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.

How do you keep variety in your diet during winter?

By Corinne Marti

To maintain a healthy diet, a wide variety of different types foods are ideal to get all the vitamins and minerals needed. This task is easy during the summer time, when produce is plentiful, and easy to get. What happens when the main growing season is over, and now much of the produce is out of season? This can cause problems, as the food becomes more expensive and the produce that is available is coming from places that are further away. You might be asking why it matters if our food has to travel a little further to get to the grocery store in the winter.  When our food has to travel from further away, say another continent instead of a couple hundred miles away, that means more money and fossil fuels were spent to get it here. That also means it had to be picked earlier and sat longer, causing the food to be less nutritious. For this reason (and to support your local economy) it is always good to shop local when possible; but what about during month that produce limited produce? There is an easy way to combat this issue, use frozen produce. You can even freeze your own local produce during the summer to use in the winter. All you have to do is place food how you want it prepared (whole, diced, without peel, etc.) in an airtight container like a Ziploc bag or a vacuum-sealed bag, and store it in the freezer. This is a more economical approach to keeping variety in your diet during the winter months. This way you can support local farmers, keep costs down during the winter, and also keep variety in your diet all year long. Below is a sample recipe on how to use frozen produce to make a meal. 

One Pot Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Image retrieved from: www.familyfreshmeals.com

Ingredients:

1 lbs. ground turkey/chicken

1 cup diced white onion (frozen)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2.5 cups diced bell peppers (frozen)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

14.5 can diced tomatoes, no salt added

2 cups chicken/vegetable broth

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

                                                                                          Directions:

      1.  Over medium-high heat brown meat with frozen onions and garlic, cook for about 5-7 minutes, breaking into small pieces.

      2.  Add frozen diced peppers and pepper, cook for about 5-7 more minutes, until peppers are no longer frozen and have started to soften.

      3. Reduce heat to medium and add in tomatoes with juice, broth, tomato sauce, soy sauce and Italian seasonings. Stir until well combined. Bring mixture to a boil.

      4. Now add in uncooked rice. Return to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes, until rice is tender.

     5. Remove from heat and sprinkle with shredded cheese and serve!

Halfway Through the Dietetic Internship: 5 Surprising Things I have Learned so Far

By: Maci Louwagie

Hello everyone! Happy New Year! This year is exciting for me as I will be (hopefully) completing my Dietetic Internship and Master’s degree in August! Yay! The new year got me reflecting a little bit about this past year and the past few months as a Dietetic Intern. I am over halfway through my Master’s program and have about 6 months left of rotations. I have learned quite a bit the past few months and have really enjoyed finally applying all I have been learning the past 4 years of undergrad. There were things I was expecting to learn and then there are always things that you learn that aren’t so expected.

I have gained so much knowledge from my classes and the rotations I have been in and that was expected. I expected to learn more about physiology and nutrition, how to educate on nutrition, and how to interact with a patient. I also expected to learn a lot about what the every-day life is like for a dietitian, and of course how to be an effective dietitian in the setting you are working in. I have learned a lot about becoming a dietitian and am gaining the knowledge, experience, and training that I need to be an effective one. After all, that is what this internship is all about. There are, however, things I have learned the past few months that I was not expecting to learn. I am sure every intern has their own list of surprising things they have learned during their internship but here are my top 5 halfway through: 

1. Every dietitian is different; I can be my own kind of dietitian

I have worked with a variety of dietitians in my rotations so far and none of them were alike. My fellow interns and I, we all share a similar passion for health but even working with them has shown me that everyone does things differently and no matter who you are, what qualities you have or don’t have, you can succeed and be an effective dietitian. Each dietitian writes their notes differently, has different day-to-day schedules, views their patients differently, prioritizes their goals differently, and is passionate about different health and nutrition topics. Just because one person writes their notes a certain way, or is passionate about kids or geriatrics, or interacts with a patient/client a certain way, does not mean that I or anyone else must do those things or be passionate about those things. I get to be my own dietitian. I get to take pieces from all the dietitians and places and experiences I have learned from, as well as my own qualities, passions, and quirks and build myself into being the effective dietitian I desire to be. I don’t have to be someone else. I don’t have to do things the way other people do them. I can learn from other people, but I don’t have to be them. I have learned and am still learning not to compare myself with others but to learn and grow from others in order to find my own success in what I do and become.

2. Many people don’t have the proper education they need to make healthful decisions

I grew up probably like a lot of my fellow interns: chugging mountain dews, eating out multiple times a week, and not having a care to what I ate as a child and teenager. Now looking back on all my bad choices, I want to be like “whyyyyy would I ever do that to myself” BUT, the thing is, I didn’t know. My parents didn’t know. I was not really educated on proper nutrition. But I was not and am not, the only one who grew up with lack of education about nutrition and many people grow up with a lack of education in general for numerous reasons. So,  how can we expect people to make healthful choices when they don’t know? How can we look at people and judge others by thinking “wow I can’t believe they are feeding their kids that” or “wow these people should’ve known better” when many people just don’t have the proper education they need? We cannot place expectations on people when we don’t know what kind of education they had or have. I have talked to many patients and coworkers and many things they say surprise me. Many people don’t know that pop (yes, it is POP when you are from MN) is loaded with sugar, or that “healthy” things such as yogurt and granola bars also are. Many people don’t know how much added sugar we are recommended per day, or what foods have certain vitamins and minerals, or that going on “detox” diets won’t fix all your problems. Many people hear things from the media or other people and just believe those things. Most people don’t know how to look at research and interpret it or to tell good sources from bad. Someone asked me the other day at a health fair, “I have heard that one egg a day is too many, is it okay if I have eggs sometimes?” Of COURSE! (one egg a day is NOT too many by the way). There is no such thing as a dumb question when it comes to nutrition and that is something I have learned. Don’t expect everyone to be as educated as you are. Most people are not and we cannot expect people to make healthful decisions when they just have no idea what that is or looks like. As dietitians, we can be the ones to give people credible and reliable nutrition education and that is exciting to me. 

(Exhibit A: people see things like this in the media or online somewhere and trust it without knowing that this is virtually impossible but how would they know?) 

3. Foodservice businesses are families

Before starting this internship, I was not looking forward to my foodservice rotations. As dietetic interns, we must get 8 weeks of experience in foodservice. I just wanted to get them over with to be honest. I thought to myself, “well I am not going to learn much or enjoy it. Just get through it.” Well, believe it or not, I have done 6 weeks of foodservice and leaving those rotations has been harder than leaving my clinical ones. Not because I became more passionate about foodservice itself, but because of the amazing people and foodservice families I met and became a part of. The strangers I met became the people that have been the hardest to say goodbye to. Foodservice workers become family and interact like family in a way. They fight, disagree, gossip, complain, get on each other’s nerves, but they also love one another, support one another, make each other laugh, fill in for one another, train one another, and get to know one another. They celebrate one another, write cards and collect a donation for someone if they have a parent or loved one pass away, ask one another if they are okay, and they take on newbies like me and welcome them into the family. These people cracked me up and welcomed me kindly and lovingly. They all work extremely hard, and no, foodservice employees are not perfect and they make mistakes but they have great intentions to do the best job they can. I became close with a lot of people and it was always so hard to say goodbye. I was at two different hospitals for my foodservice rotations and I felt like part of the family in both of them. This is something I did not expect. 

(me celebrating ugly Christmas sweater day with some of my foodservice coworkers!) 

4. Don’t judge a book by its cover

This one comes back to my number 2 a little bit. A simple but critical thing I have learned is that we cannot judge anyone as we don’t know their story. Sometimes, we can look at people, and as health professionals, we can make judgements about how people look, are shaped, if they are overweight and/or underweight, etc. The reality is though is that everyone has a story and we do not know it. We can’t assume someone is overweight because they can’t control themselves and eat too much. We don’t know their genetics, their household they grew up in, their economic situations, and what they have gone through to lose the weight. We cannot assume someone is underweight because they just are stubborn and won’t eat. We don’t know what is going on inside their head, the physiological processes behind their condition, their history or genetics, or the amount of times they have tried to gain the weight back but just can’t yet. We don’t know their education levels or how they grew up. So, don’t judge or make assumptions until you get to know someone. As future health professionals and future dietitians, this is a continual challenge for all of us.

5. We can make a difference in people’s lives if we tailor our nutrition interventions to the client/patient

Individualize, Individualize, Individualize. That is the key to being an effective dietitian. We learn in school all the physiological processes of the body, all the disease states, and all the nutritional interventions that should match each one. We learn what we SHOULD be eating and teaching others to eat. However, there is no one formula or right answer we can use for every person we are nutritionally counseling. And I had heard that we had to individualize before this internship but actually interacting with my own patients and clients has taught me that every person is different, even if they have the same disease or coming in for the same reason. Every person’s lifestyle, family situations, genetics, backgrounds, psychological state, motivation level, etc. are different. I cannot preach the same message or make the same nutritional plan for every person. The key to making a difference in people’s lives nutritionally is individualizing my plan and intervention to that unique person. We can, and we will have an impact if we focus in on what THAT person wants, needs, and is willing to do because not everyone is the same. We will not make a difference if we treat every person or disease state the same. I love this aspect of being a dietitian because this means that no day, no patient or client, no disease we encounter is ever the same.

I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about what I have un-expectantly learned through my (almost) first half of my internship. It is a good reminder to keep your mind open in the dietetic internship and in life and you never know what you can and will learn! 

Making New Year’s Resolutions Actually Stick

By: Gillian Lewis

 

Have you already broken your New Year’s resolution? Well, you are not alone! On average, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February. Health-related New Year’s resolutions are among the most popular types of resolutions. Some common examples include weight loss, healthier eating habits, and increasing exercise. Despite the emphasis on health, very few of these health-conscious resolutions are effective as only 8% of resolutions are maintained throughout the entire year.

There is some good news - breaking a New Year’s resolution does not mean all hope is lost. People like to look at New Year’s as a symbolic day to make significant life changes, but in reality, changes can begin on any day.  2018 can still be the year to make healthy changes!

Tips for Setting Nutrition-Related Goals that Last:

    1. Be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely).

Set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. It’s easy to say, “I’m going to

eat healthier in 2018,” but what does that actually look like? There are several possible interpretations of healthy eating – eating more fruits and vegetables, eating less processed food, drinking more water. Such a vague goal doesn’t inspire action. Goals need to be specific, measurable, and timely enough so that an action plan can be developed. A goal to, “Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day” is clear cut about what needs to be done to succeed.

The problem with most New Year’s resolutions is that they are overly ambitious and too drastic. Quitting a habit cold turkey is rarely an effective method. Instead, it is important to set smaller, more realistic goals so that you have a chance to adjust to the behavior change. For example, if your overall goal is to stop drinking soda and you drink 5 cans of soda per day, it is more sustainable to gradually reduce your soda intake than to completely stop. Remember, behavior change is not a sprint!  

      2. Have a plan.

With goal setting, planning for change is just as important as setting the actual goal. Developing a specific action plan is important for sustainable behavior change. For example, if your goal is to, “Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day,” plan what each serving will be on a daily or weekly basis. When planning for nutrition-related goals, it is also important to plan in the healthiest way possible. Before making any significant changes, get expert advice from a registered dietitian and do your research from verified sources such as the Academy of   Nutrition and Dietetics (eatright.org) and the USDA (nutrition.gov).

      3. Moderation!

Especially with nutrition-related goals, moderation is key. When setting these goals, it is important to not completely deprive yourself of your favorite foods. As stated before, too drastic of a goal often does not lead to a sustainable change. If you are trying to limit your intake of junk food, give yourself some wiggle room when setting a specific goal. Allow room for a bowl of your favorite ice cream on occasion. Food is meant to be enjoyable after all!

   4.  Find a way to keep yourself accountable without being too hard on yourself.

Accountability and discipline are important aspects of accomplishing any goal. When setting nutrition-related goals, it is crucial to find ways that will keep you accountable. Some ideas include telling your friends and family about your goals to help keep you on track, using an app, or setting daily reminders and alarms. It is important to find what works best for you. With that being said, mistakes are bound to happen. In the behavior change process, it is crucial to take mistakes with a grain of salt and not get so down on yourself that you scrap the goal entirely. One mistake does not mean the goal is ruined. In fact, mistakes can be indicators as to what part of your plan is working and what is not. With behavior change, it is important to be persistent and adjust when mistakes occur.

Goal-setting is a continuous process. Even as a dietetic intern, I set health goals for myself. At the start of a New Year, I gave myself the goal of reducing the amount of sugar I put in my morning tea. While I want to keep my sugar intake low, I know it is not realistic for me to not add any sugar to my tea. At first, I reduced the amount of sugar by one quarter and it was a fairly easy adjustment. After two weeks of that, I reduced the amount of sugar even further, which was a little more difficult but still manageable. I am proud to say that I am not one of the many that have broken their New Year’s resolution! Following these tips when I set my goal is a major reason why I have stayed strong.

While these tips are not very flashy or exciting, this gradual, focused goal-setting method is the most likely to produce sustainable behavior change. As the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race!  

As a future dietitian, I strongly feel that these goal-setting and counseling skills are just as important

as the nutrition knowledge. As a profession, we strive to make people as healthy as possible through nutrition. People cannot be healthy unless they are motivated to do so - I wish I could have a dollar for every time I’ve heard, “I know what to do, I just need to do it” from a patient. For dietitians, nutrition knowledge and behavioral counseling must go hand in hand to achieve the desired healthy behaviors.

What healthy changes will you be making in 2018?

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/#551ca4e2596b

http://www.businessinsider.com/new-years-resolutions-courses-2016-12/#exercise-more-often-1

http://maristpoll.marist.edu/1220-being-a-better-person-weight-loss-top-2018-new-years-resolutions/

Picture Sources:

http://www.stevensonfitness.com/5-5-new-years-resolutions/

http://www.teachhub.com/classroom-management-boost-learning-goal-setting

https://www.flintrehab.com/2015/goal-setting-for-stroke-rehabilitation/

http://agamefitandperform.com/2017-04-04-goal-setting-class

http://affirmyourlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/healthy-eating-affirmations.html

A Journey to Food, Cultural Competency and Nutrition

By Monique Lavalas

Mark Kurlansky once said, “Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture.” There are many things that connect people and cultures. One of those main things is none other than food. Food is one of the pentacles that make cultures so unique. Cooking reflects history. Food is also reflecting of family memories or memories of childhood. Food has a bigger value to what we can ever imagine. I know this because as an international student in this program, I have been exposed to many cultures, but two that I hold to heart are the Latino and afro-Caribbean cultures. To these two cultures, that I have been exposed to from being born and raised in Panama, I owe every initial knowledge that I have about food, which is tied to memories and causes us to reminisce old moments or create future one. Food is a key component of any to culture.

My Senior Year High School Folkloric Dance Presentation

Even though I have been exposed to these cultures that are second nature for me, I have also learned and submerged myself in other cultures as well. From a tender age, I was exposed to the American culture and was fortunate to see the European and South American cultures later in my life. But initially this was a challenge. It was a challenge to try and understand the cultural significance of the things that the people around me did, and why they did them, and not see it as a right or a wrong. Just to initially understand. By doing this, little by little did I understand people more and more, and I was able to reach my goal which was to identify and relate myself to them.

Ladies of the Ngäbe-Buglé community in Panama. Photo taken from Panama24horas.com.pa

One experience that I had in my own country was to volunteer at non-profit, non-governmental organization, in which they cater to prevent malnutrition in boys and girls from impoverished communities around the country. My task was to develop a booklet of recipes that parents could use for their children. But the challenge was we could only use a certain list of ingredients. Such list lacked ingredients such as flour, milk or even eggs, that as a Western society we are so used to having. This experience helped me submerge myself into understanding the core of such cultures in the native communities of Ñurum and Nole Duima, part of the provincial-level indigenous region of Ngäbe-Buglé in Panama. It helped me refocus my attention of the significant role that food and family have in not only their community, but in our world, and how gradually we have lost track of such practices since our Western society has become so individualized. In these communities, one could see a clear difference in details such as the kitchen location and the interpersonal relationship among parents and their children. Their kitchen was made of bamboo stakes and was located in the outer area of their mud house. Their stoves were also made of mud, and some of their cooking ware was metal or cast iron. Such an experience was inspirational to me, for I was able to see a story other than my own, which helped me have a change in perspective about the beauty of food, nutrition and culture, but more importantly, the beauty of people.

Photo collage of foods we made for the community of Nole Duima and Ñurum.

As future dietitians, we will encounter all sorts of clients or patients in our path, but there is nothing better than to have a deeper understanding of how culture creates a sense of cultural identity in the life of each person. By understanding and being culturally competent we can open barriers and grow to have a better relationship with such patients or clients. Having a good understanding of some’s culture goes beyond race or ethnicity. We must be understanding and acceptant of other’s values, beliefs, principles, or background and not just our own. But one may ask, how can we as future dietitians reach such a level of cultural competency? Some useful suggestions that I have been able to acquire from different professional in and out of the Nutrition & Dietetic fields, and from personal experience are:

1.First, examine your own cultural background. Ask yourself questions. Be reflective of what you are used to and your own culture.

2.Recognize that culture extends past the color of someone’s skin.

3.Find out about the patient’s background. Research and do not be afraid to ask certain questions. Ask questions about what they prepare at home, what are their favorite foods, what are their likes and dislikes. Be open to understand their food habits.

4. Wet your feet and engage in other cultural encounters.

5. Last, but not least, be genuine.

With this I hope we may all grow to be understand more of people and even more of ourselves.

“Culture is a window reflecting the history, culture and spiritual world of a nation, ... Cultural exchange is a bridge to enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between the people of different nations,” as said by Ju Hintao.