What RDs Do: Elizabeth Roark, MPH, RD

ELIZABETH ROARK

PRINCIPAL NUTRITION SCIENTIST

FRITO-LAY/PEPSICO

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Elizabeth has been following and supporting the series for a while now. We both agreed that her work in the food industry makes her an important interview in this series, especially since there's a lot of misinformation and judgement around those types of positions. Dietitians are important in those non-traditional roles as you'll see in terms of Elizabeth's daily/weekly tasks and expert contributions. She works on a large scale (globally) as well as on numerous phases of product development and education/communication.

Why did you become an RD?

Well, I’m another one of those dietitians who didn’t initially start out wanting to be an RD. I was actually a math major as an incoming freshman at UCLA. After about a year, I switched to Spanish literature! I liked numbers, just not that much. My objective at that time was to become fluent in another language and eventually enter an MBA program. I had my eye on the international/global area of business management.

Long story short, after obtaining a BA from UCLA, I worked for a few global corporations and found the business management side of things just wasn’t for me. Plus, I had since developed a love for running and all things food/nutrition. I returned to school to explore this passion and was hooked after Nutrition 101.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

It’s funny how things come full circle sometimes. Today, I am a Principal Nutrition Scientist at a large global food manufacturing company. I spend a great deal of time collaborating with my global nutrition science colleagues, which not only allows me to share and receive nutrition knowledge across many borders, but also satisfies my interest in working with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Although my Spanish skills are definitely not what they used to be, I have many global colleagues with which to practice.

How would you explain what you do?

Great question! My days are never the same as there are always new products being developed, new regulations, new science, new educational needs, and new consumer trends. One key area of responsibility is helping to ensure we meet PepsiCo’s portfolio transformation goals when it comes to product development and product reformulation. This means I’m responsible for contributing to the creation of global population-specific nutrition criteria, as well as ensuring our new products meet public health sensitive nutrient limits for things like sodium and saturated fat and incorporate meaningful amounts of positive nutrition (e.g. whole grains, legumes, etc.) when it makes sense for the product.

Another aspect of my role involves internal and external nutrition communications. This can involve providing nutrition education to our employees, working collaboratively with retail dietitians to educate consumers, managing social media messaging, as well as sharing our portfolio transformation history and progress at relevant conferences.

What are your “typical” daily/weekly tasks?

This can certainly vary but in general a typical day or week can involve participating in cross-functional innovation taskforce meetings for the development of new snack products, representing the U.S. on global Nutrition Science taskforces to discuss the creation of population and/or category specific nutrition criteria (e.g. snacks, women, dairy, etc.), working internally and externally to review/update/create new food regulations and policy, collaborating with my regulatory and legal colleagues on scientifically substantiated claim language, discussing in-store activation details with our retail RD partners, and contributing to just about any project that happens to require nutrition expertise.

What has been your career path?

As I previously mentioned, becoming an RD wasn’t my initial career goal. I definitely took the long way to become an RD! Oddly enough, I may have also taken the long way when it came to deciding on which specific area of nutrition I wanted to pursue.

I began working toward an MS in nutrition at New York University, which obviously included taking all the sciences I did not take as an undergraduate. At this time I was also working as a Dietetic Technician at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. Because of this experience, I decided clinical nutrition wasn’t my passion. Although a fantastic and incredibly important RD area of expertise, I was more interested in the preventative nutrition aspect of dietetics versus working with people who were already ill. So, I switched gears and headed back to California to enter the UCLA School of Public Health where I could focus more on the role of nutrition in disease prevention. After receiving my MPH degree, I completed my dietetic internship at UCLA/Olive View Medical Center.

My entry into global food manufacturing was as a Scientific and Regulatory Affairs associate. This role involved labeling, scientific substantiation for claims, as well as the external influencing of regulations and food policy. I was pleasantly surprised how impactful I could be in terms of shaping what type of products landed on store shelves, how nutrition was communicated on pack, as well as how food regulations were updated and implemented. I happily stayed in this role for 12 years.

Work relocation for my husband led me to change jobs. I landed at another global food manufacturing company, but this time, I was focusing more on the global aspect of regulatory compliance, which I really enjoyed. While I had certainly been leveraging my nutrition background as a regulatory expert, I decided I wanted to see what I could do with a role that was focused primarily on nutrition. This decision led me to my current role which involves nutrition education/communication and the setting/application of nutrition criteria for Frito-Lay/PepsiCo.

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

I have a graduate degree in public health nutrition – MPH

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

Wow, I’d like to see an RD head a large global food manufacturing company, such as an MBA, RD? While many global food manufacturing companies have a corporate culture that values nutrition, health and wellness, and are making positive advances toward creating balance and increased nutrient density, I think an RD in a CEO role could add a really unique and interesting perspective to a company.

We’ll have to wait and see if this becomes a reality. In the meantime, I’d like to see continued growth in the number of companies bringing on the expertise of an RD. As the true nutrition experts, we have a very important role to play when it comes to educating both employees and consumers, but also helping to ensure products align with dietary guidelines and are eaten in portions that allow for balance and moderation.

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up? What are challenges you encounter as a RD?

Thanks for asking. I totally agree there is a fair amount of skepticism when it comes to RDs working for food companies, both within the RD community as well as out of it. However, it’s important to note that these RDs can definitely help ensure movement toward positive change. It can sometimes be challenging to gain complete alignment on why a product should be lower in a particular nutrient and/or higher in another, but I think this is when our nutrition education skills are best utilized. Having the RD sit at the table and be intimately involved in the product development process is how we add value and positively impact the foods that ultimately end up on store shelves.

At Frito-Lay we have nutritional targets that were created with input from RDs and align with science. Further, we have a corporate culture that is receptive to the nutrition expertise of the RD. I don’t think this is unique to Frito-Lay but rather an industry-wide movement as many food companies understand the value of having RDs work within. This is good news for everyone!   

More about Elizabeth

Twitter: @ERoarkRD
LinkedIn: Elizabeth Roark, MPH, RD

Thanks Elizabeth! 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: Patricia Chuey, MSc., RD, FDC

PATRICIA CHUEY

FOOD & NUTRITION MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
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Patricia, aka "The People's Dietitian", seemed like a perfect fit for the 100th interview in the series. She was named the 2017 Ryley-Jeffs Memorial Lecture Award recipient by Dietitians of Canada and is a well-known Canadian (and originally Saskatchewan) dietitian and mentor. She has had numerous roles and envisions many career opportunities for the future of dietetics. Patricia offers great advice below, including one of my favourite quotes and terms like happy, healthy and being your best self.

Why did you become a RD? 

I thought I might become a doctor or Home Ec teacher. Being a dietitian is the perfect combination of both.

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

These days mainly in food and nutrition media communications. This involves TV appearances, writing, speaking, blogging, teaching cooking classes, recipe development, food product creation and consulting to the food industry. I’m also very involved as a mentor to both new and established dietitians in business. I’ve spent many years in private practice as a nutrition counselor. I also spent a decade working in sports nutrition with athletes and coaches from little league to professional and 9 years in the marketing department as a supermarket dietitian – a rapidly growing area of the profession and one with so much untapped potential.

How would you explain what you do? 

In a nut shell, I help create peace of mind for consumers on the subject of food in their lives. What should be a basic and fairly easy task of eating to fuel our busy lives get unnecessarily confusing in the endless sea of food and nutrition information we all sail on. My work is focused on equipping people with accurate and practical knowledge and skills to stay well nourished, enjoy what they're eating and live a healthy, happy life without constant focus on food.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? 

Like many of our dietitian colleagues, for the past 25+ years, I have enjoyed that there’s such a wide variety in my work and no two days are exactly alike. That said, examples of tasks you’ll find me working on are:

• Preparing content and planning the set display for my next TV appearance
• Working in my home kitchen creating and testing recipes I’m developing for corporate clients
• Taking food photos for use in supporting my brand on social media
• Speaking on the phone in a mentoring session with a colleague
• Writing practical food and nutrition articles for a national corporate wellness newsletter I’ve written for since 1995
• Speaking to a group of women, kids or local athletes about healthy eating
• Preparing for a keynote address at a professional conference and then travelling to these events
• Assigning and reviewing projects for a nutrition intern to work on 
• Attending Board or Committee meetings for various projects
• Traveling to attend various food and farm tours
• Responding to magazine, print or radio interview requests
• Dreaming and brainstorming about my next business venture – this is ongoing and constant.

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

In addition to my BSc(Nutr) and RD designation, I’ve completed a Master of Science degree with a focus on adult education and sport nutrition. I’ve participated in many media and marketing related courses over the years. I’m also a trained cooking program facilitator.

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

A few random thoughts:

• The public is clearly aware that for safe, practical and accurate food and nutrition information, they talk to a registered dietitian not just anyone attractive with an interest in the subject
• There is more legal crackdown on food and nutrition information, programs and products that are not fact-based and can endanger the public
• Grocery stores are smaller yet the square footage filled with fresh fruits and vegetables (and ideas for how to use them) is bigger 
• Dietitians are employed in every single place that promotes, sells or serves food
• Dietitians revolutionize meals for seniors and are employed in all facilities where seniors reside, whether the healthy elderly or those in care homes
• Any TV or media program sharing nutrition information has a dietitian on the team
• When the public sees that a dietitian is associated with the program or service, they get excited because they know the food will be amazingly delicious and good for them.
• There is no sponsor funding accepted from any food company that makes unhealthy food or beverages. 

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?

• That we have sold our soul to industry 
• That we count calories and want to put everyone on a bland, flavor-less diet
• That we all follow a strict meal plan and rarely enjoy treats
• That the food guide drives our entire professional life 

What would you like people to know about RDs?

• That we love delicious, healthy food and are experts in helping people get more flavour in their lives while meeting their needs, feeling great and achieving optimal health.
• That we know about every aspect of food and the multiple social, emotional and economical factors affecting eating. We’re trained and highly experienced in customizing advice recognizing that no two people have the exact same needs.
• That Canada’s Food Guide is a very basic, general population educational guideline only. It is not intended to be the answer to every specific individual need.

What are challenges you encounter as a RD?

Not many. I’m a believer in being aware of your competition and then doing the kind of work that makes them worry about YOU rather than you spending time and energy worrying about them.

What do people think that you do for a living?

Those who know me best think I have fun sharing delicious, creative, practical food ideas to boost their enjoyment in life while staying healthy. They’re correct.

What are you passionate about in dietetics?

Constantly reminding consumers how delicious and easy healthy eating actually is. I’m also VERY passionate about the future of our profession and supporting up and coming dietitians as a mentor.

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

Once you get to know an RD, you realize that EVERYTHING makes us different. Most of all, that we have the skill set, and one that is fact-based, to uniquely assess any eating situation and make very customized, delicious, do-able recommendations for improvements. We would NEVER EVER send a client out the door telling them to “eat no wheat, no dairy or sugar” without working with them on how to actually go about doing that safely, nutritiously and practically. 

What is your favourite meal?

Lots of local, in-season vegetables and fresh fish on the grill with pavlova for dessert.

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

• An 80-20 approach to healthy eating works best. We don’t just eat for physical nourishment, so be sure to leave room for all types of nourishment
• Without a positive sense of self-worth, continuing to work solely on healthy eating will not resolve the issues 
• If we all exercised more, we could ease up a little on this over-focus on food choices
• Be grateful for the amazing access to a fresh, healthy food supply we have in this country
• Support local growers and providers of food to help keep our food supply sustainable
• There are many entry points on the continuum of healthy eating. Listen super carefully to your clients and help them make improvements at the level they’re at and able to achieve
• Avoid teaching people to do diet math and count calories. Teach them to appreciate wholesome food, stay active and get them excited about cooking more at home.

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

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” Be your best self, not a version of you that is trying to compete or compare to someone else. Encourage your clients to do this too. Everyone has important gifts to share with the world. Get out there and share them!

More about Patricia:

Website: Patricia Chuey
Instagram: @PatriciaChuey

Facebook: Patricia Chuey

Twitter: @PatriciaChuey
Email: patriciachuey@shaw.ca

Thanks Patricia! 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: Pierrette Buklis, MHSC, RD

PIERRETTE BUKLIS

SENIOR MANAGER, HEALTH & NUTRITION

GENERAL MILLS CANADA

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I am very pleased to feature Pierrette. She was happy to contribute, but aware that people are often suspicious of her since she works in the food industry (which I completely understand, as I work with commodity groups and brands too). This reminded me of a Practice Blog post from last year on embracing the role of industry dietitians.  I know where she's coming from in terms of trying to explain the broad scope of what she does - another reason I started this series, and I love how she answered the future focused question, so much good insight below - enjoy!

Why did you become a RD?

Honestly, being a dietitian wasn't on my radar through most of university - I was going to be a surgeon and join Medecins sans frontières. If I knew what a dietitian was, my understanding was limited to the clinical, in-patient area. I chose nutrition as my area of study because it was an amazing applied combination of biochemistry and physiology, both of which I loved. When I realized medical school was not going to work out for me, I was lucky to be in a U of T undergrad course taught by Dr. Magda Krondl entitled "Sociocultural Aspects of Nutrition", and I was fascinated. She opened my eyes to a broader world of dietetic practice that caught my interest and helped set my direction.

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

I have always worked in population health and health promotion, although my approach to it has changed with my different roles.

How would you explain what you do? 

The mission-statement/elevator speech evaded me for a long time because the scope of my area is quite broad, but lately I would sum it up by saying: I work to improve health through food for as many people as possible.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? 

One of the more exciting (sometimes frustrating!) things about my work is that one week can vary markedly from the next. Some weeks I address the theoretical, when I’m involved in health policy development, or the design and interpretation of research for policy development or for population education. Some weeks I’m more involved in communication to my peers – my business peers to help them understand the science, or my health professional peers, to share the insights I have from the global research and business communities in which I work. Some weeks I’m deeply involved in the more applied areas of crafting (hopefully effective!) health communication messaging to the public or providing nutrition-based guidance on the plans for specific food product development.

What has been your career path? 

I began my career in a public health department, and I have worked in public health, research, non-profit organizations and food industry.

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

In addition to the undergrad requirements for dietetics, I also completed a Master’s degree in health policy & communication. To be fair, this sometimes feels like it’s not enough, for some good and not-so-good reasons. On the good reasons side, I feel that business or law education could help me be more effective at some of what I do. On the not-so-good side, I feel that a PhD (as specialized as it is) is becoming a more important credential for legitimacy in the areas I play. This is unfortunate because it appears to be less based on what the education offers to your perspective and capability, and more a way to screen “qualified” candidates.

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

I wish I could be more optimistic, but I don’t think a lot can change in our sphere in the next 5 years – 5 years is not long enough for the kind of systemic change I believe we need. So my 5-year ideal would be that as a global society we are making meaningful progress toward: responsible communication of research results to consumers; appreciation by the general public that good health is a beneficial tool, not a higher-order virtue; and a perception of dietitians as important enablers of personal and population nutrition goals. An important key to success will be improved collaboration among dietitians, including active support of one another in a professional sense, even those of us in less traditional dietetic roles. (This blog is a fantastic piece of that puzzle!)

What are challenges you encounter as a RD? 

Honestly, the challenge I find the most difficult is internal to our profession. Some of our colleagues question the ethics and professionalism of those of us who work in/with the food industry. I hope we can reduce the barriers between us to see how our work can be important in various segments of society. It has never been more important that our peers remain active in the food industry, and it can be incredibly rewarding when a dietitian brings unexpected allies together to make healthful things happen for the millions of Canadians who shop for packaged food every day. Yet, many days it is a thankless task to stand up for what we believe is right, in the face of both our professional group and our workplace.

What are you passionate about in dietetics? 

I love food and I love learning and I’m a very social person – I am so grateful that I have a profession that allows me to engage in all of that, every day!

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

Practice applied curiosity. It takes humility to admit you need to learn something new, or re-learn something old that has changed, or take instruction from someone who is not your peer or superior, but it demonstrates admirable professional integrity.

More about Pierrette:

Twitter:  @PiDietitian
LinkedIn: Pierrette Buklis

Thanks Pierrette! Find out more about What RDsDo.

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