Grad School, Vacation, and Dietitian Shore Eats

Well we are officially in September and I am finally on vacation! This week has been kind of weird for me. This is my first PAID vacation from my new job (started last year) and the first week of grad school! I am doing online school for my Masters in Dietetics Administration from Utah State University, which is also the University I did my dietetic internship through!

It definitely felt weird to turn my work phone off, and leave it at home! Normally, on my days off from work, I leave it on and check my emails and voicemails. I figured it would be good to disconnect for a while! I do keep having weird dreams where I come back to work with 533 emails or a huge pile of boxes at my desk (this happens when I am gone for just a day or two). It never felt weird being away from my part-time job for a while; however, I figure because I am full-time and more invested in my new position that it feels so odd. This time next year I will probably be thinking I was crazy for saying this! HA-HA.

So, Monday marked the first day of grad school! Yay! I was excited about getting back into school; that is until I started getting overwhelmed with all the assignments and deadlines! Balancing school and work has never been an issue for me. I always worked 1 (or 2) jobs and went to school full-time. I just need to be even more organized with working 2 jobs + getting my new business off of the ground! I'll feel better once I have all my assignments mapped out in my planner and highlighted in their different colors :) I am a highlighter junkie!

Everyone always asks me if I ever eat junk. Well of course I do! Just rarely and mostly saved for vacations HA-HA. Yesterday was a prime example of this. I had a morning smoothie with fruit, unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, and plant-based protein powder. I like to try out different types of powders to see which I like best. This was the first time I had vanilla cinnamon and it was really good!

  

I followed that up with some So Delicious cookies and cream "ice cream," which was sooooo delicious. I made tofu, broccoli, stewed tomatoes (from my garden), and sautéed potatoes for lunch. I followed that up with some chips :) I finally cut and ate some of the watermelon we bought Sunday. Again, I followed this with 1/2 of a corn muffin. For dinner, I made refried bean burritos and more broccoli. I followed that with some more chips :) Do you see a pattern yet? :)

Here is my personal stance on vacation eating. Try to still eat healthy (maybe the main meals) and sprinkle some unhealthy in between. I know I don't normally eat these kinds of foods; however, if I want them on vacation, I am going to indulge and not feel bad about it. I also try to keep active on vacation (aka like our 32-mile bike ride on Tuesday or my 2 beach walks today). I figure that also evens out the not-so-healthy-foods :)

Tips for Teaching High School Nutrition

This past week, I went back to my old high school to teach nutrition in the health classes. I had already been back here to teach in January for the first round of health; however, I came back to teach the 2nd semester students. This was all through my position as a ShopRite Dietitian. I do in-store counseling and demos; but also go out in the community for presentations and classroom teaching (whem i am invited). It is such a great experience for me since I love teaching nutrition. I also love working with kids! The little ones (kindergarten) are my favorite; however, I do like high school too.

This week, I mostly had freshman students with a few random juniors and seniors. I did 5 separate classes, covering about 130 students total. I choose to do just a basic MyPlate, food group, lesson. I wasn't really sure the knowledge of students and I wanted to just do something simple. I started off by introducing myself and my role as a dietitian. I was surprised that about 80% of the students didn't know what a dietitian was, let alone, what I did! After that, I did a short introduction of the MyPlate symbol. I gave a pre-assessment activity to see how well they knew the food groups. Most students didn't know avocado was a fruit or what tofu was (no big surprise there). I did have 1 student tell me that soda was a protein food and another tell me that candy bars should be considered a dairy product because it contains milk. Yup.

Then, I jumped into the bulk of the lesson. I went through the benefits of different foods (like citrus containing Vitamin C, which is good for immune health) (1 soft pretzel being equal to 4 slices bread) and the recommendations for things like protein and vegetables. I tried not to just lecture to the students. I remember what it was like to be in a classroom, so I didn't want to bore them, if possible. I did a lot of interactive questions. I would ask if they thought something was a myth or a fact. For instance, eating oranges to prevent a cold. MYTH. Vitamin C will shorten the duration of your cold but not prevent it. Asking a lot of questions helped to keep them more engaged.

After moving through different foods and food groups, I gave them a blank plate and had them fill in what they ate yesterday for dinner and what category the foods were in. A lot of the students did great with this, even though they were a little nervous about sharing. I also told counseling/food stories throughout the class to keep the conversation light. I always love telling students about how a fellow employee literally hid her fast food from me and became super awkward when I said hello to her. No, I am not the food police. Ha.

I left about 10 minutes for questions and open conversation. Last time I was at the school, the teacher asked a lot about school lunch and sugary beverages. I left time to incorporate that into my lesson for this round. I did a brief couple of minutes on sodas and juices (both of which are no match for water), protein drinks/supplements, nutrition for athletes, vegetarian diets, and dieting in general. All of these topics would be great for future lessons for high schoolers. I also left 2 nutrition handouts on the front desk in the classroom for students to take if they wanted. I found that just handing out materials will lead to most of them throwing it out or leaving it on the floor. About 50% of the kids took the handout and I figure majority of them were actually interested in the nutrition information.

One of the biggest things with teaching high schoolers is to be relatable. Don't go telling them to eat salads and broccoli if they probably won't. Get on their level and figure out what they do now and how they can improve. Relate healthy eating to performance and feeling good versus "getting fat." I had the students think of ways they could improve their lunch. Maybe, they would bring an apple or baby carrots. I also reminded them it is about balance and adding healthy items to their meals. It is not about restricting, limiting, or cutting foods out. The other major thing with teaching high schoolers is to really know your material. They will ask a lot of random nutrition questions, so don't go teaching something you don't really know much about.

Hopefully, this helps you teach nutrition to the youngsters :)

Reasons Why I Love My Job

I just realized it has been waayyyy too long since my last post. Whoops :) Today as I was driving home from work, I had one of those moments where I thought about my day and said to myself, "I really love what I am doing." I always hear from friends or coworkers how much they hate their job or hate what they are doing in life right now. I feel really lucky to say not only do I love my field, but I also love working as a Retail Dietitian.

One of the first things I love is all of the connections I get to make with people. Even if it is just a passing by conversation with the same customer every single Tuesday, it is nice to think that they swing by my desk just to say hi. It is great to have other employees walk by and ask me nutrition questions or pick my brain about something. I feel like I am much more settled in my new job and people are starting to see that I really do know what I am talking about :) Today, I had one employee come by and tell me she lost 5 pounds since talking to me. Wooohoo!

Earlier at work, I did a food demonstration with hummus, veggies, and crackers. If you haven't been reading my other blogs, part of being a supermarket RD is healthy food demos. Sometimes I will make a healthy recipe in the kitchen; other days I pull products from the shelf and try to match them with coupons I have. Today happened to be Sabra hummus in my heart healthy snacking demo. As I am giving out samples, I get the few people who walk by and make a face at the mention of hummus. I also get the people who never tried hummus before and love it their first time! I had this one mom come up with her child and asked if she could take one. I was like of course, thinking it was for her. She reaches down to her child and goes, "Here, it is hummus, your favorite." It gets me all excited when kids are excited about healthy foods! Win!

Probably the most rewarding part of my day was a counseling session I had. It was a late in my shift and I was burnt out from working 10 hours already. My client was so motivated and already making lifestyle changes that it made me super excited to get to work with her. She got into some personal issues she had with food and used some of my listening and reflecting skills. We went on to talk about a few new nutritional changes she could make and I really encouraged her to keep up what she was already doing. So, as we near the end of her time, she goes on to tell me, "I just need to tell you I really appreciate all the advice you gave me. I feel like you covered everything really well. You truly listened to what I had to say and allowed me to get some things off of my heart. It feels really nice to be able to talk to someone about my health and I really appreciate you listening." Day made. That is the best part of my job. Working one-on-one with people is so rewarding for me. I get into such a groove for a counseling session that I feel like I am walking on air when I am done (I know, it is weird). I love seeing clients for follow-up and tracking the progress they made. It is so awesome to be a part of someone's journey to health.

There are a ton of other things I could go on and on about with why I love what I am doing; however, these were just the few little things that happened today that I felt the need to share :) Hope you had a great Monday as well!

Top 5 Tips for Running a Food Demo

Part of my job as a Retail Dietitian is running food demonstrations. This is one of the parts of my job that I love/dislike. I love demoing recipes and having customers enjoy new foods that they never thought they would eat. I also love when I hear my recipe has become a family favorite! I am, however, not a fan of the recipe planning. I tend to overthink things, like most Dietitians I know. I worry about not choosing a recipe that goes over well with customers. After doing a few demos, I learned that you are not going to please everyone and not to take that personally. With that in mind, below you will find my tips for running a food demo!

Tip #1: Choose Your Recipe Based on Your Population
If you are serving a population of young kids, you wouldn't necessarily choose a spicy or tough-textured recipe. You might, however, choose a healthy and simple snack or a common favorite dish with a healthy spin (like mac n' cheese made with broccoli and chicken). Or if you are serving a group of seniors, you might go for softer foods versus nuts and crunchy items (since a lot of them have a hard time chewing). The population I work with is mostly families and health seekers. These health seekers want quick and easy recipes. I am not going to choose a recipe with 15 ingredients because even if customers like the recipe, they are not likely to make it at home. It is always best to assess your population first, then choose a recipe you think will go over well.

Tip #2: Add Options to Your Recipe 
A lot of times, I will create or alter a recipe to make it healthier. I might cut back on the fat, sodium, carbohydrates, etc. I usually add to the bottom of my recipe ways to add flavor or ways to pair the recipe with something else. For example, I made a crockpot chicken fajitas recipe. I gave the option for people to add a wrap or rice for a carbohydrate source. I also gave the option to add extra veggies for more bulk. Another example is a cauliflower mashed potatoes recipe I tried. I used herbs and spices for the recipe, but gave the option to add parmesan cheese for extra flavor. Those who didn't want to add the fat/sodium/calories were free to choose otherwise.

Tip #3: Taste and Prep Test Your Recipe Prior to Demoing
My first demo, I made an awesome sweet potato and acorn squash bake. The recipe went over so well; however, the prep was a disaster! I didn't realize how long it would take to peel and chop 4 acorn squash (almost an hour). I was rushing and trying to recruit help for the prep with only having 1.5 hours before the demo start. It was definitely a stressful start, but you live and you learn :) I've also had a few ideas for recipes and taste tested at home only to realize I needed to add or change things to make it more palatable. You won't always have the time to alter recipes the day of, so it is best to perfect it prior to demoing.

Tip#4: Make a List of Everything You Need
Usually, my demo days are hectic. I come in 1-2 hours prior to the event. I make the recipe, set-up the demo table, and merchandise the items I am using. Unless I make a list, I forget even the simplest things (like my tablecloth for 1 demo). Make your demo run that much more smoothly and have a list of everything you need, down to the napkins!

Tip#5: Have a Copy of The Recipe With Nutritional Facts
Almost every person who comes to my demos will ask me something along the lines of, "Is this good for me?" Or, "I have Diabetes, how many carbohydrates are in this?" Or, "I have to watch my sodium, is there a lot in this recipe?" I find it so much easier to just have the recipe with the nutrition facts on the bottom. Even if I know the recipe is healthy, customers still want numbers. Plus, if you have a entree heavy on the carbohydrates, then those people with Diabetes might need to plan some non-starchy sides to balance it out.

I hope these tips help you in your food demos as much as they did me! Stay tuned for more tips from the life of a RD :)

Pomegranates I used in a Produce Pick taste testing!