The Garden of Eden

By: Jordan Bommarito

Right here in Saint Louis, MO there is a hidden garden doing big things for the community, families, and a local food pantry. Here is a look inside The Garden of Eden, ran by a passionate leader, Myra Rosenthal.

My Family's Growth... 

The Garden of Eden is located at the Creve Coeur Jewish Community Center. Myra and her team of volunteers are working continuously to make The Garden of Eden a bright light in this world. The garden has provided thousands of pounds of fresh seasonal produce to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry at Jewish Family and Children's Services. This organization provides food, personal care items, and community resource information to families going through difficult times. Myra and this modest plot are making differences in the lives of people that need it, and some people who do not even know they need it. I have a story about how my family grew to participate in, celebrate, and love The Garden of Eden, and I could not be more proud.

Myra Rosenthal and Nick Bommarito

My brother, Nick, fell into volunteering for The Garden of Eden by accident. He was assigned there for a community service project at his school. From day one, he fell in love. He found himself volunteering there for 4 years! He was even awarded the "volunteer of the year award." My family was involved every step of the way. We drove him to and from the garden, we heard his experiences from exciting days, and we even endured his smelly clothes after working in the hot sun. As the years went by, we found ourself being honorary members of this community. We built cold frames for the garden as a family, attended celebrations for garden milestones, and watched my brother grow into himself, a confident leader and master gardener!

 

Nick Bommarito and Jordan Bommarito

 

 Cold Frames Constructed and Donated by the Bommarito Family

The Garden of Eden offers volunteer positions for people of all ages. It hosts experiences for grade school children, disabled individuals, and senior citizens. The Garden of Eden offers people from any age or background a unique experience in getting their hands dirty in the fresh soil. Nick was able to be a leader to these visiting groups and teach them about how the garden worked, how to harvest, and help them tend to the fruits and vegetables. In addition, members of The Covenant place are encouraged to tend to their own plots in the garden.

The Garden of Eden has a partnership with Gateway Greening, who work together to grow in more ways than one. Gateway Greening's "educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture." From what I can tell, The Garden of Eden is educated and empowered! Here is the link to Gateway Greening, to check out all the other awesome work that they are doing!

My Challenge to you...

GET OUT THERE AND GET INVOLVED! The Garden of Eden is one of many community gardens in the Saint Louis Area. Gardening is a wonderful way for people of all ages and experiences to get involved in a community, make a difference by providing fresh organic produce, and get their hands dirty. Specifically, community gardens are a great way for young adults to build leadership skills and a respect for the environment. I challenge everyone to seek out the experience of a community garden, like The Garden of Eden, and volunteer.

This post is dedicated to my brother, Nick Bommarito, The Garden of Eden, and all community gardens. For more information on The Garden of Eden and how to volunteer, contact Myra at myrasue@sbcglobal.net. Volunteers at The Garden of Eden have to opportunity to receive a newsletter that includes fun activities happening, what is growing in the garden, and future plans!

Nick Bommarito "Volunteer of the Year

How Effective is Carbohydrate Cycling?

By Brett Benson

What is Carbohydrate (Carb) cycling?

          Carbohydrate cycling is a dietary approach to manipulate carbohydrate intake in order to lose fat and break through weight loss plateaus. This method can be done on a daily or even weekly basis alternating between high carbohydrate and low carbohydrate days. Now, this diet isn’t for everyone and some individuals such as sprinters, long distance runners, weight lifters, and many other athletes will require higher amounts of carbohydrates more frequently for improving their performance. On the other hand, someone who is simply trying to lose weight can also take advantage of this approach to see a noticeable difference in their overall health.

This diet can be very useful for improving body composition, but there are limited studies examining this topic in great detail or for long durations. There is also no set limit on what exactly is considered “low carbohydrate” or “high carbohydrate” with regards to the amount of carbohydrates consumed daily. This is largely based on many criteria such as a person’s training schedule, body fat level, type of training, and body composition goals to name a few. In theory, training days are going to require a higher carbohydrate intake and rest days would have a low carbohydrate intake. None the less, there are a few benefits of carbohydrate cycling which include improving exercise performance, fat metabolism, and insulin sensitivity.

Effectiveness on exercise and fat loss

     For athletic performance, high carbohydrate days can be beneficial in reducing muscle break down and increasing the anabolic effect post resistance exercise. Since glycogen is depleted during exercise, consuming higher amounts of carbohydrates becomes crucial during the post exercise phase (Børsheim et al., 2004). Simple carbohydrates, for example, can be digested rapidly in the body and have the ability to help replenish muscle and liver glycogen after exercise. The most common simple carbohydrates are found in fruit as well as processed and refined foods like white rice, white bread, candy, sugary cereal, and even soft drinks. Combine with protein, these simple carbohydrates can increase insulin levels and dramatically help prevent muscle break down to promote faster recovery from workouts.
           Individuals looking for ways to facilitate fat loss can take advantage of including more low carbohydrate days into their weight loss program. Reducing the amount of carbohydrates can stimulate glucagon production, which raises blood sugar when it falls below normal levels. This will cause the body to begin breaking down glycogen and ultimately using fat predominantly for energy in the long-term. In one study by The American Association for Cancer Research, the participants following a low-carbohydrate diet for two days per week saw on average about 9 pounds of weight and body fat loss over 4 months (2011). Like this study, the ultimate goal of carbohydrate cycling is to be in a calorie deficit for stimulating fat metabolism and improving body composition.

Improving Insulin Sensitivity

   Insulin resistance occurs when the cells in the muscle, fat, and liver are resistance to the hormone insulin causing an increase in blood sugar. This requires the pancreas to produce more insulin than normal to help the blood sugar enter the cells. As individuals become overweight and obese over time this becomes a major issue especially with the prevalence of developing type two diabetes in this population. During a 16-week study, a group of overweight/obese adults who consumed the lower carbohydrate diet compared to lower fat diet lost more total fat mass (4.4%) and had improvement in glucose metabolism (Grower & Goss, 2015). This finding is significant because individuals with type two diabetes are commonly known for having insulin insensitivity or resistance. Another study showed that overweight women in an intermittent energy and carbohydrate restriction group had greater fat loss and improved insulin sensitivity compared to the daily energy restriction group (Havie et al., 2013). These studies show that carbohydrate cycling can play a big role in increasing insulin sensitivity within the body, but a well balance diet is also key for improving health and well-being.  

Take Away

          Carbohydrate cycling is more flexible than most diets which can be restrictive when it comes to eating. It is important; however, to choose carbohydrate foods that are higher in fiber like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes to help balance blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity and reduce resistance. These foods are also high in a variety of vitamins and minerals, which are important for their numerous roles in the body. In addition to using carbohydrate cycling, it is important to consume adequate amount of protein while in a calorie deficit to prevent loss of lean body mass. Balancing low and high carbohydrate days on carb cycling may be beneficial both physiologically and psychologically for most people. The bottom line is that carbohydrate cycling can have a significant impact on health, but further research is needed to examine its effects long-term.

References

American Association for Cancer Research. (2011, December 8). Intermittent, low-carbohydrate diets more successful than standard dieting, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 9, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208184651.htm

Børsheim, E., Cree, M. G., Tipton, K. D., Elliott, T. A., Aarsland, A., & Wolfe, R. R. (2004). Effect of carbohydrate intake on net muscle protein synthesis during recovery from resistance exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology,96(2), 674-678. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00333.2003

Gower, B. A., & Goss, A. M. (2015). A Lower-Carbohydrate, Higher-Fat Diet Reduces Abdominal and Intermuscular Fat and Increases Insulin Sensitivity in Adults at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes. The Journal of Nutrition, 145(1), 177S–183S. http://doi.org/10.3945/jn.114.195065

Harvie, M., Wright, C., Pegington, M., McMullan, D., Mitchell, E., Martin, B., … Howell, A. (2013). The effect of intermittent energy and carbohydrate restriction v. daily energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers in overweight women. The British Journal of Nutrition, 110(8), 1534–1547. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114513000792

Food Waste

By Maggie Algya

       You’re hungry. You open your fridge and can’t remember how long your half-eaten burger from the local pub has been sitting in its Styrofoam box, so you toss it out. You think that the head of fresh broccoli is turning slightly yellow, so you throw it out. You think the leftover casserole you made last week is on its last leg, so you toss it out. You grab the container of yogurt that is ¾ full and notice the expiration date was yesterday, so you grudgingly throw it out. You decide to make a frozen pizza, eat half of it, and leave the other half on the counter over night. By the time you wake up the next day, bacteria has made itself at home on the uneaten portion, and you are inclined to throw it out. 

                                 FOOD WASTE.  

We all do it, in some form or fashion. As Americans, we are so used to throwing out any mildly questionable food, without considering the consequences. Can’t finish your Chipotle burrito? Just throw it away. Not a fan of the dressing you just doused on your salad? Just toss the whole thing out and start over. These types of behavior have become acceptable and there is no one to hold us accountable. 

The United States is in the lead for the country with the most food waste. According to Feeding America, an estimated 72 billion pounds of food is wasted a year, not including the food wasted in homes. Additionally, $218 billion of food is thrown away every year, not including the amount of food tossed in homes. According to Food Forward, studies have shown that an estimated 30-40% of food produced in the United States is thrown away each year.

“An estimated 30-40% of the food produced in the US is thrown away (1)”

Meanwhile, approximately 42 million Americans, including 13 million children, live in food insecure households. This means that 1 out of 8 people in America do not have access to food to sustain a healthy life. This baffles me. While you’re only eating a portion of your pizza and letting the rest spoil, only to be thrown away the next day, there are millions of families around you struggling to find their next meal. 

If this sad truth isn’t enough to change your behavior, I have something else for you. Food waste not only affects food insecure Americans, but also the oh so fragile environment in which we live. Further statistics include the staggering volume of food that makes up 21% of landfills, and the 21% of fresh water that is used to produce food that is discarded. Additionally, around 20 billion pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables are not harvested and left in fields, only to be plowed under. According to Move for Hunger, approximately 1.4 billion hectares of land are used to grow food that is wasted, not to mention the millions of gallons of oil that is wasted due to the fresh produce never being eaten. 

Another factor that contributes to food waste is the date labels found on food products. According to the National Resources Defense Council, approximately 90% of Americans are confused by date labels and throw away food that is still edible, just because a tiny sticker tells them to do so. Except for infant formula, the Food and Drug Administration does not require a date label on food products; however, manufacturers add date labels to their products for a variety of reasons. One of these reasons is to avoid consumers eating or drinking the product after it has gone bad, getting sick from the product, and blaming it on the manufacturer. Another reason could be that the manufacturer doesn’t want their product to be associated with tasting “off” or not as fresh when it is consumed at a later date. Manufacturers may also add a date label to trick the consumer into thinking the product has expired, in hopes that it is thrown away and the consumer has to buy more of that product, thus generating more revenue for the manufacturer. 

“Approximately 90% of Americans are confused by date labels and throw away food that is still edible, just because a tiny sticker tells them to do so”

Common date labels include “expires by”, “sell by”, and “best if used by”. These dates are not meant to be religiously followed, but act more so like a guideline for the consumer. I am not advocating for you to consume milk two months after the expiration date; however, I am urging you to use your best judgement and to think twice before throwing food away. 

Not all hope is lost. Through the Obama administration, the government is taking action on the food waste crisis in the United States. The USDA and the EPA have developed efforts to reduce food loss and waste in half in the year 2030. The goal in the next twelve years is to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills by 50% to 109.4 lbs per person, and to reduce the amount of food loss by 50% to 66 billion pounds. 

As American citizens we have a duty to join this initiative and do our part to reduce food waste in our own homes. The EPA provides several ways to limit food waste:

Meal Planning:

• Plan ahead and create a weekly menu in order to save time and money
• Take an inventory of what you already have in your pantry/fridge and buy only what you need for the week
• Buying in bulk can save money if you are able to consume the food before it spoils

Storage Tips:

• Research how to properly store various items, especially fruits and vegetables
• Freeze or can items that you may not be able to use right away, or items that you may have in abundance 

Preparation Tips:

• Prepare perishable foods right away after purchasing for easy snacking and cooking
• Prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them for future use

Be Mindful:

• Consume the oldest produce first, before it goes bad
• If the produce does not seem as fresh, try adding it to soups, casseroles, smoothies, or stir fry
• At restaurants, only order what you think you can eat in one sitting; and if taking home leftovers, don’t stick it in the back of your fridge and forget about it!

There is more than enough food in the US to feed everyone; however, limited access and
few resources negatively affect many Americans’ chance to obtain the food. I urge you to consider the facts and this current crisis before tossing out food simply because you can. Make small changes to preserving food and limiting the waste you create. When we are able to stop food waste, we take a huge step toward ending hunger. 

“When we are able to stop food waste, we take a huge step toward ending hunger”

Resources

Charles, D. (2017). For Food Manufacturers, 'Sell By' labels may have reached their

expiration date. National Public Radio, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/02/15/515427797/food-companies-may-say-goodbye-to-sell-by-label

Environmental Protection Agency. (2018). Reducing wasted food at home. Retrieve

from https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home

Feeding America. (2018). Fighting food waste with food rescue. Retrieved from

http://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/our-approach/reduce-food-waste.html

Food Forward. (2017). How much food is wasted in America? Retrieved from

https://foodforward.org/2017/09/how-much-food-is-wasted-in-america/

Move for Hunger. (2015). The environmental impact of food waste. Retrieved from

https://www.moveforhunger.org/the-environmental-impact-of-food-waste/

National Resources Defense Council. (2016). USDA overhauls food date labeling for meat

and dairy products nationwide. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/media/2016/161214

Allergy Queen

By Kelsey Wright

The emotional connection we have to food

is something to which we all relate.

Food restrictions can easily ruin your mood

and are often difficult to embrace.

Food is often how we relate to others

since we eat when we see family and friends.

Food is how love is shown by our mothers.

If you don’t eat her meals, it could be an offense.

There are many reasons why we change our diet

like for diabetes, Celiac, and weight loss.

Sometimes we just like to cause a riot

when we walk in looking fit and like a boss.

For diets, the beginning is always the worst

because you start off without a formulated plan.

You stare at diet cookbooks with lips pursed

and realize you’re no longer a free man.

Many times, you don’t have to be extreme.

You can eat some foods from time-to-time.

You can still have a little bacon or ice cream

or some of your favorite key lime.

But if you’re even more restricted

and can’t eat those foods no matter what,

it can make you quite conflicted

and can easily put you in a rut.

Today, this is my strategy:

to talk especially to those of you

who have gained food allergies,

mostly if they’re giving you the “allergy blues”.

I’m here to tell you it will improve.

It will seem hard initially,

but you’ll settle into a groove

and become an allergen expert officially.

Here’s a story to which I personally relate

to help give you some hope

that you can and will acclimate

and begin on an upward slope.

Adult-onset food allergies

can truly cause a grown woman to cry.

Especially when she misses cheese

and ice cream… and also pie.

I know a girl who has gone through this

who’s allergic to 12 different foods.

She can’t have pizza, strawberries, or swiss.

Most things at the store, her diet excludes.

She started out by reading every food label,

walking down every grocery aisle,

and finding things to eat if she was able

to help change her lifestyle.

Next, she learned to be creative

and make recipes that were completely new.

Her family became more accommodative

and cooked things that she can eat too.

At her wedding, she had a special cake

and now eats cashew milk ice cream all the time.

She’s learned she really loves to bake

and her favorite sauce is now avocado lime.

‘

Her love of cooking grew with her confidence

and the situation turned out to be ideal.

It’s when she developed patience

that the little sadness inside of her healed.

This is when she gained a mastery over her foe

and slayed the bothersome allergen “serpentine”.

She then sat down in her contentment throne

and dubbed herself the allergy queen.

Nutrition Through Illness/Surgery: A First-Hand Account

By: Rachel Temple

Have you ever been scared out of your mind? I don't mean scary movie marathon scared, I mean life or death situation kind of scared. The kind of fear that stops you dead in your tracks and kind of takes over your life. That’s the kind of fear that I’m talking about because that is what I experienced during my year as a Dietetic Intern. Now, not every intern will have the experience I had as not every intern will be told by their doctor that they have squamous-cell growths on their reproductive system. Not every intern will have to have surgery during Spring Break to remove the un-invited “tumor babies” so that they can be biopsied to find out if they are malignant or not. Not every intern would even survive the stress of that situation, but this intern did (*humble brag*). 

Now, there’s obviously no ideal time to have to try to have a life and to have to deal with a potential cancer diagnosis looming over your head, but it can be managed. People will tell you to stay positive and they will tell you that its ok to cry and others will just ignore what you’re going through and pretend like nothing is wrong and like you have no extra stress on your life. You’ll get stressed and have terrible nights of sleep, but you can still function effectively as you start to realize that you want to have a meaningful impact on people’s lives right now. You’ll be angry and be in a constant state of pain because almost-cancer is kind of painful, and no one warns you about that. But somehow you pull on those professional clothes every day and walk into that hospital with your head up because those patients still need you to try to help them.

Then you have your oncology rotation. Doesn't that just sound lovely to talk to people with cancer as you are waiting to learn if you have cancer? Let me just tell you, you bond with these patients and you take their lessons and bring them home with you, just in case. And seeing them, hearing their stories, and relating to them brings you some of your life back. Almost all of the patients and people that I talked to that were undergoing active treatment had the same thing in common, they cared about their bodies and they took care of themselves in every way possible. And then you get inspired.

Not everyone will react the same way, but I’m telling you, the people who have cancer know their stuff when it comes to health. They know what medications their taking, the dosage, how much exercise they need to do, how much water to drink, how to be mentally healthy, and, most importantly, how to eat a well-balanced, healthful diet. Now, the last one might be easy for a dietetic intern to comprehend and to live out. It is, after all, our whole career path. However, when you are tired and sick and in pain, cooking and eating healthy foods are not on the top of your priority list. In fact, eating is not even really on your mind and you certainly don't want to put a lot of effort into cooking when you’re just going to eat a few bites and then move on. But that’s not what we preach to our clients, and for the ones thriving with cancer, they don't recommend living like that either. So, I got my butt into gear and started to shop for more wholesome foods. I focused on getting some good protein sources into my diet so that I could maintain my muscle and have a little bit stored up before surgery so healing would go smoother (and it really worked! I was completely healed up in about 1-2 weeks). I also increased my fiber and probiotic intake so that my gut would have some of those good bacteria to help my body heal and to keep all important processed working well (like regular bowel movements because no one is happy if they’re not regular). I added more antioxidant rich foods to just get all the good nutrients starting to work through my system. Finally, I ate for pleasure. It’s a simple concept, but it’s so important for everyone, whether they’re sick or not, to eat with some pleasure every single day. An ice cream cake isn’t the most healthful thing and it really didn't provide me with any nutrient that I was focusing on, but man did it make me feel good. And it made me start to enjoy my food a little more again, so I ate a little more, and just relaxed. Not much you can do when your body decides to grow tumor babies besides get a little mad at it, but still treat it right anyways. You know, just treat it like real children, but with none of the financial burden of a real kid.

 In the end, I got the surgery, they did the biopsies, and they did not find any malignancies. Just squamous cells hanging out, causing some mischief, but ultimately doing no harm. And as relieving as that was, I felt a little sad that I couldn't get more personal experiences with others that do have cancer. They helped open my eyes up to how I treat my body and how important it is to just pay attention to you and what your body is telling you. No matter what, your body is smarter than you and it will do whatever it wants. So treat it well, show it some love, feed it, and use it to live. And, above all else, stay sexy and don’t grow tumor babies (they’re not as cute as human babies).

My Road to a Positive Self Image

By: J’Laine Stutsman

Deciding to start college in my mid-thirties was not an easy decision, but thanks to the support of my family I was able to begin my journey to becoming an RD. When I first decided to go back to school I was not exactly sure what it was I wanted to do. It wasn’t until my oldest child was having GI complications and had to see a dietitian that I finally decided. I started this path because my son, but the further along I go the more I realize my own complicated relationship with food.

I came from the generation of having to eat everything off of your dinner plate before you could leave the table.  When dinner was complete I was always the last one at the table, while my family gathered in the living room. This eventually led to an absence of fullness, which led to weight gain overtime. Everything came to crashing down when in 6^th grade I was diagnosed with a reproductive disease called endometriosis. The only treatment was hormone therapy, which caused me to transform from a size 8 to a size 18 over one summer. As you can imagine such a large weight gain can be tough for any child. To make matters worse my mother was always trying to “help” me by trying to change things about me in an effort to make me look better. This lead to a feeling of not ever being good enough the way I was. I can’t blame my mother for everything, my grandmother and uncle helped to aide in my insecurities. You see on my mothers’ side I felt like the one that wasn’t as smart or pretty as my sister and the comments they sometimes only amplified my feelings. I spent every summer with my grandma telling me that I was too fat and needed to loose weight among other things. This only strengthened my feelings of not being good enough. Throughout my entire childhood my only saving grace was my father, but that didn’t completely drown out the insecurities.

After high school I fell into a tailspin of mentally abusive relationships. When the boyfriend I was living with cheated on me, of course it couldn’t have been him- I wasn’t good enough. I stopped eating in an effort to make myself more attractive. When the relationship ended I once again turned to food, but this time it was my comfort. It seemed like everything was back on track when at 22 I got pregnant with my first child and gained 100 pounds. Given my history I didn’t expect much from the man I was seeing who would later become my husband. He would become my second saving grace. No matter how many times I tried to push him away he never budged. He is the one that encouraged me to pursue school and has kept encouraging me with every bump and doubt throughout. My insecurities specifically body image is still something I struggle with. After 17 years of marriage and 3 kids I still sometimes feel uncomfortable when my husband wraps his arms around me. I may never be completely comfortable in my own skin, but I feel stronger every day.

Those that really know me know that I am not the type of person to share such intimate details into my life. I am sharing my story because I think it’s important for us to understand our own personal relationship with food if we are truly to help others with theirs.

Increasing Women’s Market Share at the Top

How do we cultivate ambitious, leadership-oriented dietitians of the future?

By Katharine Rug

Temperatures warm and flowers bloom, there is no doubt that spring has arrived in St. Louis. The change in temperatures and vegetation mark the beginning of a new season, as well as a signal that the dietetic internship is coming to a close. Just as the bees buzz with excitement for spring, many interns dream of entering into a field they love and paying bills with the compensation they receive. Saint Louis University dietetic interns joined with other local internships on March 26th for “career day.” We received instruction on resume development, interviewing, and even some words of wisdom from professionals in the field. Questions were posed, questions were answered, but leaving career day I felt as if one day could not possibly be enough to equip young professionals with the tools to navigate a saturated job market.

Nonetheless I pondered the words of wisdom we received. Words shared included; job satisfaction above compensation,get your foot in the door, be persistent, and my personal favorite “be fearless.” I thought about the term fearless and the related character attributes of confidence, risk taking, and at times a willingness to “fly by the seat of your pants.” Like a good dietetic intern, I took the inspiration of the day and dove into the research. Some of the questions I want to answer through this post include: What does the employment marketplace look like for women, especially at the senior-executive level management sectors? What factors influence women’s aspirations to become leaders? Are there gender differences and or perceived gender differences that add additional challenges for women entering the c-suite? Finally, tying all these factors together, what areas of professional development can the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics focus on to increase the propensity for dietitians to assume executive leadership roles?

What does the labor marketplace look like for women, especially at the senior and executive management levels?

According to the Center for American Progress women are responsible for earning 60% of undergraduate and master’s degrees, 47% of law degrees and 48% of medical degrees. In totality women compromise 47% of the U.S. labor force and 49% of the college-educated workforce. Though women are now steady stakeholders of the employment and collegiate marketplaces, only 25% of women are executive- or senior-level officials and managers, 20% are board-members, and most importantly only 6% of CEOs are women.

If my fellow interns assigned me a superlative it would state  “person most likely to quote a recent NPR article, show, or podcast and/or person most likely to bring up campaign finance issues in a public setting,” but nevertheless the point is that in a recent NPR series of Freakanomics Radio titled The Secret Life of CEOs, host Stephen Dunbar explored what it takes to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. One particular expert titled After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff examined the phenomenon that occurs when the 5-6% of women actually do become CEOs. This phenomena is referred to as the Glass Cliff, meaning female CEOs are significantly more likely to be given the job if the ship is sinking (After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff). The episode concluded that women in leadership are subjected to greater critique from shareholders, frequent challenges to their authority, as well as less praise for saving the ship from total destruction. Psychologists and CEOs featured in the episode point to the natural tendency for women to be risk averse, lack self-confidence, and the fact that women are held to significantly higher standards as compared to their male counterparts as reasoning to why women do not rise to the top of the employment pyramid. Several female CEOs, including the likes of Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi and Ex-CEO for Yahoo, Carol Burtz, also pointed to the “old boys club” infrastructure of middle and upper management and the blockade it often puts in place for the elevation of female leaders.

What factors influence women’s aspirations to become leaders?

A 2017 report by Egon Zehnder titled Leaders & Daughters: Cultivating the Next Generation identified that 74% of young female respondents aspired to reach executive level leadership. Of the greatest influencers for professional development, women ranked mothers as one of the key components of success, as well as the influence and support of fathers and husbands. This relationship between mothers and daughters also appears to be strengthening in the younger generation of respondents. Additionally, this study examined the role of mentorship as a provision of support to women. 55% of women reported having a senior mentor or manager acting as an advocate for their professional growth instilled a sense of confidence. Though providing maternal figures is not currently part of the Academy’s member benefits, providing platforms for mentorship, as well as advocating for work-life balance for women seeking leadership and family-life has the potential to impact current and future dietitians.

Are there gender differences and or perceived gender differences that add additional challenges for women entering the c-suite?

If you weren’t aware, there are significant gender discrepancies in risk taking behaviors, as well as confidence ratings between men and women. Men are significantly more likely to take part in risk-related behaviors in the domains of health/safety, financial, recreational and ethical decision making as compared to females (Harris, Jenkins,& Glaser, 2006). Along with being risk averse, a recent Harvard study demonstrated that women are less confident than men in their ability to answer questions accurately and women are also less likely to provide answers that strongly agree or disagree (Sarsons & Xu, 2015). In this case, acknowledgment is power and helping women to understand these potential challenges (whether innate or socially constructed) can equip women with the tools to propel themselves forward into the executive levels that they desire.

What areas of professional development can the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietetic Internships focus on to increase the propensity for dietitians to assume executive leadership roles?

1.       Increase student awareness of the Academy’s mentoring program. The Academy offers students and professionals with the opportunity to network and gain a mentor/mentee relationship by matching individuals based on area of practice, interests, and aspirations.

2.       Utilize the Academy’s Diversity Mentoring Toolkit. Did you know that of the 100,000 RDs/RDNs in the United States, 76% are white, 11% are unreported or prefer not to disclose, and 9% are individuals of color? It’s 2018, increasing racial diversity is good for our profession, it’s great for our patients, and it’s what we need to move forward.

3.       Think outside of clinicals. Though dietetic internships are a combination of community, food service, and clinical rotations the largest emphasis always seems to fall on clinical nutrition. Perhaps it is the allure of the white coat or the fact that we spend a lot of time committing ourselves to clinical practice, but the world of leadership and dietetics is much broader than hospital walls. Providing dietetic interns with the opportunity to see what the profession looks like in executive leadership roles could provide young professionals with inspiration to create a path to the C-suite.

4.       Leadership skills are not developed through PowerPoint presentations. Academia has a propensity to utilize class presentations as a means to develop “leadership skills.” I am a firm believer in the use of such presentations to increase an individual’s comfort in front of an audience, but true leadership skills require the development of critical thinking, confidence, and risk taking behaviors (most often under pressure). Therefore….

5.       Role playing isn’t just for practicing patient interactions. Role playing future employment conversations such as goal setting, self-advocacy for increase responsibility, and salary negotiations are just a few scenarios that could be worked through with dietetic interns or young professionals seeking advancement in their field.

As a final point to ponder, I would like to take a minute to acknowledge that this fight for leadership has been long fought by the women that have come before me. Many women have endured bias, harassment, disrespect, and much more. While the fight continues, I would also like to put a final spotlight on women of color. Women of color share the smallest portion of leadership roles in our employment marketplace, despite numerous studies pointing to the importance and benefits of both gender and racial diversity in the workforce. As we march forward together, let us continue the movement towards the top, making sure to advocate for all women and call out discrimination in all forms. I love this profession and I believe that the capabilities of the women in this field are endless. To that end, I believe that a profession comprised of 95% female members should work tirelessly to insure that women are able to elevate themselves to the level of leadership they desire.

References

EgonZehnder (2017). Leaders & Daughters Global Survey 2017

Jenkins, M., Harris, C., & Glaser, D. (2006). Gender Differences in Risk Assessment: Why do women take fewer risks than men?. Judgement and Decision Making 1(1). 

Sarsons, H.,& Xu, G. (2015) Confidence Men? Gender and Confidence: Evidence among Top Economists.

Infographics & Photos

3 Barriers: Center for Creative Leadership

Breakdown of RDs & RDNs by Race: The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Commission of Dietetic Registration

We Can Do It: http://www.alinaanjum.com/2017/08/16/an-inferiority-complex/