Tuesday, November 28, 2017

What RDs Do: D. Milton Stokes, PhD, MPH, RD, FAND

MILTON STOKES
HEALTH COMMUNICATOR & AGRICULTURAL ADVOCATE;
DIRECTOR, GLOBAL HEALTH & 
NUTRITION OUTREACH: MONSANTO
for something nutrishus


I'm very pleased to share another "guy-ititian" interview with you, and a very credentialed one too! Oddly enough, I do similar work to Milton, but on a smaller scale and with more of a social media focus; however, my daughter thinks I 'send messages' as my line of work. He has had an incredible journey to lead to his current role. Seeing the M word above, you can likely imagine the tough job Milton has; below you'll find out how he got there.

Why did you become a RD?

I grew up in a family-owned restaurant. I enjoyed food and cooking. Dietetics was a natural progression.

What area of dietetics do you work in?


I work in agriculture communication.

How would you explain what you do?

I serve as a connection bringing dietitians and farmers together. In addition to dietitians, I work with nutritionists, foodservice professionals, chefs, and the academics who train them plus their professional societies.

Melissa Joy Dobbins interviewed me for a podcast where we discuss my work in agriculture. You may find it useful.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

Does email count? Oh, what about email? I also have email. Ha! My role is global, and a lot of my colleagues are working when I’m asleep. Thank goodness for email, but there’s a lot of it.

My days comprise some routines with meetings and reading reports, and of course email, but the reasons vary. While I am employed by Monsanto, I think of myself as working for food and nutrition professionals around the world. I answer their questions, share third-party resources with them, host educational webinars, attend and speak at conferences, and much more.


What has been your career path?

I describe my career as a bowl of spaghetti with a lot of twists and turns. I started out owning a restaurant with my mom in Kentucky and then became a clinical dietitian in New York City. I always say that when I reached the 6-month mark in clinical, I was bored. That’s when I started writing as a freelancer on nights and weekends. I’d pitch magazines and websites proposing content for them. Today’s Dietitian magazine gave me my first paid writing assignment, and then it all took off from there. It also helped that Men’s Health magazine had been interviewing me for articles. I decided to pitch my editor at Men’s Health, and he was game to work on something together. I wrote more than 100 articles and columns, and I wrote, co-wrote, and edited 7 books (including Launching Your Career in Nutrition and Dietetics: How to Thrive in the Classroom, the Internship, and Your First Job, 2nd Ed.). I’m now working on 3 book chapters for a communication text.

I also owned a private nutrition practice, and I had a tenure-track professorship and directed a dietetic internship. My students had seen a GMO labeling campaign and asked me questions about it. I answered their questions, but wondered if there was more to know. I called the company that in my mind was synonymous with GMO: Monsanto. That call resulted in a job.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

Growing up in the restaurant business with my entrepreneurial mother was quite an intense training program! She provided real-world exposure to the food business that I enjoyed comparing and contrasting with my formal undergraduate studies in dietetics and foodservice administration. After undergrad, I did a year-long dietetic internship and took the RD exam November 16, 2000. I got a masters in public health focusing on health education and then a PhD in communication and marketing, focusing on health communication.


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

We’re more aligned on what counts as evidence—not anecdote, and we stop using the word “link” because too many RDs and nearly all consumers think that means cause—and consumers are fortified against the hype and woo fear mongers generate.

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?


We judge what you are eating. Actually, nearly none of us cares what you are eating unless you are a patient/client.

What would you like people to know about RDs?


We end up in unexpected places. Ten years ago, not many RDs were talking about agriculture. Now that there’s a bigger, global conversation around farming and where food comes from, plus the growing global population with projected shifts in dietary patterns, RDs are poised to be the perfect translators and connectors.

What are challenges you encounter as a RD?

In the hospital, the challenge was the culture of 'we recommend but we don’t decide.' Someone else was the decision maker. I never found that culture fulfilling, especially since I saw patients not getting what they needed while waiting for a physician to say “yes.”

What do people think that you do for a living?

It depends on the people. Those who don’t know what I do at Monsanto assume that I provide employee wellness services. I don’t do that. We have a wonderful wellness team/program and physicians and nurses who take care of employee health.

My kids think my work is just typing on a computer all day.

What are you passionate about in dietetics?

This word bothers me. Passion. It can cloud judgment, especially when working in misunderstood and controversial areas, like agriculture. I try to stay level headed. While I’m enthusiastic, I try to temper passion. Passion and bias get tied up together, too.

My job is simple: I give people something to think about. I don’t try to change minds or get people to love my employer. At the end of the day, I want dietitians and others in food and nutrition to respect farmers. Just like hospital dietitians don’t want doctors telling the dietitians what to do, I don’t think dietitians should dictate what farmers do. It seems those farthest from the farm are the ones loudest about telling farmers how to practice.

Visit as many farms as possible. Talk to all types of farmers: small to large in organic, conventional and biotech systems. While activist documentary films depend on the big villain, the ag industry works well together and cares about the environment. Farmers want their farms as safe and sustainable as you want those farms. Why? Because the farmers actually live there!

What is your favourite meal?

Pizza!

What tip(s) would you give to our readers?

Ask lots of questions. Ask people you think will never answer you, too. You might be surprised who’s willing to help. We are a profession that lifts its members. I owe so much to the dietitians who advised and counseled me along the way.

While you’re asking questions, ask for what you want. Whether important to your patient’s health or a tool to perform your job, if you need it, ask for it.

Anything else you’d like to add that you feel would be valuable:

A diversity of education helped me. I mixed dietetics with public health with communication and marketing. This blend opened a lot more doors for me than 3 degrees in nutrition/dietetics would have.

More about Milton:

Twitter: @MiltonStokes
LinkedIn: D. Milton Stokes
Email: milton.stokes@monsanto.com






Thanks Milton! Find out more about What RDs Do.

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



Tuesday, November 21, 2017

What RDs Do: Nicole Osinga, BASc, MAN, RD

NICOLE OSINGA
OSINGA NUTRITION & ACUTE CARE
for something nutrishus


After you learn more about Nicole, you'll have to check out her Instagram account. She has practical images of her meal prep and what she eats in a day - both of which may help give you ideas. Like Nicole, I'm also very interested in behaviour change, and as she says, most dietitians include it with the evidence. She continues to grow her business and learn about being her own boss, a world many of us aren't taught about in school. 

Why did you become a RD? 

I became an RD because this career path had been stuck in my mind since Grade 7. I remember we had a ‘Career Day’ in elementary school and remember selecting the card that said ‘Dietitian’ – and it was stuck in my mind. It made sense at the time because I had busied myself making diet plans for my friends during those years (LOL). 

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

I split my time between private practice (which involves media work, workplace wellness and counseling clients one-on-one) and working part-time in an acute care facility. I’m currently working towards my Certified Diabetes Educator certification

How would you explain what you do? 

‘I’m a plant-based meal prep master’. I own a nutrition consulting business and also work at an acute-care facility. 

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? 

I typically start the week on Sunday, where I prepare my instagram photos for the week, which includes meal preps, what I eat in a day, along with new recipes. I also aim to get at least one new blog post a week out. I find it helpful to schedule my social media/blog work at the beginning of the week. 
Monday – acute care facility 
Tuesday – morning is typically catching up on emails/media work/social media. I then do some client prep and see clients in the afternoon/evening
Wednesday – I see clients all day
Thursday/Friday – acute care facility 
I also sit on the College of Dietitians council and will have about one meeting a month with them. 

What has been your career path? 

When I graduated from the Masters of Applied Nutrition at UOG program in 2013, I thought I was destined to be an inpatient, acute-care dietitian. I thought this type of role would bring the challenge I was looking for. Once I graduated, I landed a few Long Term Care (LTC) contracts and was also teaching a cooking class for those with cancer. I realized the challenge I was looking for was actually in the teaching and behaviour change aspects of my cooking class job. I started hearing the same questions in my class from my participants (around soy, the alkaline diet, anti-inflammatory diet, etc.) so I started my blog in 2014, in order to give my participants more information. I kept active on my blog, and soon after I started my social media accounts. After some time, my blog and social media gained the attention of media outlets and I started to get asked for quotes and interviews. In 2015 I was contacted by the Toronto Star and worked for them as a freelancer for about a year, writing for their app ‘The Star Touch’ and also had a number of articles in print. I decided I needed to devote more time to media/private practice work, so I now only work part-time at an acute-care facility and rent a space in a physiotherapy clinic to counsel clients. I have a packed patient caseload in my practice and may need to adjust my hours further! I still keep up with my blog and social media work, and continue to appear in local and national media. 

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

I am a certified Craving Change Facilitator and attend Motivational Interviewing workshops. Behaviour change is an area that I could always use more training in. I’ve also attending a number of food photography workshops.

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

More business-savvy, private practice dietitians. We need them! We have to get out there more as a profession, as there is so much nutrition noise out there.

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up? 

That we use the Canada's Food Guide (I never do) or don’t condone special diets. I largely promote a plant-based way of eating, which some of my colleagues/client may find surprising! 

What would you like people to know about RDs? 

We are the most qualified people to give nutrition advice. Period. 

What are challenges you encounter as a RD? 

Learning to run a business as a sole proprietor, while also being responsible for delivering 100% of the services. I’ve had to learn how to define my target audience, how to market to them and provide services that guide them towards the results they are looking for. Not ever imagining that I would get into business during undergrad, I didn’t learn much about marketing or business communications! 

What do people think that you do for a living? 

A chef (which makes sense if you look at my instagram feed!). 

What makes RDs unique/different from other nutrition/wellness professionals? 

In my experience, RD’s seem to place an emphasis on the behaviour change process, in addition to the evidence-based scientific practice advice. 

What is your favourite meal? 

I’m on a tofu kick…anything with grilled tofu, grilled veggies and some kind of noodle 

What tip(s) would you give to our readers? 

Keep an open mind as the field of dietetics is rapidly changing! We have to be prepared to shift our practice. 

More about Nicole:

Instagram: @nicoleosinga_rd
Website: Osinga Nutrition






Thanks Nicole! Find out more about What RDs Do.

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

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

What RDs Do: Cara Rosenbloom, RD

CARA ROSENBLOOM
WORDS TO EAT BY
for something nutrishus


I met Cara at a Dietitians of Canada conference, at which I also picked up a copy of her cookbook, Nourish. Hers is a name I have seen attached to numerous articles, and now I know why. Part of the reason for this series is to showcase our diversity and Cara's background in literature does just that. She has created a unique and valuable business out of her passions and expertise.

Why did you become a RD? 

My first university degree was in literature and I studied journalism. I knew I wanted to be a writer, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about! I had a personal interest in food and nutrition, so I took one undergrad course in nutrition at Brescia to satisfy my “science” requirement in my “liberal arts” degree…and I was hooked. Nutrition was fascinating! After I finished the literature degree at Western, I applied to Ryerson to study food & nutrition full-time. I knew somehow I’d fuse writing and nutrition. I became a dietitian so I could write about nutrition as trusted source with true expertise.

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

I run a nutrition communications company called Words to Eat By. I wear many hats under the umbrella of “communications and nutrition education.” I’m a journalist, blogger, recipe developer, professional speaker, cookbook author and content creator.

How would you explain what you do? 

I watch nutrition and food trends and follow the science, then I consolidate the most important nutrition information into articles, lectures, recipes, soundbites and blogs that the public can understand. My goal is to translate the complex world of nutrition into clear, concise and useful information for consumers. I’m a trend spotter, myth buster and reporter. I try to inspire people to eat better, even if it’s just through one small change.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? 

I work from a home office and spend most of my time developing content. I am a freelance writer/blogger with the Washington Post, Today’s Parent, Huffington Post, Heart and Stroke Foundation and others, so I’m always writing something! When I’m not at my desk, I’m in the kitchen creating new recipes or teaching cooking classes. I’m also working on my second book.

What has been your career path? 

During my internship, I spent a few months at Canadian Living magazine, and I knew writing was my passion. I worked in corporate marketing roles for seven years to hone my communication skills, then started Words to Eat By in 2007 when I was on maternity leave with my daughter. One of my first clients was Canadian Living, and I freelanced for them for six years. Words to Eat By now has a diverse client list and something new happens every day. I love it!

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

I have a degree in literature and have taken university courses in journalism, freelance writing and public relations.

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

It’s a very meaningful time to be a dietitian. So many of today’s hot button issues touch on food – from climate change to chronic disease to sustainability to childhood obesity. Dietitians can be part of the solution for so many current issues. It’s important for dietitians to pick something they are passionate about and help change the world for the better. Every day. Every month. Every year. Five years from now, we’ll have made some inroads! With effort, dietitians can be seen as trusted leaders in the nutrition world, and the go-to source for reliable and accurate information about food.

What do people think that you do for a living? 

My six year old son just drew a picture of me for a school project about careers. I was sitting at my computer with a frying pan and spoon in my hand. He was pretty close!

What tip(s) would you give to our readers? 

I recently attended a wonderful lecture by author, activist and New York Times columnist Mark Bittman. His words of wisdom resonated with me and are worth sharing: “It’s important to work on many different things because you don’t know where your successes will be. If you fight enough battles, you will win some of them!”

More about Cara:

Website: Words to Eat By
Twitter: @CaraRosenbloom
Instagram: wordstoeatby
Facebook: wordstoeatby




Thanks Cara! Find out more about What RDs Do.

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

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

What RDs Do: Sabrina Bovee, RD

SABRINA BOVEE
CARE HOME MANAGER 
& SENIOR ADVOCATE
for something nutrishus


I know Sabrina from my undergrad years, although we haven't stayed in touch; earlier this year she appeared in the post Where are they now - a special feature on my dietetics classmates. I've been aware of her passion for aging with dignity and elegance and am always happy to share non-traditional roles. I'm sure you'll see her dedication shine through her responses. 

Why did you become a RD?

I grew up with European immigrant parents who highly valued nutritious foods. Although I had sometimes wished my parents would send me with the wonder bread and cheese whiz and fruit roll-ups that my class-mates had, instead I was sent with rye bread and European deli meat sandwiches with fresh fruit. I can now appreciate how it instilled a love for good tasting healthy food.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

I am currently working as a manager of a 15 resident (and 1 respite bed) long-term care (LTC) home. So, I am in a non-traditional dietitian role. However, I am able to lead our 8 department team in excellent dining enhancement initiatives and potentially help flag resident nutrition concerns sooner than the monthly or every other month visit by the consulting clinical dietitian. I accepted this role with the desire to work towards improved life for seniors, and from a nutrition perspective, I want to prevent malnutrition and improve the food culture for our residents and communities. I found that with the regular nutrition assessments there were, at times, barriers to follow-through, or that when residents presented with what seemed like a lack of appetite solely based on a bad dining experience I could not change that with my recommendations. I thought that if the root cause was a poor life environment (unfriendly staff, lack-luster dining room etc.) no care-plan that I would create would really get down to the root cause of the problem. I was also not the one in charge of the “b” word- budget.

I began this new role a year ago, and since that time, one exciting initiative that we have started is a hydroponic indoor garden. Saskatchewan has a short gardening season so we have been fortunate to receive a donation of a 5 foot tall indoor garden unit that we will utilize to grow greens, herbs, strawberries and any other produce or plants that our residents feel like growing. We are able to allow our residents to give back (personal growth) via the nurturing and caring of these plants, as well as we are fostering partnerships with the school students who will be able to bring their science students over to learn about pollination (remember- there are no bees to do this for us in the care-home). Additionally, we will have a better variety of options for our menu, potentially the ability to sell produce to our staff and community and to raise money for the resident council. Lastly, we will be potentially reducing our food costs so that we can help to balance our over-all budgets and create a long-term sustainable health care system.

How would you explain what you do? What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

I am a part-time manager and I manage 8 departments: laundry, housekeeping, food and nutrition staff (cooks), nurses, care-aids, recreation and maintenance. With approximately 50 staff in my portfolio, human resources- recruiting and retaining staff along with labor relation concerns and ministry mandated projects including safe transfers, hand hygiene, etc. take up the bulk of my time (and more!)

However, I have carved out time to work on building an engaged team and a vision for our community health center. I believe that only when staff feel valued, cared-for will they be able to work towards greater improvements for the residents. We have had organizational and learning events and I have taken a baseline survey, a few months into my position, to measure improvements in morale, support from myself team work. We are seeing significant improvements and measurements such as an 8/10 for happiness by most respondents, show our readiness to move into other important areas of change. Beyond the staff, and the most important area is creating a person-centered care-home. Since I began, we have been dedicated to regular resident council meetings. Residents and their families meet to discuss and plan on all areas related the care-home. Menu and food choices are often at the fore-front. Recently, we have changed the “cooks choice” on the menu to “resident choice” and we have gathered a variety of menu ideas to further our personalized menu to meet our dynamic resident needs.

What has been your career path?

I started my career in community dietetics- with a focus on diabetes management and weight management. Then I moved into long-term care and worked providing education to care-home staff, as well as individualized nutrition care-plans for residents.

On the side via The Grazing Goose, I have given some mindful eating workshops on my farm (we raise pasture-raised poultry, heritage pigs, and grass-fed beef; a whole other area of my life that I could speak to). Our future plan for the farm is on-farm stays so while only locals can purchase our products anyone traveling down the number one highway in the next couple years will be able to have the opportunity to vacation on our farm!

In the past 3 years I’ve also have the privilege of giving some public presentations to dietitians in Ontario (Gerontology network) and in British Columbia for dining enhancement work their multidisciplinary team is doing.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

I don’t have any specialized management training. My main strategy for success and survival (some days such as a lay off or termination notice days are awful) has been to pick good mentors. I have one dedicated mentor that I connect with, even for 30 minutes every few months. I also surround myself with positive, individuals that support me and believe in the work that I am doing. Many of these individuals are not health care professionals. However, they have a vested interested (as do we all!) in changing the culture of aging.

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

In an ideal world, in 5 years from now, we will have solved all the underlying causes that lead to poor dining experiences for seniors. For example, staff will be happy, healthy, empathetic and engaged in their work so that they can truly be present and facilitate an amazingly satisfying dining experience for our well-deserved seniors. Basically, we will have created an environment where by which even a dietitian that walks into the home says “wow! I want to eat here!”.

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?

I am currently battling and challenging the misinformation in terms of the capacity of what a dietitian can do in management. Traditionally it has been Registered Nurses managing long-term care, and although there are now managers with a background as paramedics and social workers, a dietitian managing other health care professionals, at least in our province is extremely rare a thus new territory.

Anything else you’d like to add that you feel would be valuable:

I developed a mealtime educational tool for educating staff. It is free and available on YouTube or google “mealtime management video”. It’s a foundational educational tool for all staff working with seniors. The content is relevant to LTC, community and event acute-care.

I hope that you will join me in improving the future of aging for all of us!

More about Sabrina:

Website: sabrinabovee.com
Facebook: SabrinaBoveeSeniors
Email: sabrina.bovee@gmail.com 

Website: The Grazing Goose
Instagram: @thegrazinggoose
Facebook: The Grazing Goose



Thanks Sabrina! Find out more about What RDs Do.

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