Hind Sight Is 20/20

Each semester has its own characteristics that distinguish it from being just like the one before it. Whether it be classes, organizational involvement or friendships, something or several things always define my semester and reflecting on each 4 month period offers perspective and guidance for things I involve myself in during the next. My top priority this past semester was spending time with my boyfriend, and now fiancé, Ben. We are getting married in July and have one more semester of school to go before we graduate in August. Looking back, I wouldn't trade our time or re-shift priorities to make someone else or something more important than him. For this next semester however, I will say that I am going to strive to continue to give myself ample time to study and to prepare for classes. I will have to fight the distractions of wedding planning and my fiancé in order to finish my schooling with the same fervor and degree of excellence that I maintained before I met Ben or got engaged. Having recognized and verbalized this desire to finish well in school and the distractions that could hinder it from being realized, I will be much more aware of how I spend my time and allocate time for studying.

Nutrition Internships: The Pressure to be RD

The program to become a Registered Dietitian (RD) in the United States is very rigorous and in some ways limited. The entire nation has only one "matching" program that places you in a dietetic internship based off of your preference and qualifications. Some people are not even matched to an internship and are left to apply again the following year. Although the program for the dietetic internships is extensive and very practical, I do think that there are some serious limitations on students wanting to become a RD. First of all, there is only one method in which to become a Registered dietitian. A student must complete a bachelor's degree in Nutrition from an accredited CADE school, then apply and do an internship after they graduate that serves as a practicum. I don't like that there is only one way by which to become a RD because the internships are not incorporated into the bachelor's degree and require extra schooling after one has graduated. The internships are like 8 to 5 jobs, yet most do not pay. I also think the program is limited because the ability to become a RD is controlled almost completely by CADE requirements and by the American Dietetic Association. I know there are many positive aspects to having it under one organization and for having the internship occur after one finishes their bachelor's degree, however I think that at there should be one or two alternative routes available for those seeking to become Registered Dietitians.

A Tangled Mess

Tomorrow my roommate will be turning 22. Our close friend planned a surprise party for her at midnight tonight and wanted all of her roommates to come. I love my roommate, and I love my friend, but I mentioned that I might not be able to come because I needed to write a paper. I thought this would be an understood and excused reason for missing the nights festivities, but apparently I really hurt my friend's feelings by telling her I wasn't going to go. I am not skipping out because I don't love my roommate or don't care for my friend, its simply that I have way too much to do this week and don't know if I can get it all done, especially if I don't have a little bit of sleep in between the madness. At first I was frustrated that my friend was upset with me for not coming. I thought, but why? Doesn't she understand the huge pressure I am under this week? And then I realized, that's the problem. I never clearly communicated to her what the pressures were that I was feeling and what all the compounding factors added up to, that made me need to skip out on this party. Because I didn't communicate well with my friend, her feelings were hurt at my seemingly insensitive response and in return I was hurt that she would harbor harsh feelings toward me for not going when I had legitimate reasons to forgo my invitation. Oh how important it is to be clear and honest in communication!

Taking Things Into My Own Hands

Food Service Systems Management is not necessarily the most appealing title for a Nutrition class, at least, not in my opinion. However, hiding behind the technical title is a jewel of a class which I hope to enroll in for the summer session. This course is a mega-course that requires much time and effort. Upon completion of the class a student will receive 5 credit hours for the class! Food Service Systems Management was developed to provide students with knowledge of the principles of food service management that are used in preparing and serving food. The course has an emphasis on menu planning, quality control, purchasing, equipment, layout and design. The extreme amount of cooperation and time required for the class allows for the student to actually apply basic food service management principles from financial planning to personnel issues. Unlike many courses, this one is not based solely in textbook knowledge, but actually provides time and the necessary mentoring for application of textbook concepts. In consideration of this, I hope to gain experiential knowledge about the food service industry from this course. I am confident that this will take place as I have heard from classes in the past that a large portion of the class is dedicated to a semester long project to plan, market and prepare a formal dinner for the nutrition faculty and their guests. I have already taken classes on food handling that will equip me with formidable knowledge of food safety in the area of food preparation. However, I believe that this class will offer many opportunities for growth in areas of nutrition that I have never explored, of actually planning and marketing a function and managing the personnel and budget, while providing guests with palatable and healthful foods. With the prior knowledge I have of this course, I can only look forward to the opportunity to engage in such an interactive class and wait expectantly for the challenging environment it will involve.

Açaí Berry: The New Superfood?

The Açaí berry is found on a palm tree unique to the rainforest of the Amazon. It is a small berry that tastes like a mix of berries and chocolate that has the potential to become a dominant force in the area of nutrition. This small berry is packed with vital nutrients, varying from supercharged antioxidants to amino acids and fatty acids. Açaí trumps other antioxidant rich plants, being at least 10 times higher in antioxidants than other foods rich in these age-fighting compounds. It also contains a high amount of fiber and good fat lending to a healthy heart, and is seasoned with an ample amount of amino acids which are helpful for muscle contraction and regeneration. This berry is still not widely known in the United States, but has popped up in supermarkets across the US in the form of different juices and purees. It is my desire that this berry become more widely known and consumed across our culture because I believe that it could incredibly enhance the nutrient content of people's diets across the US. Within the realm of nutrition, it is vital that registered dieticians and other nutrition professionals assist in making this berry available and its health benefits known to the American population as a whole in order to better combat the nutrition related diseases that plague our population.

Nutrition and Technology

In the future of our field, the most anticipated technology of the day as applied to nutrition will be the rise of individualized nutritional advised based on one's genes. Can you imagine, nutrition advice that is no longer based solely on one's gender, height, weight, age and physical activity? Better yet, one that is tailored completely to the individual based on their DNA! Genetics is the greatest upcoming force in nutrition, and a valuable one at that. With the help of genetics, the world of nutrition and dietetics will be able to climb to unthinkable heights in the areas of preventative and disease related nutritional therapy! People who are pre-disposed genetically for different diseases will be able to use preventative nutritional therapy to combat the onset of the disease years before its possible onset! This technology would not only be beneficial for the overall wellness of society, but also for the economic state of our health care as Medicare costs would go down as a result of such preventative medicine and nutritional therapy. The difficulty of such advanced technology would be in making it available to the population as a whole. The use of such machinery is very expensive and challenges could arise in making it affordable for most Americans. The technology is wonderful, but without being made easily accessible to most, its purpose would not be realized and its function would become practically useless.

I Predict Virtual Success!

I believe that with the field of Nutrition will look very different in the future. With the advent of virtual worlds such as Second Life, many will opt to do business out of their home in this alternate reality, rather than make the long commute to work each morning. Dietitians will no longer work out of the hospital or the local gym to give personal nutrition advice, but will hold meetings online with those seeking to live more healthfully. In a world such as Second Life, centers will be built specifically for healthy living to provide easy access to trustworthy nutritional information and suggestions. Personal assessments that cater to individual needs or problems will even be made over this virtual network by registered dietitians. Support groups for people struggling with different problems relating to nutrition and health will be established to encourage people as they strive to make lifestyle changes. The field of nutrition is a vast and ever changing profession. I have no doubt that its adaptability in this realm will easily and successfully carry over in our societal shift to the virtual world.

Community Nutrition

Community Nutrition, also known as NUTR 430 is an upper level nutrition course offered to Nutritional Science majors who have already completed certain prerequisites within the major. I have learned a lot through this class, and most of it has not been text-book information, but real life application. One of our projects during the semester was to live for 5 days off of a budget that is similar to that of Food Stamps. During this uninterrupted 5 day period we were to try to maintain as healthy a diet as possible with only $16.40 to spend the entire 5 days on food. As part of the project, we were to keep a food journal that described what we ate, how we felt throughout the day and the nutritional requirements we either did or did not meet during the day. It was a really challenging project in that it forced me to gain understanding of the difficulties so many people have in meeting their nutritional needs, especially those on very restricted budgets. Not only was it difficult to eat enough food on such a small budget, but it was also challenging to eat healthy! It was so frustrating to go to the store and realize how expensive it is to buy many of the healthy foods offered. I also learned how much patience and effort it would take for someone on such a limited budget to really eat well with so little money. I had to plan my meals for the week and carry a calculator with me in the store to make sure I didn't go over my alloted budget. During the week I also found difficulty in adding variety to my meals, there were no spices to be added and I had very few options for changing up the rice and beans or oatmeal that I ate almost daily.
I think this class was really advantageous for my future career plans in that I not only was educated in how to work with people of lower socioeconomic status, but I was actually able to experience on some level the way in which they live and the boundaries they may come across in trying to eat healthily. I think this class and the projects that have been assigned in the class will prove very helpful to me in the future as I seek to help those with lesser means utilize wha means they do have in effort to live more healthy and enriching lives.

I've Got an Issue: It's a Salt Attack!

I am so tired of processed foods that are full of added salt being pawned off as healthy at the grocery store! I cannot count the number of times that I have been to the store and picked up an item that is cleverly marketed to appear nutritious, only to look at the nutrition facts and see that there are 800 mg of Sodium in one serving. Talk about a heart attack waiting to happen! According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Sodium intake should be restricted to allow no more than 2,000 mg per day, but research indicates that most Americans consume twice the recommended intake- thats 4,000 mg per day. The dangers of consuming too much Sodium are serious, as it has been linked to increased blood pressure and heart disease, which is the number one disease that people in America die from today. There are hefty consequences for consuming too much Sodium in the diet, yet when I go to the grocery store, the aisles are packed with items, even "healthy" items, that are full of added salt. With the incidence of heart disease increasing among the American population, action must be taken. If the food producers are unwilling to be more conscientious of the amount of salt that they add to their food products in processing, then it is up to the American consumer to become more aware of the foods they eat and their contents. Reduced consumption of added salt has been proven again and again to decrease the risk of heart disease and to improve blood pressure levels. With such strong conclusions being drawn from various studies, the implications for the need to decrease the amount of salt in the diet are obvious and worth heeding.

The Organic Craze

Is organic food healthier? This is the question of the hour in mainstream nutrition news, and one confronted in an article by Lauren Serkes, who is a columnist for Diamondback Online. In this article Serkes tries to persuade readers that although there is a growing trend to buy organic food, there is no research to prove its alleged health benefits over conventional foods and the public should not fall into this craze of buying all foods organic without such evidence. Serkes uses a few helpful tools and strategies in making her case against the promotion of organic foods as being healthier than foods that are not organic. Several times throughout the article Serkes repeats her opinion that organic foods are not empirically healthier than non-organic foods. Serkes uses this strategy of persuasion effectively, making her point in different ways and locations throughout the article, likely adding to the reader's understanding of her argument. Serkes also provided excellent and researched reasons as to why she does not believe that organic food is necessarily healthier than other foods. Her opinion of this topic became much more concrete and legit in my eyes after reading her well-thought and researched explanations. Serkes also used the method of comparison to drive home her main point. Serkes, brilliantly used a well-known food product and its label to point out a major difference between the weak health claims of organic foods and foods that are labeled with such claims for their proven health benefits. Serkes used these and other techniques to propose a strong argument against the assumption that organic foods are by nature healthier than other foods. Her argument could have been more effective had she had conveyed the message more clearly and deliberately to her audience. The article is full of her opinion, and she did a great job of making her opinion clear, however it was only loosely tied to the audience and their need to re-think the health benefits of organic products, making her persuasion less successful.

Nutrition Facts: Whats the Source?

In the ever expanding and changing world of nutrition, it is important for nutrition professionals to be a source of reliable and current information.
Today's Dietitian Magazine
is a valuable tool, accessible via the internet, for dietitians that desire to stay up-to-date with current research in the field. The articles displayed on the website are written by registered dietitians and scholars who have much knowledge and experience in their area of interest. In a world where anyone can post information on the internet and present it as holding value or truth, it is comforting to direct professionals within nutrition and even clients to a site that changes and updates information only as research permits. Each month a new issue of Today's Dietitian is published, featuring articles covering a wide range of nutrition research. Another exciting and utile component of this website is Daily Recipe section, displaying different recipes and their nutritional content, which can be helpful for dietitians and their clients! To all the nutrition professionals and health nuts out there, I would suggest reading this reliable and better yet, FREE magazine.

*Nutrition: The Spice of Life*

As a senior, about to graduate with a degree in Nutritional Science and a minor in Spanish, I am blessed to have a great passion for the information I have been studying the past four years. I would love nothing more than to combine these two loves for the Spanish language and nutritious living in the field I pursue when I graduate. I desire to take the experience and knowledge that I have gained from these to areas of study to third world countries in Latin America, or to impoverished areas of the United States to work for poverty relief and against malnutrition that plagues so many.
I have been uniquely blessed at my age to have already had experience working with people from a wide variety of different ages, races, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds within the United States and in other countries. Through this paradigm I have also seen many of the hardships that people face in different countries around the world, even in America, in meeting basic needs for consuming adequate food and water. Having seen and been broken by these circumstances, I desire to provide nutrition education and access to nutrient rich foods to even the poorest of the poor to end generational hunger, impacting lives and cultures beyond my own name or professional career.
I am excited to embark on this journey as Nutrition is not just my major, but one of my most intense joys. It excites me to think of the possibility of being able to join the things things that I am so passionate about: Spanish, nutrition, and ending poverty, to really make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and cultural groups. I think that in order to make great strides in the world, one must be driven by desire and I am thrilled to move forward in accomplishing these dreams with such simple, yet powerful motivation.