What RDs Do: Jullian MacLean, RD (& soon to be MHA)

JULLIAN MACLEAN

COMMUNITY DIETETICS

for something nutrishus

I know men have been under-represented in the series so far. I don't know stats or numbers, but dietetics does seem to be female dominant. When I was in university we had 2 of 23 students that were male in our program. I did receive recommendations and I hope you'll be seeing more like this to get a more well-rounded glimpse at our field. Feel free to comment or refer if you think there's another area the series has missed (I'm also trying to get it more international...). 

Jullian works in a unique geographical location that has it's own nutritional challenges (which fortunately he is passionate about) and is a part of Canada I have yet to visit. Once again we see the wide range of tasks that dietitians are involved in, even within a single week. He's currently working towards a Master's degree and expresses his thoughts on further education below.

Why did you become a RD?

First I decided I wanted to do a Science Degree with a major in Nutrition. Then in my third year of my science degree, I decided I wanted to be an RD because I wanted to be part of a regulated, standardized network. In particular, I wanted prospective employers to have confidence that I was competent in Nutritional Science and becoming an RD was an excellent way to achieve that.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

I would describe my work as community dietetics.

How would you explain what you do?

My core responsibilities are nutrition promotion, diabetes management and prevention, food security improvement and research facilitation of six remote Inuvialuit communities near and along the coast of the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

A typical week would include the following tasks:

• Reviewing and discussing reports from five different community support workers on the progress of community-level cooking circles. 
• Assessing five Inuvialuit Childcare Centre's nutrition and food related needs and planning menu cycles accordingly. 
• Planning regional diabetes workshops including working closely with the regional health authority to ensure interdisciplinary representation. In others, making sure other health professionals (such as foot care nurses, physiotherapists and pharmacists) are available to speak to workshop participants about their diabetes. 
• Planning food security research with external researchers including innovative ways to improve the high prevalence of food insecurity in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. 
• Planning TrainCan.Inc Food Safe level 1 and 2 certification courses. 
• Other nutritional related tasks as they come up. 

What has been your career path?

Pretty short. I did an integrated dietetic internship. One time, in between internships, I worked as a student for four months at Inuvik Regional Hospital in the Northwest Territories. Afterwards, I went straight into an internship at Inuvik Regional Hospital and then followed that with an internship with Yellowknife Public Health in the Northwest Territories. Eleven months later a full-time job came up in Inuvik, I applied and I was successful. I have been doing that job ever since.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

• I am a certified TrainCan.Inc Food Safe Level 1 and 2 trainer and certifier. It is a nationally recognized certificate in Canada (with a few possible exceptions depending on local provincial and territorial regulations). 
• I will officially have a Masters in Health Administration as of November 2017 when I graduate. 

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

I’d like to see RDs become a Master-level degree program (similar to many other health professions today) with extra courses in interdisciplinary practice and how health systems in Canada are organized along with the usual internship process.

What would you like people to know about RDs?

I’m not looking in your grocery cart!

What are challenges you encounter as a RD?

RDs provide evidence-based recommendations for food which is a multi-billion-dollar industry with some pretty loose marketing regulations. It’s a classic David versus Goliath scenario.

What do people think that you do for a living?

I get the impression people think I am some kind of ultra-enforcer who demands people only eat fruits and vegetables and never dessert. Other times people have me confused with a chef. I am neither.

What are you passionate about in dietetics?

Food security advocacy is my favourite topic. Canada has very interesting polices when it comes to feeding the nation and, when you look at the evidence, the real changes that need to occur in this country to improve food security are at the policy level. Plus, I live and work in Canada’s Arctic where people here have a different perspective on what food security means compared to the rest of Canada. It just adds another layer that is really fascinating.

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

I would say RDs are the most conservative when it comes to nutrition/wellness recommendations compared to other nutrition/wellness professionals. That is what I respect most about the profession. It emphasizes the need to provide recommendations only when evidence is available for such recommendations.

What is your favourite meal?

Loaded nachos with olives, jalapeños, tomatoes, green peppers, tex-mex cheese, green onions and chili on-top (yes, chili!)

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

Thinking “outside-the-box” is “inside-the-box” thinking. Think about it.

More about Jullian:

Email: jullian.maclean@gmail.com
LinkedIn: Jullian MacLean

Thanks Jullian! Find out more about What RDsDo.

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

What RDs Do: Leslie Bonci, MPH, RDN, CSSD, LDN

LESLIE BONCI

ACTIVE EATING ADVICE BY LESLIE

for something nutrishus

I took a stab in the dark and reached out to Leslie on twitter to see if she'd be interested in taking part in the series, she graciously accepted and I am pleased to share her responses below. I've worked in sport nutrition throughout my private practice years, so to me, Leslie Bonci is a household name and I'm honoured to share her experience and expertise, as well as her infectious personality!

Why did you become a RD?

I majored in biopsychology as an undergraduate, wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with that degree but in graduate school my first class was a maternal and child nutrition course and I knew right away. I wanted to impact an individual’s health through their mind and plate.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

I started in Cardiac and Pulmonary rehab, went on to general outpatient nutrition, and then specialized in sports nutrition, digestive disorders, eating disorders and weight management.

How would you explain what you do?

On any given day, I can be one-on-one with clients, doing media work, recipe development, teaching a class, or writing. I never have cookie cutter days which makes me very happy.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

I never have typical days, but weekly I do both radio and TV, weekly I see clients on an individual basis, weekly I devote time to writing (working on 2 manuscripts), weekly I work on recipe development/ideas for pitches, and blogs on behalf of industry clients.

What has been your career path?

Untraditional.

Undergrad degree in Biopsychology from Vassar college- graduated in 3 years, went to graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh graduate school of public health and obtained in a 3 year period a MPH (Master of Public Health) in Nutritional Epidemiology, took the undergrad nutrition courses and grad nutrition courses to fulfill the requirements for a dietetic internship, did the dietetic internship and also worked on a research study funded by the National Cancer Institute.

My first job as a RD was at a Cardiac and Wellness Center in Wheeling, WV where I had the opportunity to work with exercise physiologists and develop wellness programs. Moving back to Pittsburgh, I contacted the University of Pittsburgh department of athletics and they said yes to having me work with their athletes. I worked with Pitt athletics for 29 years. I also worked for the Pittsburgh Steelers (24 years), The Cleveland Browns (3 years), The Pittsburgh Pirates (15 years), Toronto Blue Jays (15 years), Washington Nationals (3 years), Milwaukee Brewers (3 years), Pittsburgh Penguins (5 years) and still work with the Kansas City Chiefs (going on my 3rd year). I also consult to the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, the WNBA and Olympic athletes.

I was also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for 8 years and still do quite a bit of media: TV, radio, print, online and videos.

I have authored 2 books and co-authored 4 books.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

I have the CSSD credential- board certified specialist in sports dietetics.

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

Many more private practitioners delivering our counseling via cyberspace. Nutrigenomics will play more of a role so we can customize our recommendations as precisely as possible. There will be more nutrition “experts” in our space so we have to find the way to stand out, debunk the junk and safeguard our clients.

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?

We are not the watchdogs, we want to be eating enablers, not disablers. We are food and nutrition professionals. We eat and we want our clients/patients to enjoy food without guilt, fear or angst.

What would you like people to know about RDs?

We have fun, we are fearless, we are proactive not reactive and we can have an impact. We are the Real Deal!

What are challenges you encounter as a RD?

Trying to debunk the misinformation when my clients get their nutrition info from those that do NOT know. Trying to position science as sciensensational, and combat the scienciness that non RDs tend to preach.

What do people think that you do for a living?

I am often referred to as the nutrition lady, kind of like the Avon lady going door-to-door selling nutrition. Actually a door-to-door food truck would really be meals on wheels and give people the opportunity to taste and learn simultaneously!

What are you passionate about in dietetics?

The ability to compel and impel as well as dispel the misinformation. The excitement of taking the science and communicating in easily digestible bites while cultivating consumers’ interest in taking care of themselves for the long run. I am always thrilled when an eating disorder patient is actually able to eat without fear, or the Crohn’s patient eats without pain, or the athlete notices positive impacts on performance as a result of tweaks to timing, quantity or quality of his/her eating plan.

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

We bring the food and nutrition expertise, the clinical background, the counseling background, the understanding of the importance and role of cultural diversity on food choices as well as knowledge of nutrition needs throughout the lifecycle.

In addition our background in food service and food science enables us to put the nutrition into the kitchen!

What is your favourite meal?

Seafood bouillabaisse, crusty Sourdough bread and a wonderful Pinot Noir.

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

Try everything. Be willing to go out of your comfort zone. Be humble and don’t be afraid to stumble. Be assertive and take chances. Put yourself out there because if you don’t someone else will!

More about Leslie:

Website: Active Eating Advice by Leslie
Twitter: @lesliebonci #ActiveAdvice
Instagram: @boncilj
Facebook : Leslie Bonci
LinkedIn: Leslie Bonci
Google+: Leslie Bonci

Thanks Leslie! Find out more about What RDsDo.

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

Dietitians Credentials, Certifications & Designations

Since there are so many things that dietitians do, I figured it was also useful to share the additional certifications/credentials/designations that they may have. I will continue to add to this list, include links, and give a bit of information on each. For now, let me know what I've missed. Do you know what any of these stand for?

RD
RDN
LDN
APD
MBA
MPH
PhD
RCC
CDE
CNSC
NM/CNM
RSSW
SCOPE
IBCLC
MPP
CEDRD
CTDP
CSSD
MSc
MEd
MPH
CPT
CSCS
CSG
MHSc
MScA
MHS
MAHN

What RDs Do: Sally Twellman, RDN

SALLY TWELLMAN

LIFE & WELLNESS COACH

for something nutrishus

Like many dietitians, Sally focuses on health and happiness. This reminds me that we're not aiming for restrictive, but sustainable ways of eating and as Sally brings up, our relationship with food. Once again, she wants to clear up that we're not the food police! Where does that come from anyway? With experience in nutrition and coaching, it seems fitting that her blog looks at the 'pursuit of wholeness'. Her private practice came about due to changes in life circumstances (aka kids), which I can relate to.

Why did you become a RD?

To be honest, because I was obsessed with food; Eating it, controlling it and restricting it. But during my journey towards becoming a dietitian and after in my career, I healed my relationship with food and my body and now help others do the same.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

Private Practice: Health and Wellness

How would you explain what you do?

I help people change their relationship with food, love their body and create a healthy, happy life.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

My days changes, but typically I see about 2-5 clients in a day, create content for my blog and social media channels or do other administrative work.

What has been your career path?

I worked as a clinical dietitian for 5 years before deciding to stay home full time with my children. I stayed home for about 3 years, then decided to start my private practice, which is primarily online or phone consults.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

Besides getting my RD, I became a life coach to give me extra habit modification skills.

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

I want to see more RDs killing it in the online space. We are the experts in food and health and we should be leading the nutrition and wellness conversation.

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?

That we are the food police.

What would you like people to know about RDs?

That we are the most qualified nutrition and wellness experts.

What are challenges you encounter as a RD?

Not having a flexible mindset about helping people make real changes in their lives. When I first started my practice, I was stuck in the old expert mindset of change, aka telling my clients what to do. Then I found that my clients really started making more fundamental changes when I asked them questions, met them where they were and helped them make small incremental changes in their lives.

What do people think that you do for a living?

Help people lose weight.

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

We have a scientific knowledge and background.

What is your favourite meal?

I love having Pizza on friday nights with my family!

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

Start where you are now and focus on making small changes and build on your success. Whatever your goal is, become aware of one small thing you can change, and change that consistently for 1-2 weeks and then add to it. Also, every change must happen from a place of self love and self-respect, when you start there, the actions that will get you to your goal will fall into place.

More about Sally:

Website: www.sallytwellman.com
Facebook: Sally Twellman - Coach
Instagram: @sallytwellmanrdn
Pinterest: Sally Twellman

Thanks Sally! Find out more about What RDsDo.

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

What RDs Do: Dara Gurau, RD & Erin Macgregor, RD, PHEc

DARA GURAU & ERIN MACGREGOR

CLINICAL & HOW TO EAT

for something nutrishus

It's great to feature a team or dynamic duo and I know these two are doing some great things. Not only do they work together in private practice, but also in a clinical setting, where they're also part of a team. I've seen their Facebook videos lately, so I sort of felt like I already knew them and they were excited to be part of the series. They create delicious recipes, such as Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal, that I'm anxious to try! Dara and Erin focus on practical things like meal planning tips and on 'healthful eating through food, not numbers' which is a refreshing approach.

Why did you become a RD?

We both grew up with a love for food, but really never thought of food and nutrition as a career. Actually, growing up, we didn't even now what a dieititan was! As we completed our first University degrees in Kinesiology and were trying to figure out what the heck to do with our lives, we discovered the food and nutrition program and thought this would be a great compliment to our kinesiology knowledge while satisfying that passion for food and cooking we had developed.

Fast forward to today, and while our knowledge of the field of dietetics has expanded, that same passion for food and cooking remains. And that's why we ultimately chose to become registered dietitians - to share our passion and knowledge for food, nutrition, and cooking with others in the hopes of inspiring them to pick up a knife or spatula and create delicious and healthful home-cooked meals to share with their friends and families.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

We work together in the clinical setting at a large teaching hospital in Toronto. We are also co-creators and owners of How To Eat, where we work in recipe development, nutrition communication, and meal planning. One part of How To Eat is our food and recipe blog, where we have been sharing easy and healthful recipes and kitchen tips for the past five years. So we are definitely never bored!

How would you explain what you do?

In our clinical roles, we work as inpatient dietitians as part of a large multi-discplinary team, involved mainly in nutrition support. At How To Eat, we are doing something completely different, working with individuals to support them in building their confidence as home cooks by helping them with meal planning and cooking. We also work with brands to provide recipe development and nutrition communication for them. Lastly, we continue to share easy, healthful, and delicious recipes through our blog.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

In our clinical roles, our days involve assessing patients' nutritional status, implementing the appropriate nutrition intervention, and following up on patients in our areas. We also attend daily and weekly multi-disciplinary team rounds, monthly nutrition department meetings, and other professional development sessions.

In our How To Eat role, we are constantly developing and testing new recipes, creating content for our blog, attending networking events and meetings, and working on the the latest special project or event we have on the go.

What has been your career path?

It should be no surprise that we ended up as colleagues, close friends, and business partners as we share such similar career paths. In fact, we often refer to ourselves as "foodie soul-mates!" We both started out with undergraduate degrees in kinesiology and then went on to complete our second degrees in food and nutrition at Ryerson. From there, we both completed our dietetic internships in Toronto where we both still work as inpatient clinical dietitians. We also both share previous experience working as outpatient dietitians counselling on cardiovascular disease, HIV, and general healthy eating.

So when we first met at our clinical positions, we actually both already had our own individual food blogs. And after realizing that we shared pretty much the same food personality, we joined forces to start How To Eat and it has now grown to the business it is today. We love having that balance of utilizing our clinical skills as well as sharing our love of food and inspiring others to cook.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

Well as we mentioned, we both have degrees in Kinesiology as well as Food and Nutrition. Erin also holds the professional home economist (PHec) designation. We also have a very important type of training - motherhood! We are both moms who have learned and developed a system to feed our own hungry families.

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

Tough question! In our ideal world, the term dietitian would be associated with "food expert." At this moment, we feel there is a big disconnect between dietitians and food - people hear the term dietitians and immediately think "diet" and "what NOT to eat." There is a shift that has begun and we hope it continues, one that shows ourselves as a profession who not only knows nutrition, but food as well. And enjoys eating it! All of it! We hope to be part of that first step in the right direction.

What is your favourite meal?

This was the hardest question! We love so many things! But there was this one dinner on a trip together in NYC at a restaurant called ABC Kitchen. It was one of those multi-course dinners that was enjoyed with a bottle of wine over several hours and absolutely everything was delicious. We were there over 5 years ago and STILL think about it, it was that good! What sticks in our mind the most was the dessert - salted caramel ice cream topped with popcorn and a rich chocolate sauce. That sweet and salty combo gets us every time!

More about Erin & Dara:

Website: www.howtoeat.ca
Facebook: How to Eat
Twitter: @How_To_Eat
Instagram: @how_to_eat

Thanks ladies! Find out more about What RDsDo.

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