Tuesday, December 29, 2015

What RDs Do: Sarah Remmer, RD, CDE

SARAH REMMER
FAMILY NUTRITION EDUCATOR, FREELANCE WRITER
for something nutrishus


Sarah was a dietitian I reached out to when I was considering starting a private practice right after university. She is a busy mom of three and successful entrepreneur that has carved out a niche for herself.

Why did you become a RD?


I became an RD because I was passionate about food and health and extremely interested in nutritional science. When I learned that I could become a Dietitian—someone who counsels people on how to eat better, I knew it was the perfect fit for me. I always knew that I would be in private practice--I wanted to listen to people who had the desire to change their lifestyle, and counsel them based on their personal needs.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

Pre- and post-natal nutrition, pediatric nutrition, and picky eating.

How would you explain what you do?

I work with expectant moms, new Moms and families to help establish healthy eating habits from day one. My passion is helping parents navigate “the trenches” of feeding (starting solids, feeding your toddler/preschooler, picky eating, mealtime battles etc.). Although I counsel parents one-on-one both in person and virtually, the majority of the work that I do is media-related (blogging and freelance writing) and online education (e-courses). I’m the nutrition blogger for the Canadian award-winning parenting blog “Erica Ehm’s Yummy Mummy Club”, I contribute to my own blog regularly, I’m a regular contributor for Alberta Milk’s More About Milk blog and I do freelance writing for parenting publications such as Today’s Parent Magazine. I also consult for the food industry (brands that I believe in and use myself) and work with local business’s such as the Children’s Cottage (crisis nurseries) and daycares to provide nutrition education and menu planning services.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

Right now, I’m just trying to keep up with blogging as I have a 6 week old at home (as well as my two other kids), but typically I work 3 days a week and would see one client max, write a blog post or two, do some consulting work such as menu planning, work on an upcoming e-course and spend time networking on social media.

What has been your career path?

I have always worked in private practice to some degree, but have also worked in the hospital, in gyms and in private clinics. When I had my first baby, I decided to focus exclusively on baby and kids’ nutrition (specifically educating parents on how to best feed their families and nurture a healthy relationship with food) as well as disordered eating patterns in the teenage years and adulthood (and how to prevent these behaviours from an early age). I discovered blogging and have slowly transitioned from in-person counselling to educating a wider audience through the creation of online resources, writing and blogging for parents of babies and young kids.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

I was a Certified Diabetes Educator for five years prior to deciding to focus on pediatric nutrition, I have a very keen interest in intuitive and mindful eating as well as Eating Disorders and have trained under and worked with many Psychologists, Doctors and Dietitians who specialize in the area, as well as performed hours of my own research on the subject (and have years of my own counselling experience in Eating Disorders).

I have done specialized media training (TV, and radio) and more recently (the past 5 years) have been to several blogging/writing conferences where I’ve trained and learned how to be a better writer.

I have also spent hundreds of hours learning and reading about kids’ nutrition and picky eating and working closely with experts in the area. I’m also excited to become certified as an SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Feeding Expert in the Spring of 2016 so that I can better educate parents and caregivers on how to healthfully feed kids with feeding difficulties.

In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now?

I’m hoping that RDs continue to be recognized as the leading experts in nutrition and food and that we become better recognized (and compensated for) for the amazing work that we do.

More about Sarah:

Website: www.sarahremmer.com
Blog: www.thenondietdietitian.com
Twitter: @sarahremmer
Facebook: Sarah Remmer, RD

Thanks Sarah! Find out more about What RDsDo.

If you're a dietitian that would like to be featured, email me for the details!