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!

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

Email: nicoleosinga@gmail.com

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!

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!

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!

What RDs Do: Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RDN

JANICE NEWELL BISSEX
JANICE COOKS &
HOLISTIC CANNABIS CONSULTANT
for something nutrishus

I briefly met Janice in my home city of Saskatoon for Farm to Fork tours in 2015 (if I remember correctly). Like many of us, a college/university course ignited her passion for nutrition and dietetics and her career continues to evolve. I knew of Janice initially as part of the Meal Makeover Moms duo. She recently ventured into a new and somewhat controversial area of practice showing us once again the unique and non-traditional roles dietitians are qualified for. 

Why did you become a RD?

I was a microbiology major in college, but after my freshman year of micro classes and labs I decided that this might not be the major for me! When I was a sophomore I took Intro to Food and Nutrition and was hooked! My professor, Katherine Musgrave, was a passionate advocate for healthy eating and lifestyle. She took me under her wing and it is because of her that I entered this field. She was my beloved mentor, and we remained friends until her death at age 92.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

I am a holistic cannabis consultant, recipe developer, and cookbook author.

How would you explain what you do?

I help people navigate the evolving and confusing world of medical marijuana to help manage debilitating conditions including chronic pain, insomnia, epilepsy, MS, Parkinsons, anxiety, nausea, PTSD, and more.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

There is no typical week. I’m just beginning my journey in the holistic cannabis field so I am spending most of my time learning all that I can about the science and business of cannabis so that I can better assist clients. I also do some recipe development and spokesperson work.

What has been your career path?

I have done a variety of things in my career, including cardiac rehab, nutrition software sales, consulting to the US Senate, and consulting to Boston Harbor Hotel. About 15 years ago I co-founded Meal Makeover Moms with a fellow RDN. Together, we co-wrote five books started Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen blog, and Cooking with the Moms radio podcast. About a year ago I decided that I needed a change. At the same time my dad was dealing with variety of health issues and had turned to medical marijuana to help deal with his pain. I was astounded at how it helped him without the unpleasant side effects that he dealt with from using other pain medications. I decided to switch gears and train to be a holistic cannabis consultant.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

I completed my Holistic Cannabis Consultant certification at Holistic Cannabis Academy, and am now furthering my studies to be a Holistic Cannabis Practitioner.

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

In the ideal world, everyone would have legal access to cannabis to manage their health, and dietitians would be the go-to professionals to help people figure out the best way to utilize it.

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?

Haha, I guess the misinformation about cannabis I’d like to clear up is that you don't need to get “stoned” when using cannabis. In the past decade plant breeders have developed strains of cannabis that are very low in the psychoactive THC component and high in the non psychoactive CBD cannabinoid. CBD has potent anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, anti-emetic, anti-convulsant, and analgesic properties.

What would you like people to know about RDs?

That RDNs practice in a wide variety of settings and have many different skill sets!

What are you passionate about in dietetics?

I’m passionate about cooking, eating, and helping people attain the best health possible.

More about Janice:

Facebook: Janice Newell Bissex
Website: Janice Cooks

Twitter: @JaniceBissex

Instagram: @janicebissex

Thanks Janice! 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: Elizabeth Roark, MPH, RD

ELIZABETH ROARK

PRINCIPAL NUTRITION SCIENTIST

FRITO-LAY/PEPSICO

for something nutrishus

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: Jessica Coll, RD, IBCLC

JESSICA COLL

INTERNATIONAL BABY LED WEANING

NETWORK OF REGISTERED DIETITIANS

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Jessica is another dietitian that stands out due to her unique credentials (IBCLC) and as you'll see, she has carved herself quite a niche. Having recently added a second child to our family, her area of expertise is definitely on my mind. It always inspires me to see the work dietitians do in areas that I don't work in and I love that she shares her expertise not only with parents, but also with other dietitians.

Why did you become a RD? 

I’ve always been passionate about food but the real reason is that the dietetics school was right around the corner from my house!

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

My work is quite specific. I’m the founder of the International Baby Led Weaning (BLW) Network of Registered Dietitians (RDs). I train RDs to give BLW workshops locally. I also have a BLW online course for new parents and a BLW recipe book. I currently have 60 RDs in my network, in 8 countries!

How would you explain what you do? 

I support the members of the network with questions about breastfeeding, infant nutrition or marketing their in-person workshops.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

Every day I answer questions from the BLW online course for parents and from the RD members of the network. I offer webinars about BLW to RDs on a regular basis (please email me at jessica@jessicacoll.com for the next one). I strive to balance everything so work in short stretches and sprinkle yoga sessions and runs throughout the day. Since I work from home, I like to prep meals during my work breaks as well.

I’m currently recruiting new RDs across the world to give BLW workshops so I have several video meetings scheduled throughout the week. I’m often a guest on podcasts and Facebook live videos for various organizations and TV shows.

What has been your career path? 

After completing my dietetics internship in Austin (Texas), I worked there as a dietitian for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program at the clinic level and State level for a total of 4 years. The year-round hot temps and amazing rock climbing and running community was great. What’s more? I got to learn Spanish while working there. That’s also where I was able to get all my lactation-specific hours to become a lactation consultant. I decided to start a family back home in Montreal in 2012 and started my business when my daughter was one year old. I started by doing in-home consultations for both infant nutrition and breastfeeding but quickly realized that I needed something more. I started giving workshops about BLW and after giving sold out workshops for a few years and having another child, I founded the International Baby Led Weaning (BLW) Network of Registered Dietitians. Basically, I provide everything RDs need to give BLW workshops in their own city. I can now spend more time with my kids and still have a successful business. I support the RD members of my network by helping them with breastfeeding and infant nutrition questions and marketing their workshops.

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

I’m an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

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

In five years form now, BLW will be the norm for babies across the world.

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up? 

BLW is very controversial for many RDs. Some RDs are “for it” and some are “against it”. Since BLW makes sense developmentally with 6 month olds being able to grab large objects and bring them to their mouth, it’s all about making sure parents are doing it safely. The other myth is that BLW babies are more at risk of choking compared to babies being offered purees. This is actually backed up by recent peer reviewed journal articles.

What do people think that you do for a living? 

They think I’m a TV star!

What are you passionate about in dietetics? 

I’m passionate about letting babies feed them selves so they can be stimulated from all their senses and learn to eat enough, but not too much. It’s amazing to watch them go!

What is your favourite meal? 

My favourite meal is sushi and yes, sushi can be offered to babies in a way that’s totally safe!

More about Jessica:

BLW Network for RDs: https://www.jessicacoll.com/BLW_network.html
free BLW cookbook: https://jessicacoll.com/
Facebook: Nutrition for babies
Instagram: @nutritionforbabies

Thanks Jessica! Find out more about What RDs Do.

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