, I came to understand why oatmeal had become my daily habit – it offered lasting energy and satiety, helping me stay focused through those 8am and 11 am lectures. 

Now, as I am in this new chapter of life—completing both my Master’s and Dietetic Internship—my oatmeal has had to adapt. The hot oatmeal I used to make in the mornings no longer fits into my routine, since I start rotations so early. Instead, I now prepare overnight oats, which still give me that comforting breakfast and provide all the energy I need to stay full until lunch. 

This change may seem insignificant, but it reflects a lesson I’ve learned: life moves quickly, and being flexible and open to change can lead to better outcomes. By allowing myself to adjust my oatmeal recipe, I discovered a way to stay nourished and energized that actually works even better for my busy schedule, but most importantly it's a reminder that sometimes letting go of old habit or expectation or allowing change can open the door to growth, new opportunities and improvement we might never have imagined.

The Role of an RD: The OBYGN

 Written By: Hannah Bast; SLU Dietetic Intern

A Registered Dietitian.

Isn't that someone who just tells you what to eat? 

That's the most common belief that I hear, and that's if they even know what a dietitian is in the first place. 

Many people have no clue what dietitians can do, where they can work, or the various responsibilities that they can perform. Many people believe dietitians only work in hospitals, or just provide counseling to help people lose weight or eat healthier. Dietitians actually can work in a variety of places, such as schools, outpatient centers, legislation, education, etc. 

As a dietetic intern, I was very fortunate to be placed at an OBGYN for one of my rotations for two weeks, and I discovered the various roles that can be performed by a dietitian there. Normally, an OBGYN seems like an odd location for a dietitian to be. But there is more responsibilities than at first glance that were displayed to me during my rotation.

My preceptor at the OBGYN was not only a dietitian, but also a Certified Diabetes Educator. This is a great opportunity for dietitians to narrow their practice by specializing in a particular disease state. My preceptor's responsibilities encompassed a variety of tasks. The majority of her job is spent studying blood glucose logs and food logs of patients with Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, or Gestational Diabetes, with the majority of her patients being pregnant women. In pregnancy, it is essential to maintain a tight blood glucose control to avoid harmful side effects for the woman and her baby. The dietitian at the OBGYN collaborates with other professionals to study patterns within each individual client's blood glucose logs and adjust their insulin-to-carb ratio and insulin doses. The dietitian uses her knowledge to counsel patients on beneficial foods to aid in their diabetes management, pregnancy, and lifestyles in general. Some patients may need to become aware of a Consistent Carbohydrate Diet, so the dietitian will counsel on how maintain that diet and provide tools for ease of understanding. There are patients needing guidelines for nutrition during pregnancy, so the dietitian counsels and provides tools. 

Along with studying blood sugar logs, the dietitian performed other tasks. Some patients would come in and need support for weight management. Their weight would be taken, diet recalls would be discussed, and existing or new plans would be talked about so that each patient's care is individualized. Other patients were women who desired to become pregnant, and needed nutrition counseling for how to best prepare their bodies to carry a child. Nutrition and lifestyle choices play a huge role in preparation for pregnancy, so it is amazing that women are consulting dietitians to help. Dietitians can help provide some medical nutrition therapy for underlying conditions that may be treated at the OBGYN, such as PCOS or endometriosis. Dietitians can also help develop menus for patients so that their needs are met and for them to have inspiration for what to prepare in their everyday schedules to increase variety and nutrients. 

Overall, those are just some of the roles that dietitians fit into at the OBGYN. Again, an unexpected place for that profession to be working, but many opportunities present itself to be helped. Hopefully, more education of the various roles of the RD can become public knowledge so that everyone may receive nutritional help they need. 

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