Dietitians aren't perfect

I've seen a few things that made me want to write this post. I'm a dietitian. The girl in the picture above doesn't represent me very well. People have expectations for dietitians. I'm pretty sure most people think of the girl above when they think about a dietitian. Surrounded by fruits and vegetables and glowing because she eats so healthy. I am not that girl. For one, my boobs aren't that big and I certainly don't radiate healthy quite like that. I need to dispel some of those expectations right here, right now.


1. I saw another blog with a disclaimer that said her writing and opinions do not reflect the opinions of her employer. Eek. Do I need a disclaimer like that? It's just a blog. I'm working hard to post evidence based information without boring your with all the statistical modeling that I have to interpret every day. Thoughts? Do I need a lawyer for this blog?!?

2. There was an article in the ADA Times (a quarterly magazine that I get from the American Dietetic Association) about dietitians who don't cook. Horror of horrors! Think about the implications of getting advice from someone who doesn't cook! The article points out that a dietitian can be very good at what he or she does, but should not forget that cooking and grocery shopping are at the root of what we do and we dietitians should re-familiarize ourselves with the tools of our trade. Hopefully my adventures and misadventures in cooking will at least give you a laugh on occasion. But really I hope that what I'm able to manage in my crazy busy life will help you in your crazy busy life. Unlike a lot of the mom blog authors, I don't have a blogging team and I don't have a personal house assistant. Seriously, if you read the blogs of some of those do-it-all moms out there you'll start to realize that they aren't doing it all!

3. An article in a Woman's Health (I love love love reading magazines) about being foodier than though. There was a question in bold letters in the middle of the page. "Have you ever mentally judged the person in front of you for ordering a full fat latte?" Um...yeah. But I don't want to be THAT girl! Some of it's just an artifact of my training. I was trained to help people make small changes to help them cut back on discretionary calories. If you tell me what you ate yesterday, I could probably go through and figure out how to reduce it by a few hundred calories in about 45 seconds or less. But truth is I judge people when they order "Skinny, soy, triple shot, no whip" blahbady blah too. I mean really? You just sound goofy when it takes you 30 seconds to ramble off your coffee order! But on this blog I don't want to sound judgmental because...

4. DIETITIANS AREN'T PERFECT! A girl in the class for which I am a teaching assistant was wearing the a t-shirt that said "Dietitians Aren't Perfect!" and the words were surrounded by french fries, hot dogs,pizza, burgers, ice cream, etc. Hilarius! I want to give her an A just for wearing that shirt. So true. I try to get 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, but truth is, I don't. I have serious food weaknesses. One of my many weaknesses is french fries dipped in mayo. Another happens to be a weakness for me and my best dietitian friend. You know who you are! It's fried pickles dipped in ranch dressing. I mean really? Could you take a cucumber and turn it into a bigger disaster than that?!?! I think not! Oh, and I like Coke. Especially Cherry Coke. I probably drink it once a week or less, but sometimes I drink it several days in a row. Yup! You read that right. I'm a dietitian who likes Coke! Coke Zero and Cherry Coke Zero is ok if it's really cold, but 8/10 times I drink the real stuff. Full on Coke.

Please keep these things in mind when reading my Thoughts On Food. I'm not here to be your personal dietitian. I am not a substitute for going to see a dietitian if that's what your doctor has suggested you do. I am not necessarily providing ideas that will work perfectly for you nor should you expect all of my ideas to work perfectly for you! I like food. I think we all need to follow a diet that resembles the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and a lot of my posts will relate to that. Just sayin' though...I don't walk on water.