Dietitian Eats: WIAW (10/14/15)

It's that time again! Time for what you say? To see what I eat in a day! I know you are super excited (I am). Anyways, today, was all over the place! Between counseling appointments, my walking group, and running between 2 stores I think I am tapped out for the day. Not to mention, getting my private practice insurance essentials all squared away is a headache in itself! That being said, my day wasn't all that exciting nutrition-wise. So, let's have at it!


This morning, I started with my typical shake: frozen raspberries and mango, vegan protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, ginger, and cinnamon. I got a new plant-based protein powder that they started selling at my store. I like it because it is very fine powder, so it blends well. Plus, I don't find an aftertaste.

I packed a delicious baked apples snack today, but never got to eat it :( Lunch was leftovers from the night before: stir-fried tofu (super firm) + steamed broccoli + steamed potatoes. I started off sautéing the potatoes, but they were taking forever. I ended up throwing them in my steamer instead. I honestly didn't even eat my whole lunch today. Very unusual for me; however, I wiped out (literally) on my way back into work, so I was a wee bit flustered.

I lead a walking group on Wednesday nights, so I had a small bowl of gluten-free granola with chia and flax seeds in it before I went. Pre-shower, I made another shake, similar to the one at breakfast. Did I mention I love my Nutri-bullet for days like this?

Post-shower, I roasted some brussels sprouts. I love, love, love roasted brussels sprouts. I just sliced them in half, sprinkled some olive oil, juiced 1/2 a lemon, and added a no-salt seasoning blend (garlic, oregano, parsley, etc). I baked them for about 15 minutes on 375 degrees F. I barely waited until I sat at the table before eating them. A powerhouse of antioxidants and all that good stuff! I probably would have eaten more had I made more.

I snacked on a Fig Bar in between my meals. Love these for the no artificial crap kind of deal. I'm probably going to sneak in another snack at some point tonight. I really didn't get to eat much (especially veggies) with all the back and forth I did today. I think I am leaning more towards my pumpkin tortilla chips with pine nut hummus. Staying with the fall flavors :) Today is the kind of day I should have packed more on-the-go snacks instead of heat and serve type items. I'm thinking I need to restock my emergency car supply of food!

How was your day today? Have you ever tried roasted brussels sprouts?

Dietitian Eats: WIAW (9/30/15)

I can't believe tomorrow marks October 1st! This year seemed to fly by for me so far. I am pretty excited for fall weather and Halloween decorations (they are probably my favorite).

So, today was a bit crazy with what I ate. I had a snack and lunch all planned out; however, my day didn't seem to go as planned. This morning I just had a quick bowl of KIND cinnamon oat clusters with unsweetened almond milk. Not typically something I would buy; however, I got them as a sample and was not in the mode for my regular smoothie.  Usually when I eat cereal (which isn't too often) I am starving within 2 hours. That is usually when I would have my snack. Today, my 1st counseling appointment got pushed back so I just ended up eating lunch later. I was starving before my appointment so I snacked on half of a Cliff-Z bar. Again, not something I would typically buy, but they were a sample I had. Not too bad on sugar, but usually I go for more fiber and protein in a snack bar. But things happen :)

Lunch today was a vegan chili I made over the weekend. I was super glad I made a ton because the past few nights I didn't feel like making extra food for my lunches. Basically, I just threw in low sodium vegetable broth, homemade gravy (tomato sauce) with tomatoes from my garden, broccoli, faro, brown rice, chickpeas, peas, and parsley into my crockpot. I let that all simmer for a couple of hours. Again, a lifesaver when it comes to lazy meal prep during the week. I also had apricot-applesauce (no-sugar-added). I am loving these Charles & Alice cups. They have a mango flavor which is also one of my favs! I like them especially because they are made with real fruit and don't have any junk added. Plus, when I don't feel like chopping up an apple or pear, I can just grab one of these.

Since I ate lunch kind of at a weird time, I didn't have my normal snack (I had packed hummus and gluten-free pretzel crisps). That being said, I was starving when I go home. I ended up grabbing some sliced carrots, ShopRite artichoke hummus, and pumpkin tortilla chips (new from Aldi's for the season). My plate looks a little skimpy because I forgot to take a picture until everything was half eaten. Whoops :) I run a walking group at work so I usually like to have something small before I go. If not, I come home starving yet again. I didn't really have much for grab and go so I had some new granola I just bought. I like Bakery on Main because it has 9g of fiber, 7g of protein, and 7g of sugar (I look for less than 10g). I also like the there is a short ingredient list with things I recognize.

With grad school, working 2 jobs, and balancing my private practice, I am not much in the mood for cooking an all-out meal tonight. Instead, I am going to make a smoothie with unsweetened almond milk, kale/lettuce (from my garden), frozen fruit (mangos and raspberries tonight), chia seeds, and my plant-based protein powder. I also plan on snacking on some fresh anise (fennel) I got today. I love smoothies for a quick (and balanced) meal replacer when I don't feel like making a whole lot.


Thinking back on today, I know I need to pack some more grab-and-go type snacks. Sometimes I will have multigrain cheerios mixed with almond slivers or a pack of nuts or some kind of bar (I also like the fig bars so something sweet!). This helps if I am busy at work and can't sit down for a snack.

How did your day go today? Did you pack your snacks/lunch?

Dietitian Eats: WIAW (8/19/15)

It's that time again! Another "What I Ate Wednesday" post!

Breakfast
I started off my day with a fruit and protein shake. Basically, that consisted of 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup frozen mixed fruit, 1-2 tablespoons of hemp seed protein powder, 1 scoop Vega 1 protein powder. If you didn't already know from my other posts, I am lactose intolerant, so no milk for me!

My counseling appointment at work came earlier so I had lunch right after (instead of a snack then lunch).

Lunch
Quinoa veggie burgers (I was totally not a fan of these), whole grain couscous, stewed tomatoes (from my garden), and watermelon. Usually, I have more greens; however, last night I didn't get home until 8pm and didn't feel like cooking, so I just threw in the leftovers. Normally, I go with Dr. Praeger's or Boca Burgers; however, I tried this new brand in the store and let's just say I regret telling the company to send coupons for me to sample it out.

Snack
I bounced around to another supermarket for a Diabetes tabling event, so I grabbed a snack before going over. This was a Chocolate Chip Cliff Bar-Z. Again, a leftover from an in-store demo! I had hummus and wheat thins; however, I didn't really have time to sit and eat like I thought.

Dinner-ish
So, after job #1 I was going to job #2. Figured I would be good with eating my hummus but it got hot in the car. I ended up making a salad at the salad bar. Consisted of: baby spinach, radishes, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, croutons, sunflower seeds, and light caesar dressing. Normally, I would add some chickpeas; however, they were not out today. Meh.

Dinner-ish
After about 2 hours, I was getting hungry so I made another shake. Being lazy today in terms of cooking! This time I made the smoothie with RAW protein powder, which I just got, plus my fruit and almond milk. I have to be honest, this is probably my favorite plant-based protein powder. It didn't any weird tastes or textures. Definitely a fan.

Snack
I was feeling something crunchy, so I had a few rice thin crackers. Love these for a "light" treat.

Some days, I like to use the MyFitnessPal app just to see where I measure up nutritionally. I averaged around 1800 calories, 95g protein, 210g carbohydrates, 50g fiber, 75g fat (17 PUFA, 11 MUFA, 14 SFA), 1450mg sodium, 3200mg potassium, 419% of my DV for vitamin A, 234% of my DV for vitamin C, 170% of my DV for calcium, and 133% of my DV for iron. Not too shabby I must say!

What did you eat today? Have you ever tried a plant-based protein powder?

Dietitian Eats: WIAW (8/12/15)

Hey there! It is time for another round of "Dietitian Eats"! Today was one of those days where I worked 2 jobs, so I am all over the place in what I ate. Nonetheless, here we go!

Breakfast
Had my usual Kashi Go Lean mixed with unsweetened almond milk, my coffee with almond milk creamer, and my Bubba water :)

I worked at 8:30am this morning, so I had lunch early and held the snacks until later.

Lunch
For lunch I had my leftovers from last night: sautéed tofu (extra firm Nasoya brand) with hemp seeds, asparagus sautéed with low sodium soy sauce, whole wheat couscous, and sautéed kale (olive oil and McCormick's garlic herb seasoning). I also had watermelon! Pretty excited about this because I had been waiting for watermelon to go on sale and last week they were! If the container looks like a lot, it is because it is my 2-day stash.

Snack
Forgot to snap a picture, since I ate walking to the bathroom; but, I had a Oatmeal Raisin Cliff bar Z, which was part of my demo at work.

Snack
So, between jobs I was starving! I decided to swing home and make a quick smoothie to hold me for the next 2 hours. My smoothie consists of a handful of mixed berries, unsweetened almond milk, and a scoop of vegan protein powder (can't do milk based proteins)! Sometimes, I will mix in vegetables or use a hemp seed protein. I was kind of in a rush so I just grabbed the one on the counter! I love smoothies for when I don't feel like cooking or just want some nutrition on-the-go.

Dinner
Dinner was another "I failed to take a picture" moment. Whoops :) Anyways, I had a salad made with dragon kale and lettuce from my garden, hemp seeds, pine nuts, dried plums and tahini dressing that I found at Aldi's. Usually, I make my own dressing with a salad dressing bottle I got from Amazon, but today I was not feeling it. I also had a mini wrap with my leftover tofu and hummus. I also munched on some carrots and peas from my garden while getting everything together!

I was feeling something tasty after dinner so I snacked on 2 gummy bears (I know, totally overdid it :):)) and had some mint tea. I usually find if I am bored and want something to snack on, I will make tea and that helps with mindless eating.

How was your day today? Make some healthy picks yourself?

Dietitian Eats: What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW)

Hey there! One of the top questions I get (on a daily basis) is "What do you eat all day?" That mixed with, "What's for lunch?" In inspiration of that, plus other RD blogs I follow, I decided to do my own "What I Ate Wednesday" blog!

I tend to eat the same types of things every day. Today, was a little different than my usual pattern, but hey that's life.

Normally, my breakfast starts with either a protein bar, high fiber cereal, or a tofu wrap. Today, I went with some Kashi Go Lean Crunch mixed with Get Balance Fiber cereal. I have unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened cashew milk with that (lactose-intolerant). I try to get a cereal with <10g of sugar per serving and at least 3g fiber. Sometimes, I will do 1/4c of a cereal that has over 10g of sugar and mix it was a low sugar cereal. Just to change things up. I of course have my coffee in my fancy RD cup and my Bubba water (32oz). My coffee I either drink black or with a splash of unsweetened almond milk creamer.

That usually holds me for 2 hours. I had my mid-morning snack about 2 hours after getting into work. I wasn't starving, but, I knew I was doing a demo and would not be eating for another 3 hours. I didn't want to be sampling food and having my stomach grumbling at the same time. I packed some veggie pop chips (leftover from an event) and spinach and artichoke hummus (my favorite).

Lunch today was leftovers from last night; tofu (about 1/2c) with marinara, wheat pasta (1/4c), and broccoli with a caesar dressing on it. I'm not a huge pasta fan, but I was in the mood for it last night!

I also have fruit or a salad with my lunch. Today, I opted for green grapes. Looks like a lot, but I typically put 2 days worth of grapes in my lunch box. One less thing to refill when I get home! My grapes are also looking a little sad, so I am glad I only have 1 more servings worth.

So, last night, my boyfriend and I did an 11-mile bike ride. We didn't go until late (8-ish), which means we weren't back until about 9pm. That being said, neither of us felt like cooking! Adam (aka my boyfriend) wanted Chinese. Usually, I find the "healthy" part of the menu. I opted for steamed veggies (sauce on the side), and Adam got vegetable mei fun. We ordered quarts to have leftovers. Tonight, I had my steamed veggies (broccoli, snow peas, bamboo shoots, etc) with brown rice (1/2c) and about 1 tablespoon of the sauce they sent (there was about 1 cup!). I also had a forkful of Adam's mei fun.

While heating everything up for the night, I was getting pretty hungry. I ended up snacking on a few sweet green peppers from my garden. I also packed my snack and lunch for tomorrow, so I snuck in a slice of cheese! After dinner, I was feeling something sweet so I tried out these new barkThins I got at the supermarket. I like that 1 serving is 22g of carbohydrates and 11g of sugar. Not bad for chocolate! Also, there are not too many ingredients. Anyway, an indulgence nonetheless.

I usually fill my Bubba water jug about 2x during the day. Normally, i get about 75-80 ounces of fluid on a non workout day. Sometimes I will add in seltzer or unsweetened iced tea (brewed from home) to change things up!

Overall, today was not too bad. I got enough fiber, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals (with all the veggies!). I wasn't too high on sodium, sugar, or calories (even with the chocolate!). Typically, I would like to get more protein in, whether it is some nuts, beans, or a bar, and another serving of fruit.

Hope you enjoyed the Dietitian's Eats. Tune in next week to see what is on the menu!

My First (Horrible) Experience with a CPE Seminar

As part of keeping your Dietitian title/license, you need to complete continuing education credits (75 over 5 years). It's pretty standard for many other medical/health professionals as well (Pharmacists, RNs, OTs, PTs, etc). I have been leaning towards a mix of webinars, self-study courses, and lectures to gain credits. It works the best for me with having 2 jobs and an overall busy schedule.

Recently, I went to a seminar called, "Food Addiction, Obesity, and Diabetes," provided by INR. I was super excited! It was going to cover overeating, binge eating disorders, managing food addiction, managing Diabetes, sleep, stress, and so much more. It would also be my first seminar and it was $81 for 6 credits, which isn't too bad at all! Anyways, I made the 45 minute drive and attended with another Dietitian friend of mine. Let me just say, thank goodness for the free coffee and company or I would not have made it through the lecture. What a disappointment!

First of all, the lecturer (we will call her Dr. X) started late. Big pet peeve of mine! So, Dr. X does the introductions and starts off with the food addiction. She used a ton of medical terminology and definitely seemed liked she was very knowledgable. May I just say that "seemed" is the key word here. We get into food addiction, all very interesting; however, we are not following along in the 41 page (front and back) booklet I have, which apparently was due to someone different writing the slides. Anyways, Dr. X quotes a ton of research articles, which is great, except it takes an extra couple minutes for her to locate each one. This might sound great to you because she is using evidenced based research; however, for each claim she had 1 article and only read a few lines in the summary (not mentioning those involved in the study and other information you would want to know). Still not a big deal until we get to the first break and we are already very behind, aka we were supposed to had moved on to obesity and were still on the first section of the first topic!

As we get back from the first break, me with more coffee, I start to notice that when anyone asks a question, she gives a politician answer. By that I mean, she does not actually answer the question. Dr. X gave this round about answer quoting another 1-2 studies (spending the time to again find them) and leaving many people frustrated. We again continue to trudge along and make it to the lunch break. At this point, I notice that we are still not through part 1 (supposed to be on part 2 of 4) and that we spent so much time on the super science part (aka names of specific hormones and transporters) that I didn't feel like I learned anything useful/practical yet.

So, my RD friend and I head to the in-hotel dining area, where lunch is not provided (my mistake for thinking my $81 also extended to lunch). Here we have another depressing scene: $7.95 for cold salad bar and soup or $12-something for the hot bar. Now, I am starving and want to check out the menu for the hot bar. We have vegetables (nothing fancy), bratwurst and cabbage (oh yum), chicken schnitzel, and potatoes with bacon. Glad I looked because chicken schnitzel means breaded chicken patties that you would expect to find in a school lunch program.  I went with the soup and salad bar, which actually had a lot of options, and a lovely dessert of fresh fruit and a cookie (very good). It seems lunch was looking like the highlight; however, I go in open-minded to our second half of the day.

In talking about diets, Dr. X mentions the diet fads; one of which is the Paleo diet. Her take on this is that we shouldn't tell people to cut out food groups because it does not work long-term. I generally don't tell people to start cutting things out in counseling either. Dr. X goes on to say that Paleo dieters cut out grains/carbohydrates, using those terms interchangeably. I have a few issues with this. One of which is that not all carbohydrates are grains (aka fruits). Also, many Paleo diet followers (many RDs I follow online) are more-so cutting back on the breads and pastas and aiming for majority of carbohydrates from fruits and veggies. Nothing wrong with that!

Right after saying not to cut foods out, Dr. X answers a question regarding red meat. Here Dr. X states to not eat the red meat because of it having saturated fat. My issue is meat quality. Grass-fed beef is way better than conventional fed meat (fed grains).  To quote Mayo Clinic: Grass-fed beef has," less total fat, more heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, more conjugated linoleic acid (thought to reduce heart disease and cancer risks), and more antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E."

My last remaining hope died with Dr. X's statement towards Diabetic meal plans. She quotes this (apparently from the American Diabetes Association) in terms of macronutrient distribution, "50-60% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 10% fat." What?! The AMDR for fat is 20-35% so 10% is way too low. What Dr. X might have meant to say was the American Diabetes Association recommends less than 10% from saturated fats. What frustrated me the most is that people in the lecture were taking notes and writing down things she said. This misinformation turns into what health professionals are then spreading!

Quick note: I am 6 cups of coffee in for the day (one of the best parts of the lecture was the unlimited coffee). We are getting to the last hour of the seminar and we have 3 parts still to go over! Dr. X decides it is a good idea to have no more questions from the group and to blow through about 25 pages (front and back) of information in an hour. Well, that didn't turn out well. The seminar contained a lot of good information; however, I have to read through and learn it on my own. Part of attending a seminar is so you don't have to spend extra time teaching yourself!

Besides my unlimited coffee for the day, one other benefit was that they had discounted self-study courses. I was able to buy 2 at $10 each (3 credits each) and one at $25 (5 credits). Great deals on interesting CPEs that I can use. Just as a disclaimer, I spoke to another Dietitian who attended the same seminar in another location and she had a much better experience than I did. I apparently just got the bad apple of the lecturers. Looks like I will be sticking to my self-study courses and webinars from now on :)

To end on a positive note, I went to my Dietitian meeting today and got a King Trumpet mushroom!

My Top Webinars/Self-Study Courses
http://www.todaysdietitian.com
http://www.dietitiancentral.com/ceu/continuing_ed.cfm
http://www.pbhfoundation.org
http://www.nutrition411.com

Top 10 Dietitian Misconceptions

"Dietitian...that means you make meal plans, right?" (Said by someone I encountered at my one job). If you are a fellow Dietitian (or Nutrition major), you have probably heard that phrase, or something like it, before.  If you haven't, just wait and see :)

Here are my top 10 things I hear and chuckle at (I've gotten over being annoyed) that are complete misconceptions (at least for me)!

#1 Do you only eat salad?
Nope. I eat meat, veggies, fruit, etc. I do enjoy a salad and I will often eat from the salad bar at work. And by salad I mean a small amount of lettuce with a crazy amount of toppings (mushrooms, broccoli, croutons, chicken, chickpeas, etc). But again, I don't just eat it because I am a RD, I actually like it.

#2 I am not judging what you eat.
People will literally say to me, "Oh, I know what I am eating is bad for me, I was just really hungry." I could care less what you eat! I just came into the room to make phone calls for work. Along with me not judging what you eat, you can refrain from hiding your food from me. One day at work, I was walking down the hall and a lady with a bag of fast food literally put it behind her back when I walked by. After I said hello, she looked genuinely embarrassed and hurried off. TRUE STORY.

#3 Please stop judging what I eat.
I love the occasional ice cream (with my Lactase pills of course) or chips. Who doesn't?! I really don't like when people see me eating something "unhealthy" and say, "Wow, you're eating chips?" Yes, I am human and do enjoy these pleasures once in a while.

#4 Now that you are a RD, can you write me a meal plan?
Much to what people think, I don't just write meal plans. Actually, I rarely write out a meal plan for someone. I generally like to give people the tools to be able to choose foods that fit their dietary needs. Plus, if I told you what to eat for each meal, chances are that would become very boring. I also don't like putting people on "diets" or talking about them for that matter. I am all about healthy lifestyle changes, which do not fall in line with a meal plan.

#5 So, you are not going to tell me to cut out my favorite foods?
This goes along with my whole no-diet-thing. Generally, when you cut foods out, you tend to miss them. This can lead to binge-eating and "going off the diet" wagon. In my experience, with both counseling and my own life, it is better to keep in your favorite foods and just eat them in small portions.

#6 Yes, I did go through 4 years of school, an unpaid internship, and a final exam.
A lot of people I talk to think that I became a RD once I graduated. I wish! After getting my bachelors, I had to apply to internships, get accepted, pay large amounts of money, and then sell my soul for 9 months (not counting the lack of life for the 2 months I spent studying to take my exam). Dramatic enough for you? But seriously, becoming an RD is not easy and props to anyone who is embarking on the journey.

#7 Dietitian and Nutritionist are not the same.
Nutritionist is not a licensed term, at least in PA. Basically, anyone could call themselves a Nutritionist. A Certified Nutritionist has more credentials than a regular Nutritionist; however, Registered Dietitian trumps all :)

#8 I don't know everything and I am not afraid to say it.
It surprised me how people are shocked that I don't know something specific about a food. Example: "What are baby romanesco good for?" First of all, I have never even seen one until now. Second, I don't know all the nutrients in every fruit and vegetable. Yes, green leafy veggies have Vitamin K and red/orange veggies have Vitamin A; however, I mainly just tell people to eat fruits and vegetables. You don't really need to focus on eating specific ones for specific nutrients. That is so complicated! Make it simple and just choose a variety. In the words of many RDs, "Color your plate."

#9 Every counseling session should be standardized to cover the same thing. 
I don't know where people got that idea from; however, none of my counseling sessions are ever the same. You don't talk to a 60-year-old the same way you talk to a 12-year-old. You can standardize the process (aka you have the same introduction of yourself, similar forms, same waiver, etc); however, what is covered in a session is completely client-centered. I not only learned that in school; however, leading counseling sessions has taught me to be super flexible. I might want to cover protein with someone (seeing as they don't eat enough), but they get into their binge eating habits. That last bit of information is more important to cover first. Counseling is all about getting to know your client and helping them to reach the goals they want to set.

#10 "You don't need to see a Dietitian because you are not fat."
Just because you are thin does not mean you are healthy. As a Dietitian, I help people gain weight (if they are underweight or looking to gain muscle), lose weight, and maintain their weight. People come see me for all different reasons. Plus, a skinny person might have horrible eating habits that lead them to become Diabetic or deficient in certain nutrients. Again, I am here to help the client reach their goals. I never judge by body size because it is such a horrible indicator of actual health.

These 10 items are all things I have encountered between my jobs, friends, family, community, etc. You may have more to add to this list or things to change (depending on your situation).

Hope you enjoyed the read. Stay tuned for my next blog "10 Tips for Conducting a Recipe Demo."

PS: This is a Baby Romanesco. Tastes and looks like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower!

Job Searching, New Career, and New Stage of Life!

It's been quite a while since I made my last blog post. I could say life got in the way; however, it was really that nothing too crazy happened to want to write about. Just being honest :) So, quick recap is: I passed my RD exam, got my PA state license ($65), renewed my PA state license (another $65), applied for a bunch of jobs (most of which said they wanted people with their RD title for more than a year aka NO), paid for an Adult Weight Management Online Self-Study Module (through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for 16 credits), looked at the first section of the module because it is super long, brainstormed some blog ideas, looked into private counseling, worked my current job, did some webinars for free CPE credits, went on a few vacations, and lastly....got a job!

I'm pretty excited about that last part, not only for the nice pay increase from my current position at the YMCA, but also, it was exactly what I was looking for! I will be a part-time retail dietitian at my local supermarket. The position will also be heading towards full-time in the Fall/Winter when the programs get up and running. The RD will do everything from counseling to store nutrition tours to kid's day events.  I really love working in the community and doing so many different things each day. I hate the whole 9 to 5 boring job routine. I like that I will be doing tons of different programs with all ages and stages of life. The job is also super flexible (I will eventually be creating my own schedule), I will be doing a lot independently (good thing I am a go-getter/self-motivated type of person), I get the opportunity to network with other RDs in the surrounding supermarkets, and I will be doing what I love :) Today's Dietitian sums up the role of a supermarket dietitian pretty well (for those of you who aren't sure what they do). The supermarket I will be at had 26 events last month, so I will definitely be a busy bee until I find my own routine.

So, how am I feeling about my new job and starting tomorrow? I am obviously very excited and anxious to just get in and get started. I am also a wee bit overwhelmed. There is a lot that goes on each week and besides all the events, I also schedule counseling, store tours, additional classes, and answer customer nutrition questions. It is also a new atmosphere with tons of new faces (been at my current job for 9 years so I pretty much know everyone and everything there is) and I don't really have an idea of what I will be doing every day. Like, how will I structure my day? I will be the only RD in the store, so it is not like I will be trained by the person in the position last. I am so grateful that I will get the opportunity to head to 2 other stores this week and meet the RDs there. I have a huge list of questions I want to ask them! I am very glad I have had experience running programs, creating materials, and working with the public at my current job. I feel like that is giving me a great basis for my new position.

I don't know if this is job where I will be forever (still keeping my YMCA position), but who knows! I am definitely leaning towards becoming a private practice RD. And by leaning towards, I mean I want to do it and get started, I am just slacking a bit :) It is a bit overwhelming to learn about everything you need to do to get started in private practice! I just need to break it down into smaller, more manageable steps (instead of avoiding getting started..haha). This will be something I will be getting back to in future blog posts.

I feel like I am at the stage in my life where all my friends and acquaintances are either having babies, getting married, or getting their career job. I mentioned this to my boyfriend this past weekend and his response was that I am now in this crowd with my new position.  It feels a bit weird to me. I mean you go through college, finish an internship, take a test, but I don't think it really hits you until you land that first job or just do something with your new title (like start a private practice). I feel like I am finally spreading my wings at a place that will give me the tools and knowledge to make even more of an impact on people (and way more people that is). But anyways, moving on from my emotional part of this blog :) Stay tuned for my upcoming blog posts on: "My First Week as a Supermarket Dietitian" and "Dietitian You Say? That Means You Make Meal Plans." (I am especially excited about writing that last one)!