Welcome to my nutrition blogging journey! My original plan was to begin a blog as a student at Bastyr University in the MS Nutrition program. However, being a student, a mother, a wife, and all the other aspects of my life took priority. As of today, I have officially started my next experience in my nutrition journey. Since I was beginning a new chapter in my life, I felt it was a perfect time to start blogging. Through my blog I will share experiences in nutrition, the knowledge I gain along the way, current nutrition topics, and anything else which catches my interest pertaining to health and nutrition.
Coming from a university with a strong focus on the natural health approach I am passionate about building a whole foods diet. What does this mean? Basically, if you can recognize your food as living or coming from something living, it is most likely a whole food or a part of a whole food. For example, an egg comes from a chicken and both would be considered whole foods. Vegetables, fruits, grains, beans/legumes, nuts, seeds, meat, and fish are all “whole foods”. Switching to a whole foods diet can feel overwhelming. If so, first begin by reading labels of foods and beverages. Select the foods with fewer ingredients and ingredients that are recognizable. I like to encourage people to fill their plate with ½ vegetables and fruits, ¼ grains or starchy vegetables, and ¼ protein. Many of my nutrition recommendations will include this philosophy.
As I mentioned, I am starting a new chapter of my nutrition journey. I successfully completed my MSN program in June. Now, I am beginning my 10 month experience as a dietetic intern. The first week of my internship was an orientation. In this period, I have been trying to cram in 7 chapters of medical terminology. This week I will focus on the next 4 chapters. Plus, I started my first rotation today. My first rotation is at a hospital for 12 weeks to learn the clinical side of nutrition also known as medical nutrition therapy. It is going to be a jam packed 12 week commitment. I tried to avoid getting overwhelmed with all the information. I will have to take one day at a time.
Two things I found shocking today: 1) In a hospital offering a menu style food service, patients are able to order what they want from a list of food. If they want to only eat cookies, they can just order cookies (as long as it is ok on their diet order). Also, they can order several trays during one meal slot. A person could potentially order 4 meals for lunch. 2) If an individual is an alcoholic and having to stay in the hospital, doctors can request that the patient receive beer during their stay to reduce the alcohol withdrawals. Shocking!!
I look forward to sharing the life of a dietetic intern with you as well as all aspects of nutrition.
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