Summer Time Weight Loss Strategies

I was asked to be on WTHR and talk about Summer Time Weight Loss Strategies. I know I had already posted on some of my experiences about this topic the other week. I thought since I took the time to put together some information for that TV segment I would share those tips and tricks with you all. 

Summer time is a great opportunity to work on losing some extra weight. The days are long, the weather is warmer and people often have some time off of work. If weight loss has been one of your goals during this year and you haven't hit those goals then take a moment and read through some of these strategies that I am going to share with you. 

Weight Loss Strategies

• Get outside. One of the best things about summer is the longer days and the warmer weather. You can often find lots of different types of activities that get you moving outside. Any type of activity that you can do outside can count towards burning calories. Everything from mowing the lawn, washing the car, playing with your kids at the park and even walking your dog. Most of us sit at our jobs and we don’t get in that goal of 10,000 steps per day. If you are able to walk to the library or the grocery store near you, take advantage of that opportunity to get in more steps. If you want to do something more demanding take your family with you on a bike ride or on a run. There are also lots of summer activities like swimming and hiking that you can do outdoors and that is physically challenging.

• Drink wisely. During the summer, we enjoy nice cold beverages. It is important to be aware of what is in your favorite cool drink. If you drink alcohol there are calories in that beer (154 calories/can) or wine (125 calories/5oz) and if you prefer a mixed, sugary drink there are quite a few calories hidden in there as well (455 calories/8oz for a margarita). Work to minimize the number of calories you are getting from your drinks. Make sure that you are getting enough water. Your body is made up of 60% of water and staying hydrated during the summer time is extremely important. Carry a water bottle with you or have a container of water with you at your desk throughout the day.

• Pick fresh foods. The summer time is when most fruits/vegetables are in season. That means that you can purchase fresh produce at a much cheaper price compared with in the winter time. Stock up on these nutritiously dense fruits and vegetables throughout the summer. These produce items are also low in calories and high in vitamins/minerals which helps keep your body functioning well. You can get these fresh items from your local grocery store or Farmer’s Market. You can even grow them in your backyard. That is a great way to incorporate exercise, saving money and learning where your food comes from! If you purchase or grow extra of these produce items you can freeze or can them for the winter.

• Get plenty of rest. With the longer days during the summer time we often want to do more things and end up getting less sleep. Sleeping is the one time your body gets to relax, rebuild and recharge for the next day. Don’t short yourself the amount of time you sleep. Try to get to bed at a decent time and aim for 6-8 hours of sleep per night. When it comes to weight loss, getting adequate rest will help your body lose weight.

• Avoid late night snacks. If you are getting adequate sleep and going to bed earlier you are often able to avoid late night snacking. This is such a stumbling block for people and often people end up eating empty calories. If you want to decrease your calorie intake to lose weight, you have to stop eating by 8pm at night. That cut off will help empower you to avoid eating unhealthy things late at night. Often people have cravings for unhealthy food items and over eat during this late night time. If you work hard to go to bed earlier, that will often help to eliminate this temptation.

Losing weight this summer is something that you can totally do! There are so many ways that you can make a healthy lifestyle change. Aim for making small changes and stick with those changes to help ensure that you are successful. 

Baby Led Weaning FAQ

I felt lead to write another Baby Led Weaning post and I thought I would answer some commonly asked questions that I often get from parents about Baby Led Weaning. This is a topic that I really enjoy discussing with people. I love food and I think that teaching that love to food to our children is important. I believe that Baby Led Weaning is one of the best ways to help instill within children a love of food. 

• When can you start Baby Led Weaning? You can start giving your child soft, solids when they are 6 months old, have good head control and can comfortably sit up in a high chair. You also want your child to be showing signs they want to try to eat (reaching for foods that you are eating, watching you eat, etc). You want them to be able to do these things first, because then you know that they have the strength and stamina to handle solids.

• What do I feed my child? Anything that you are eating. Especially at the beginning start with soft solids (fruits, cooked vegetables, beans, tofu, etc) and then as they get older you can move onto harder food items. There is no need to purchase "special" baby food items, give your child what you are eating!

• What if my kid chokes? There is a difference between choking and coughing. Coughing is normal for every child. The key is not freaking out. Your child coughing is sign that they took too big of a bite, and they are trying to clear their airway. Do not pat them on the back to “try and help.” That could actually make them choke. Choking is when your children stops coughing and is no longer making noise. That is a sign their airway is blocked and that is the time to intervene. This would be the time to do the strongly pat their back over your knee and help to dislodge that food item. Choking is not common with Baby Lead Weaning. Coughing is common, especially at the beginning. Your child has to learn how to manipulate that food in their mouth to chew, swallow and breath. It is an acquired skill and takes practice.

• You don’t use store-purchased baby food? No purees? Nope. Don’t spend more money on commercial baby food. It is a gimmick and your child doesn’t need it. Offer your child foods that you eat at the dinner table. Start with soft foods, cut in long pieces so they can grab them with their hands and feed themselves. It is great to teach your child independence and encourage them to try new foods. Begin with cooked vegetables, soft fruit, soft grain items like puffs or mumums. These items turn into purees in their mouth and they can safely manipulate them. This also means that you make 1 meal and everyone gets to eat it!

• My kid has no teeth, how can they eat table food? Children want to eat what you are eating, why feed your child something different. Yes, your child may not have teeth, but that is why you start with soft food items that they can eat on their own. This teaches them how much food they can fit in their mouth and how to properly chew and swallow. They don’t need teeth for these soft food items you are feeding them.

• What if my kid gets messy? Your kid will get so messy, but that is part of learning. Eating is more than just putting the food in your child’s mouth. It involves the smell, the texture, the taste and the different flavors. This also allows the whole family to sit down together at the table. You don’t have to feed your child separately. Family meal times have been proven to help strengthen those family connections and help child grow into better, more well-rounded individuals.

• What if my child doesn't like the food? That is fine. It takes children upwards of 15 times of being exposed to a food to really determine if they dislike it. Always offer foods that they like and new foods as well. Remember, if you child chooses not to eat, that is fine. There will be another meal in a few hours and they will not starve.

• What is the biggest challenge with Baby Led Weaning? Trying to work in variety. I think it is so easy to get in a food rut, but trying to mix things up and trying new recipes is key. Getting your child to try 100 foods by the time they are one is totally possible.

This is from the Fortified Family website and Katie Ferraro's website/books are amazing!

I think a lot of times as parents we are the ones that end up holding our kids back. We are the ones who limit their creativity or keep them doing crazy things. Yes, some times it is merited to protect them, but with food I feel that it is so important to let them explore, get messy and learn to eat all the different food items. If you have any other questions about Baby Led Weaning, feel free to reach out to me!

Follow Up - Back On My Fitness Pal

I set a reminder on my phone to check back in with you all about my fitness/nutrition goals this week. If you remember my post about 4 weeks ago was about getting back on track and trying to use My Fitness Pal again and change up my fitness a little bit. If you want to read that first post - CLICK HERE and it will catch you up to speed.

If you recall these were my goals ...

My 3 Weight Loss Goals 

1. Do sit ups/planks before going to bed (spend 5 minutes doing a little core strengthening before crawling into bed). I want to do this during the week (Monday through Friday). 
2. Track what food I put in my mouth using My Fitness Pal. I want to track my intakes every day for the next month. I want to see trends in how I am eating during the week and the weekend and see where I can make some changes. 
3. Start some new strength training. I have some credit to go to a yoga class. I want to start my attending a yoga class at this new studio and try to go 2 times in the next month. I also would like to lift some weights at the gym. Goal is work out at the gym and lift weights 4 times in the next month (that could be once a week over the next 4 weeks).

I wanted to do a check in about 4 weeks later and see how things were going. I think that is one of the big things that people often fail to do ... follow up and check back in on their goals. It is easy to forget about them if you don't set a reminder.

So how did things go over the last 4 weeks. (I am giving myself 1-5 rating on how I did with these goals, 1=didn't happen, 2=did it occasionally, 3=did it half the time, 4=did it most of the time, 5=did it all of the time).

Evaluating My Goals

1. Do sit ups/plants before going to bed = 3
2. Tack what food I put in my mouth using My Fitness Pal = 4
3. Start some new strength training = 1

As you can see I did ok with my sit ups and with using the My Fitness Pal app. I didn't make it to a new yoga class at all and I didn't go to the gym to strength train. I wanted to outline some obstacles that got in my way as well. That is important and often another thing that happens, people just give up and don't stop to recognize things that kept them from accomplishing their goals. I don't want you to see these as excuses, but instead things that kept me some successfully accomplishing my goals.

Obstacles

1. Work was crazy busy. We launched a new program in our formula room that affected how baby feedings were ordered and that went live May 29th. So for the two weeks after that Go Live date, things were nuts. Long hours, weird schedules and no time to fit in working out or trying out a new class.
2. Vacation. We went on a family trip over the Memorial Day weekend (Friday through Monday) and I choose not to stress about using My Fitness Pal. I enjoyed some yummy food and didn't track my intake/exercise.

Now you may have noticed that none of my weight loss goals had to deal with actual weight loss. I did weigh myself back on May 14th and I was 140lbs and I weighed myself again on June 8th and I weighed 136.4lbs. So that is just shy of a 4lb weight loss over the past 25 days. That is an average of 1lb/ week. So even though I didn't accomplish all of my goals like I would have hoped, I did make some changes and I do feel better about what I have accomplished.

So now it is time to rethink through those goals and come up with new goals for the next 4 weeks.

My 3 Weight Loss Goals (Updated)

1. Keep ... Do sit ups/planks before going to bed (spend 5 minutes doing a little core strengthening before crawling into bed). I want to do this during the week (Monday through Friday). 
2. Keep ... Track what food I put in my mouth using My Fitness Pal. I want to track my intakes every day for the next month. I want to see trends in how I am eating during the week and the weekend and see where I can make some changes. 
3. Keep ... Start some new strength training. I have some credit to go to a yoga class. I want to start my attending a yoga class at this new studio and try to go 2 times in the next month. I also would like to lift some weights at the gym. Goal is work out at the gym and lift weights 4 times in the next month (that could be once a week over the next 4 weeks).

I am going to keep the same goals and work really hard to actually try to accomplish my #3 goal ... trying a new form of strength training. I want to get to a class and try really hard to do that so that I find another way to stay active that isn't just running.

Hopefully this has been helpful to see how setting goals for yourself and following up with those goals can help you accomplish what you have set for yourself. It is possible, it just takes some patience and willingness to stick with your goals!

Trip to Chattanooga, TN

This week I had very limited time to work on a blog post. It has been a crazy week. I have been at work so much trying to get a new system up and working in our formula room. It was been nuts. We had been on a short vacation time to Chattanooga, TN over the holiday weekend and that was amazing. Coming back to a weird week at work after a vacation is rough stuff.  

I thought it would be fun to write up a little bit about our trip to Chattanooga and then talk about some of the new places where we ate. We had a fun trip down to Tennessee. We were able to leave early in the morning on Friday and then came back on Monday. It was a 6.5 hour drive from our house to Chattanooga. We took William and our dog, Einstein. It is always an adventure traveling with a toddler and a dog. Thankfully the dog is easy to travel with, it is the toddler who can be crazy. 

We were able to get at almost all local restaurants. That is a fun thing that we try to do whenever we travel, eat at only local places. We did stop by two fast food restaurants because you that is life when you travel. 

Embargo 62 - This was a great cuban restaurant in Chattanooga, not far from our Airbnb. I have been to a Cuban restaurant in Indianapolis, but have limited experience with Cuban food. This was amazing. We got sandwiches and they were yummy! They came with fried bananas and it was delicious. We definitely recommend this place!

Edley’s BBQ - This BBQ restaurant was also near where we stayed and it was soooo good. I think this was the best meal we had the whole weekend. I got their brisket tacos and they were amazing. I loved the slaw that was on top and the meat was smoked and just contained so much flavor. I am sure there are lots of good BBQ places, but this one was definitely top notch in our opinion. 

The Daily Ration - This was the brunch spot we went on Sunday and I struggled to only pick one thing on the menu. There were so many amazing choices, from sweet to savory it was all so delicious and presented beautifully. I got the coconut chai bowel and shared that with William along with a breakfast sandwich. Chas got the Kimchi rice bowel and he ate the whole thing. It was a hit. 

Milk and Honey - This was a super cute coffee shop and restaurant. They had so many different food and drink options. There was something on this menu that everyone would enjoy. Their signature, Milk and Honey latte was quite good and we got some other amazing brunch items the day we headed out of town. Definitely two thumbs up! 

We ended up ordering some food from other restaurants and had it delivered to our Airbnb houes. Sometimes with children it is just nice to eat at home and not always be in a restaurant. These places were definitely some of our favorite food spots. 

We also took the time to go to a couple of fun places. We went to Lula Lake, which is a land preserve on Lookout Mountain. It was amazing. We hiked and got to see a beautiful water fall. We also took a tram up Lookout Mountain and that was fun to be able to see all above the city. One afternoon we walked into downtown, across the river from our house. It was a fun-filled weekend with out friends Joshua, Angela and their son Henry. We loved out time in Chattanooga and if you want a fun place to go that isn’t too far away, check it out! 

Always Say "Yes!"

Over the last 7 years of being a dietitian and then really for as long as I can remember, I have worked to be say "yes" to all the opportunities that come my way. I have my parents to thank for this life lesson. They were always encouraging me to try new things and take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. 

Not long ago, I was talking with a dietetic intern about interviewing for a job. We were discussing potential interview questions and then also about different types of jobs. I was passing along some words of wisdom and the take away from the conversation was "say yes to every opportunity that comes your way." As I reflect on that statement, I think that is SO true. 

Over the years I have had some amazing opportunities. I have been a clinical dietitian for the last 7 years, meaning that I work in a hospital, but I have worked hard to do other community-based nutrition projects as well. I have felt that need to serve as a nutrition expert for my community as well as the babies that I see on a daily basis. In both of my jobs, I have worked with the media and done TV/Radio/Newspaper interviews about various nutrition topics. Obviously, since you are reading this on my blog, you have probably clicked over to my Media Portfolio page and see those videos. I have really enjoyed doing media work and incorporating that into my clinical dietetics job. Every nutrition media spot opportunity that comes my way ... I always say yes. I have had to turn down 1 interview in the last 7 years, because I was not in the office and there was no way I could get there. I was out of town, but otherwise I work so hard to be available and take advantage of those opportunities. 

I have had some other neat opportunities come my way including being involved in writing test questions for a national board exam. The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics has specialty exams for RDs to take and there is a new one that will be available in September of 2018 for PICU and NICU RDs. I applied and was chosen to be on the committee that wrote those test questions. It was such a neat process and honestly such a fun learning experience. I totally applied on a whim and I am so glad that I took that chance and said "yes" to that opportunity. 

I wanted to share these comments with you to help encourage you to work on "always saying yes!" There are so many things in life that can make us nervous, apprehensive or hesitant. Often times the one thing in life that is really holding us back is ourselves. If you have a neat opportunity come your way and you are torn on whether or not to take it ... think about it, but I encourage you to say "yes!" You can figure out how to make it work in your life and I have never said "yes" to an opportunity and then regretted it. It has always been a positive experience and one that helped me become a better person and help others. 

Back On My Fitness Pal

It is time to get back on My Fitness Pal. I used My Fitness Pal throughout my pregnancy with William, because I didn't want to gain too much weight. It helped to hold me accountable to what I put in my mouth. I also used it regularly before getting pregnant to help lose weight that I had gained after graduating college and sitting at my job. Well it is time to get back on that band wagon of tracking what I put in my mouth to help prevent future weight gain. 

I wanted to share this with you all, because I think it is important to talk about what makes you feel good for your own weight. Often we have some idea of what our ideal, personal body image looks like. Some times that is realistic an some times it is idealistic, but I think we all have a goal for ourselves. We also have a feeling at a certain weight where we feel comfortable. I had just mentioned to Chas last week that I just felt "fat." I know that I am not that big compared to others, but I just notice that it is harder to run fast, I want to do more sit ups to help with strengthening my core and I just need to work on toning up. Sure enough when I stepped on the scale I say that number that I knew would be my current weight, but I had been denying. 

I had lost the baby weight from being pregnant with William. I got up to 150-155lbs when pregnant with him, which was perfect. That is right where I needed to be. Then with breast feeding and taking care of a baby I got down to 130lbs. My normal body weight is 135-140lbs. The weight where I feel the most comfortable is 135lbs. So when I stepped on the scale this week and it read 140lbs I knew I had to make some changes. I know 5lbs doesn't seem like much, but my pants are tighter when I weigh 140lbs compared with 135lbs. So for my own self-esteem and feeling comfortable in my clothes I prefer to be closer to that 135lb mark. I think we all have that weight that feel more comfortable at. It might be our goal weight, but it is a weight that we are content with. That is what I hope you take away from this discussion, figuring out where you feel most content with yourself. 

I don't mean to throw out these numbers and have you judge if you think 140lbs is too skinny or too fat. That is not the point of this post. This is the share with you that we all have that goal for ourselves. Well my upper limit is 140lbs. So I have some work to do. I have been running and working on training for a half marathon. I do think that some of that weight gain has been leg muscle strength, but some has been more flab in the abdominal region. After having a baby, getting that abdominal strength back is so important and hard to do. So my goal is to track what I am choosing to put in my mouth, try to do more strength training, continue to run and hopefully start some yoga classes. 

I have shared in previous posts that it is important to set specific goals so you can measure if you have accomplished them. That is what I am going to do, put together 3 goals and then try to follow up in a month and see how it went meeting those goals. 

My 3 Weight Loss Goals 

1. Do sit ups/planks before going to bed (spend 5 minutes doing a little core strengthening before crawling into bed). I want to do this during the week (Monday through Friday). 
2. Track what food I put in my mouth using My Fitness Pal. I want to track my intakes every day for the next month. I want to see trends in how I am eating during the week and the weekend and see where I can make some changes. 
3. Start some new strength training. I have some credit to go to a yoga class. I want to start my attending a yoga class at this new studio and try to go 2 times in the next month. I also would like to lift some weights at the gym. Goal is work out at the gym and lift weights 4 times in the next month (that could be once a week over the next 4 weeks).

There you have it ... those are my goals for the next month and hopefully I will be able to accomplish those goals. I think they are realistic and totally achievable. I will check back in the next month with a follow up to how this weight loss trek is going. 

Mother's Day

First of all I want to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to ALL the moms out there. Even if you aren't a Mom, you deserve some love as well, because I am sure you are also a daughter, maybe a sister or an aunt. I am thankful for all the amazing women in my life from my mother, mother-in-law, grandmothers, aunts, sisters and friends. There are so many amazing women I have gotten to meet and learn from. Thank you for being amazing mentors and a support system to one another. 

I have had to opportunity to celebrate Mother's Day three times now in my life. The very first time was when I was in my first trimester of being pregnant. Needless to say, I was not feeling up for celebrating Mother's Day. I was also struggling with the idea of being pregnant. It was still so over-whelming with accepting that we were all of sudden pregnant. That was my first Mother's Day. The next year, William was 4 months old. He of course was adorable and I was so happy to get to be his Mom. This year is fun as well, because now William is 16 months old. It is so neat to get to be a Mom and have such a wonderful son.  

I just wanted to share this little bonus, Mother's Day post and just get to say that I am thankful for all of you and hope that you enjoy your day and time with all the women in your life that mean so much to you! 

Geist Half Marathon Recap

I wanted to do a blog post about the first half marathon that I have post baby. I know I waited longer than I thought I would to get back to competitively running, but being a Mom is tiring. It took me awhile to find a groove and balance my schedule with training runs. I wanted to have fun and enjoy running so I am glad that I didn't rush back to sign up for a long distance race. 

So this time around, training for a half marathon was way different. It is a lot harder to get in the mileage when you bring your little one with you on runs. Just because it is physically harder. Pushing a stroller, while running, is not a joke. That is some serious upper body strength. Honestly, I enjoy it most of the time, but as William has gotten bigger, it is not getting easier. 

Thankfully I continued with my Planet Fitness membership so that allows me a chance to fit in a baby-free run right after work for about 30 minutes. I was able to do that when the weather wasn't as nice outside or if I didn't have time to fit in a long run that day. It is not my favorite thing, but I was glad for the option. That is a worthwhile $10 per month. 

I didn't do as much strength training this time around either. That is so hard to fit in. I was doing good to get in a run throughout the week. I was averaging 20 miles a week or less. There were several weeks where I was about 30 miles. So not intense training, but still enjoyable. 

I have thought about training for another marathon, but I don't know if I can set aside the amount of time to train. That is such a big commitment and I don't know if now is the right time. I would love to do another marathon and try to do it well and possibly qualify for Boston. That would be a stretch, but totally worth the effort. That is on my bucket list for some day! I will eventually race and qualify for Boston. 

Race Recap 

• Up until the morning of the race, I was positive that it was going to rain. There was a 50-80% chance of rain all day on Saturday. It wasn't until the morning of, at 5am when I got up that I saw there was 0% chance until 11am. That was a huge relief for me. I have never raced in the pouring rain before. I was quite nervous and I reached out to a couple of seasoned running friends who passed along some great words of wisdom. There was also a article shared on Very Well Fit's website that was fantastic about running in the rain. I was totally prepared - I had extra shoes, socks, trash bags, a hat, light clothes, a jacket, and lots of Vaseline to prevent chaffing. Thankfully I didn't have use any of those items and I was so thankful. 
• The race route itself was quite hilly. I knew that it would be, but I was also nervous about my limited training area not having any hills. I have been running on the Monon trail which is super flat. But I did train while pushing a stroller, so I think that helped prepare me for working hard to get up and down all the hills. 
• The race day itself turned out to be overcast, cool and it was a little humid. It made for very good running weather. I was thoughtful for limited sunshine so that it was super hot outside. 
• I listened to music while running all 13 miles and thankfully the playlist I made lasted right up to the finish line. I was thankful I didn't have to mess with my phone while running. 
• I carried my water with me along with some salt stick and Huma gels. I ended up just taking 1 Huma gel and 1 salt stick. I was moving quick enough that I took both around the 40-45 minute mark or about 6-7 miles. That was good enough to get me through to the end of the race. 
• My pre-race breakfast included cereal and a banana. I drank lots of water ahead of time and I even got in my bathroom stop prior to the race. I really like to be able to have a bowel movement before running. To help make this possible I eat a salad the night before. I know some runners think that is crazy, but it works for me. I am use to eating lots of vegetables and normally it is just want I need to help get me going in the morning. I also ran from the parking lot, a 1/2 mile to the start line. That helped to get things moving as well. 
• Overall I felt great running. I really loved racing again. I had miss that feeling and challenge that you feel competing. I wasn't trying to win, but I just wanted to run my best race. I ended up placing 2nd in my age division (the 25-30 year old group). I finish in 1hr and 47 minutes. I felt good about my pace ~8 minute/mile. For my first race back post baby, I thought this went really well. 
• The only thing that I didn't love about the route for this course was the fact that course looped back over the same roads on the way out and back. That was the only bad thing. I understand why they had to do that because of the reservoir and limited roads crossing the water. I really enjoy races where you don't double-back over the course you have already run, but that was fine. It was fun to see the huge houses and there were some people along the route cheering us on. If you want to run in a small-ish race with some hills, this is the course for you! 

From Farm To Table

I had the chance to go to the soft opening for a new restaurant in Indianapolis, The Next Door Eatery. This farm to table restaurant was created by Kimbal Musk. His philosophy is to bring healthy, fresh food from local farmers to you the customer. This restaurant opened up on 46th and College not far from where I live. I was super excited when I heard about this restaurant, because it was going into an old building and on a corner that needed some love. I think that with this restaurant the rest of that block is going to get a face lift and will be a popular destination in Broad Ripple.

I had the opportunity to hear Kimbal Musk speak at the Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) in Chicago this last October. I was very excited to get to hear about Kimbal's journey with food and what his goals are for his restaurants. Fun fact, Kimbal's mother is a Dietitian. That is pretty neat in my opinion. He was a great speaker and has been helping to fund some really need food/farming ventures. 

So if you were wondering what makes this restaurant unique ... I pulled some information from their website that I just had to share. This is a quote from their website - "Next Door is an urban casual American eatery serving real food sourced from American farmers. Here at Next Door we're committed to serving real food and dedicated to environmentally-friendly practices such as composting, wind power, eco-friendly packaging, and recycling. " Besides trying to provide food to customers from local growers, this restaurant also works to help provide nutrition education in schools. This is another quote from their website - "Next Door strives to be an integral part of the community and that starts with schools. Next Door partners with The Kitchen Community, a non-profit organization that builds outdoor Learning Gardens classrooms in schools across America. Thank you for eating at Next Door to help build Learning Gardens in your local schools."  

We ate at Next Door for lunch last week and it was delicious. We had a ton of fun trying lots of things on the menu. My son loved the appetizer portion of beets. My parents and I ordered all different dishes and we tried some tacos, the fried fish and a chicken bowl. It was all amazing and the restaurant had such a good atmosphere. There is outdoor patio space and it is kid friendly as well. I am excited to walk over there and enjoy some amazing food and delicious drinks all year long.

30 Things I Have Learned Over 30 years

So it is official I turned 30 years old on Friday. That is crazy! I remember turning 21 years old and thinking, "wow, 30 is so long from now!" I also had crazy ideas about what I would be doing when I was 30 years old. I have to say that I am happy with how things have turned out, but it is crazy to hit that big milestone. I thought it would be fun to compile a list of things that I have learned over the last 30 years. With age comes wisdom, right?! So here are some of my thoughts about turning 30! 

30 Things I Have Learned Over 30 Years

1. My faith. This is important. I feel like this walk with the Lord has gone through ups/downs, but His continual love for me has continued to teach me how to work to love those around me. 
2. Have a person. My husband, Chas, has been my rock over the last 11 years. It is amazing how much having that support person in your life helps get through the ups and downs of life. Whether it is a spouse, significant other or just a best friend .... find that person and never let them go.
3. Age is just a number. I don't feel any older than when I was in my early 20s. I totally agree that age is just a number and I don't feel any older today, than yesterday.
4. My confidence has grown. I feel like now I am finally confident in myself. It has taken awhile, but I know who I am, what I want out of life and that is a nice feeling.
5. Care less about what other people think. I have worked hard to not worry about what people think of me. It can be hard, but I think that is a good goal to have - gain more confidence and worry less about other people's opinion of you. 
6. I can do really hard things. I had a baby (without medication), I have run a marathon, I have supported my husband through graduate school and I have worked hard to excel at my job. 
7. Stress relief matters. I use to think that I had a crazy life that was stressful. Little did I know that life just keeps getting more complicated and stressful. Finding ways to minimize that stress is so important. 
8. Be thankful for the laundry and dishes. I have tried to be happy about the work around the house, because it means I have wonderful people there, living and messing things up. That is worth all the laundry! 
9. I am still me. As the years tick by, I am still me. I am the same person, with hopes and dreams, those dreams have changed and matured, but I am still me. 
10. I love dogs. I always knew I enjoyed having a dog around, but since Einstein has come into our lives ... I really love dogs. He is such a joy and I couldn't imagine life without him. 
11. Love/hate relationship with cooking. I use to say I loved cooking, but as the years have gone by, it sometimes feels like a chore. I still work hard to prepare meals at home, but it is honestly not always my favorite thing to do. 
12. I enjoy reading. I don't always find time to read books myself, but I am always making time to read to William and that is such a fun thing to do. 
13. I love critical care nutrition. This is something that I never thought I would say, but the longer I spend in the NICU the more I like that challenge of critical care nutrition. 
14. Thankful for friends. It is hard as you get older to maintain friendships, because those people are spread across the country or even if they are in the same state it is hard to make time to get together. I am thankful for those friends who work to stay in touch. That is something I want to continue to work on. 
15. Enjoy the quiet moments. Our house isn't always quiet and so enjoying those still, quiet moments is so nice. 
16. Take time to play. I have worked hard to try to be present with William and put down my phone, not worry about the dishes and just play with him in the evenings when we are home together. 
17. Listen. I some times get caught up in the craziness with life and I don't slow down and listen. I have been trying to work hard at this and focus when Chas is talking to me and really hear what he is saying. 
18. Say "Yes" to Experiences. I have always worked to always say "yes" to valuable experiences that come my way. I have been able to do lots of really neat things because I have been willing to say "yes." 
19. Prioritize the battles. I have had a stressful year at my job. I have some difference of opinions with those around me and I have been working hard to prioritize what things are really important. It is easy to complain about everything, but focusing on the things you can actually change/influence has helped to keep me sane. 
20. Time period dramas. I really love a good BBC show and that is one thing that I will do when I am cleaning the kitchen/packing lunches ... watch a good TV show. 
21. Do everything during nap time. It is amazing how much you can accomplish when you use your time wisely during nap time. I am just saying it is some times surprising. 
22. Find new hobbies. This has been a struggle since becoming a mom. It has been hard to discover new things I want to do as hobbies. I think being exhausted has a way of taking over any “hobby” or fun thing you want to do. I am really trying to work on getting some new hobbies. 
23. Never stop learning. This is a life lesson I have learned over and over again. You will never learn everything, but still work towards expanding your knowledge and be open to new ideas.
24. Savor the moments. My Mom once told me that the hours might feel long, but the days go by quickly. That is true, just about life. I have been trying to savor and remember all of the moments and appreciate them.
25. Always have coffee. You can never have too much coffee and it totally helps get ALL the things done. 
26. Make a list. I am totally a list person. I make grocery list, lists at work for what I am doing that day and even what I want to accomplish on my days off. Having a plan helps in so many of life’s situations. Some times all the times get done on the list and sometimes they don’t, but that is ok. 
27. I can’t control everything. I would love to say that over the last 30 years I have aquired that skill “to control things,” but that would not be true. Being able to know when to relinquish control is important. I am working on that skill and some days I do better than others.
28. Must do ALL the dishes. I know this sounds silly, but I am totally like Monica from Friends ... I hate having a messy kitchen with dishes left in the sink. I really like to have things cleaned and organized for me to be able to relax. I am working on trying to let do of some of this OCD-ness, but I have embraced that part of me.
29. Take time for others. I am not always the best at this, but I try to make time for friends and family ... even if it takes time away from my plans. People matter more than anything else and those relationships are so important.
30. Have fun. My husband, Chas, had helped me really learn to let go and just have fun. He makes me laugh and has totally helped me to loosen up over the years. 

Well there ya go ... 30 things that I have learned over the last 30 years. It has been a crazy ride and I am so excited to see what this new decade has in store for me and my family. I have so much to be thankful for and I am so excited for all of the adventures that we will have. Thank you for being part of RD Anna and reading my blogs! I have really enjoyed being able to share my life with you all! 

AND National Preceptor Month

Here in April the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is celebrating all of the preceptors that help dietetic interns during their year long rotation. You may not know, but to become a Registered Dietitian you have to complete a year long, accredited internship. This process involves an application and matching process. So not all of the applicants who apply will get matched to an internship rotation site. It is a competitive process. During that internship year, you participate in different rotation sites and gain a variety of different experiences working with a variety of dietitians. All those people who help to teach future dietitians are an amazing group of preceptors. I have been impacted by such great preceptors during my internship back in 2010. I am still friends with some of those dietitians and I am so thankful that they were willing to take the time to teach me. 

Most professions now that internships or other similar programs where professionals work to students to help teach them. I think this is such a great way to learn. As a professional, in any career area, I encourage you to volunteer and take a student. Work with them and encourage them as they go through schooling. Your work and time teaching these students help to create great employees in the future. 

I included this graph above of the supply and demand of dietetic internships since 1993 until 2015. The yellow line on top is the dietetic students that are graduating from college. The blue line is the number of dietetic internship applicants. The green line is the number of dietetic internship applicants who are actually matched. I thought it was helpful to see that there are lots of students graduating with nutrition degrees, but a far less number actually become Registered Dietitian. In terms of the job market and preventing over-saturating the market, I am ok with this, but I think it is that much more important to work with these students and help create the best dietitians in our work force. 

I have enjoyed working with the Coordinated Program in Dietetics through Purdue since I completed my internship back in 2011. I have been a preceptor for the last 7 years. I have also gotten to work with some IUPUI students and Ball State students over the years. It is rewarding to get to see these students learn and gain confidence. It is also exciting to be able to teach them about my passion for nutrition. I also love seeing these students apply and land their first jobs. It is neat to get to be part of that process and stay in touch with those students. 

If you work in an area where you can serve as a preceptor and help teach students, take advantage of those opportunities. Thank you to all those Registered Dietitians who have served as preceptors over the years and for those who helped me get to where I am today as well. You all are amazing! 

Can You Really Have It All?

So disclaimer, this post isn't one about nutrition advice or exercise recommendations. This one is for women out there who have felt that tug between their work/career and their family. For me this is about being a mother, wanting to have kids and continuing in my career. I know I have heard that you can't have it all and I believe that in life we make compromises. We give up things in order to do other things. I wanted to take the time and write up my struggle and feelings. I feel like as women, it is different for us compared to men. We are different beings and that should be celebrated. Lots of times though I feel a sense of guilt about struggling with this choice between a family and work. 

I, like lots of my peers, finished my 4 year college degree and got a job. I have been a Registered Dietitian for 7 years and I now moved through being a novice in my field into more of an expert. I don't know everything, but after passing that 5 year milestone, I feel like I know some things, but of course have way more I want to learn. I would say that I have a career. I have a specialty area where I work that I love. I am good at it and I enjoy the challenges. I have learned some new things about myself as well - my desire to write and possibly run my own business in the future. I enjoy educating people about my specialty area. I have learned those things about myself over the last 7 years and I have worked hard to be good at what I do. 

I am also a mother and have a child. A 15 month old little one, who I love and enjoy spending time with. Now I have this desire to spend time with him and I have thought about do I want to keep working? Being a mother starts bringing all these questions into your mind that never had been there before. I start wondering if that is something I would want to do? If I didn't have a child, I never would be asking these questions. But now, I feel like I am being asked to choose; between being a Mom or continuing with my career. What I find frustrating is this idea that I HAVE to choose. That some how my desire to continue with my career shows a lack of desire to be the best mother I can be. I know not everyone thinks that, but that is the mindset that society puts on us. 

I believe that as a woman, you have to choose what is best for your family. What do you want from life? What do you want to do? That is what Chas kept asking me the other night. Not what would I would be willing to do for my family. Not what I think I could see myself doing if I had to. The simple question ... where do I see myself in 5 years? Right now, what do I see myself doing? 

As I look into my crystal ball, I see myself working and continuing in my specialty area of dietetics. I would love to have another child, but I understand that additional strain that would put on me as a working mother. I can't help, but want to have it all. I have worked too hard for my career to just step away from that, but at the same time I want to be the best mother I can to my son and hopefully future children. 

I don't have an easy answer to that questions ... where do you see yourself in 5 years? I have hopes and dreams. As a woman, I just want to celebrate other woman out there in that pursuit of "having it all." We give up time with our children to pursue our career and we hope that teaches our children how to be successful later in life. We are mothers, but we are also more than just that vocation. We are still the women that went to college to pursue our dreams and in the end, when our children move out, we will still be those women with our aspirations. Is you choose to stay home with your babies or go to work and snuggle your little ones at night ... doing what is best for you and your family is always the right choice!  

Asparagus and That Stinky Smell

One of my favorite vegetables is asparagus. I love it because it is easy to cook and tastes delicious. It looks fun and can even serve as a "fancy" side dish for a nice dinner. It is a pretty green color and contains lots of vitamins and minerals that are good for your body. But what happens after you enjoy your asparagus with dinner? Have you ever noticed that terrible smell when you urinate? It is terrible! It is almost stinky enough that it might make you reconsider enjoying asparagus, as a vegetable at your next meal. 

So why does that happen? How does it work? I have asked this of myself every time I cook, eat and urinate after consuming asparagus.There is a compound that is only found in asparagus and they have called it asparagusic acid. This is a sulfur containing compound (mercaptan), which explains that terrible odor that occurs in your urine after eating asparagus. Mercaptan is also found in rotten eggs, onions and garlic. It is thought about 22-50% of people are able to smell this compound.

This asparagusic acid compound is "volatile." That does not mean it will explode, but it means that the compound is easily airborne and floats up to your nose very quickly. This means that you can perceive this odor within 15 minutes of eating asparagus spears.

This has prompted the debt about if some people's body produce asparagusic acid compared with the idea that maybe your nose can not smell this compound. After some studies in the 1980s in France and Israel, found that the difference is in the perception of the this asparagusic odor compared with production on this compound. So it is thought that everyone produces this compound, but not all of us came smell it. So some people might not have the olfactory sensors to perceive this sulfur-like smell. They have some genetic mutation that prevents them from smelling this odor. A study was done, by a researcher at Harvard, that included 7,000 participated and out of that group 40% could smell that "stinky odor" after eating asparagus. That left 4,161 who were unable to smell that asparagusic acid. They contribute that inability to smell that compound to some combination of a possible 871 gene variations affecting that sensitivity in the nose. 

So in the end there isn't a clear reason why people can or can't perceive that terrible stink after eating asparagus. There is even doubt on the exact type of compound that makes that distinct odor. In the end, they main take away is ... don't be surprised if you enjoy your asparagus and then have a stinky pee afterwards. You are not weird, that is normal, for ~40% of people. 

Sources: 

1. Why Asparagus Makes Your Urine Smell. 
2. Why Your Pee Smells Funny After Eating Asparagus.
3. Why Asparagus Makes Urine Smell. 
4. We Unravel The Science Mysteries of Asparagus Pee.

Finding Balance with Easter Goodies

Easter came early this year! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter yesterday. Often this holiday is filled with candy and sweet treats, just like Valentine's Day. It is so easy to pick up a bag of candy for those Easter eggs and find yourself eating all of those bite size goodies. Two weeks before Easter, I picked up a bag of bite size candies and totally found myself snacking on them at night. Terrible, I know! It was just so easy to pop one in my mouth. Honestly, I didn't need to buy a bag of candy 2 weeks before Easter, because really, did it make it to Easter? Nope! Sure didn't! 

I am sure that you all had some delicious goodies leading up to Easter and now that the day has come and gone, you probably have some of those candies sitting on your counter or in your cabinet. How do you find balance with those goodies and making healthy choices? 

I am a dietitian who does believe that all foods can fit in a healthy diet. Now I don't recommend you purchase candy, when you don't need it, like I did two weeks ago. I would tell you to enjoy a piece or two of candy for the holiday, but don't bring it into your house if it is going to be a stumbling block for you. If you have little ones in your house, then you might think you have to purchase candy to fill up those Easter eggs with, but I am here to tell you that you don't have to put candy in those eggs. We  put Goldfish crackers, grapes and some other little food items in our eggs for William. Instead of having him find candy (which he doesn't need) we decided to try some healthier alternatives. You might think goldfish aren't exciting or fruit is lame, but this kid loves both so I think he will be excited. 

The two take aways from this post are 1) Those extra treats from Easter, come up with a game plan. Definitely enjoy them, in moderation and then if you have to, throw the rest away. Don't feel guilty about that. If it is going to be a stumbling block for you. Get get of rid it and get rid of that temptation.  2) Your kids goodies don't have to be candy. There are lots of things that you can give your child for Easter that isn't just candy. Don't feel like you are depriving your child anything. I think teaching kids to celebrate with items that aren't food is an important lesson as they grow up. 

Hopefully you all had a wonderful Easter and enjoyed the day! I have included some pictures below from our time with family over the weekend! 

Stretching Your Dollar at the Grocery

Being able to save money when grocery shopping has been a goal for our family in 2018. I love food and I can easily spend lots of money on food. I have been working really hard this year to try to cut down on food purchasing. I wanted to talk about ways to cut down on your food budget and still have healthy and delicious food options available. 

• Cook more at home. When it comes to actually cutting down food costs, limiting your eating at restaurants will help. When you eat out, you spend a lot more money. If you are feeding a whole family that can easily add up. Then if you aren't spending a lot (going to a fast food restaurant, you are trading money for high sodium and low nutrient containing food items). Working hard to plan meals to be prepared and eaten at home will go such a long way in saving you money with your food budget. 
• Plan meals out ahead of time. Being able to eat meals at home requires planning. You obviously can't cook food at home, if you don't have recipes already picked out and food purchased. Sitting down for even 30 minutes a week, picking out a few recipes and writing out what ingredients you need for those foods items will go such a long way in helping you stick with your budget. When you know what food you need to purchase to cook at home, that will help with the next recommendation - creating a list. 
• Stick to the shopping list. To help you save money, write out your shopping list. When you have a list and you go to the grocery store, sticking with your list will help save money. Lots of time that extraneous spending happens when you decide you "need" things from the store, that aren't on your plan. That shopping is to serve as a guide when you head to the store. Stick with purchasing only what you need and that will help save lots of dollars. 
• Shop the sales or cheaper stores. If you are able to look through ads and shop the sales, that is a great way to save money. If that takes too much time and you aren't able to run to multiple stores, then try to find the best deals on the store you shop at. I am a huge believer in Aldi. I really like that store and I get all of my staples from Aldi. I am able to spend <$100 most weeks on food because I purchase all my produce, milk, cheese, eggs and most meat items from Aldi. I don't have the time to shop sales at multiple stores. Find what works best for you and your schedule. 
• Use left-overs. If you take time to cook a meal and you have left-overs, use those for another meal or to take with you to work. That is a huge cost saving measure. Most of the nights when my husband isn't able to come home for dinner, we eat left overs. I will also pack left overs for lunches the following day. That is an easy way to efficiently use that meal you spent money and time on to prepare. 

Half Marathon Training

It is that time of year again. The weather is warming up and the spring marathons and half marathons are starting. Before I had William I ran 1 marathon and then lots of half marathons. I really like the half marathon distance, because I could train, but it wasn't nearly as stressful or take up as much time as training for a marathon. That 13.1 miles is such a great distance. 

I haven't competed in a half marathon or even run 13.1 miles since before I was pregnant. That race as back in October of 2015. I then got pregnant and realized I was pregnant in spring of 2016. At that point in time, I did not feel well enough to run 13.1 miles for fun. It would have been torture. I didn't sign up to run any races in 2016. I continued to run and work out at the gym until the week William was born (December 23, 2016). I took 6 weeks off running completely after William was born. I started back running and even did some PT to help with my pelvic floor. Through out 2017 I didn't run competitively in any half marathon races. I did ran a couple 5Ks and other < 6 mile races at the end of 2017. Now in 2018, I made the goal to run 2 half marathons (one in the spring and one in the fall). I want to get back into competitively running, but at this point in time I don't have the time to train for a full marathon. So that half marathon distance seems like the perfect compromise. 

Finding time to fit in long runs can be challenging. Thankful, William does really well in the running stroller. He has logged lots of miles in that stroller. He is a great running buddy. The timing of runs can be tough. Sometimes during the week, I just fit in 30 minutes on the treadmill at the gym before picking up William, because that is all the time I have to give to training. On the weekends is when I fit in long runs. I prefer doing my long runs outside. I will fit in a long run on either Saturday or Sunday and then try to pair a recovery run on the other day. That doesn't always happen though. 

I have been trying really hard not to push myself too much. I enjoy running and it is a stress reliever. It is easy though to get caught up in the mileage and if you can't hit that distance one day you can really beat yourself up over it. There is so much that goes into me getting out and running. I have to take William with me and keep him occupied and then of course run. But I also have to try to get my work done quickly that day to fit in that run. I have been trying not to over think it or stress too much about it. It is suppose to be fun and that is important. 

Training schedule - If you have run a half marathon before then you have probably tried to follow a training schedule. I really liked this article from Runner's World about training and fueling for a half marathon. I haven't followed a strict schedule to prepare for this half marathon. I have run 9 half marathons, 1 marathon and countless 5K-6 mile races. I know how often I need to run during the week (4 days a week is a magic number for me) and then I need to do at least one long run (> 6miles). Before the half marathon, I need to do at least one 10 mile run. I have also have to stretch out and try to do yoga at least 1 time per week. This all worked well prior to having a baby, so we will see how it goes post-baby. I have been running with a running stroller, so I feel like also includes some strength training in with those runs. 

Having a goal and working towards accomplishing it provides such satisfaction. I know that if I put in the miles (>20 miles per week) then I can get out there on race day and do well. I will keep you all posted on things go. My race is the Geist Half Marathon on May 19th. I have never ran on this course before, I know that there are lots of hills, so it will be a challenge. But I am looking forward to it! 

My Nutrition Journey

I thought that it might be fun to have today's post focus on my nutrition journey to where I am today. Most of the time I am writing about interesting nutrition topics (that are near and dear to my heart), but I thought I might give you a little back story about my own journey to becoming a NICU dietitian.

I initially was interested in OT/PT in high school, but after job shadowing several PTs and working in a nursing home once a week for a semester in high school, I decided that wasn't for me. It didn't really enjoy touching people that much. I kind of preferred keeping my distance from the patients that I was working with. My mother encouraged me to look into nutrition and specifically dietetics. She kept telling me that having a credential, like the letters RDN after my name, would open up lots of doors for me. She was right! I went to Purdue and double majored in Dietetics and Nutrition, Fitness & Health. I was most interested in sports nutrition and that is where I wanted to work. I wanted to help athletes optimize their nutrition to improve their performance. After completely 4 years at Purdue, I did my internship through the Purdue Coordinated Program and graduated in August of 2011. After the completion of my internship, I took the RD Exam and passes and started working at St Elizabeth Hospital in Lafayette, IN. I originally wanted a job in sports nutrition, but quickly realized those positions were few and far between. Lots of them preferred a Master's degree as well. I decided that getting a job, starting to earn money and gaining work experience would be most worth my time. Unfortunately, a Master's in nutrition doesn't guarantee that you make significantly more money.

I started working at St Elizabeth hospital and covered the cardiac, pediatric and NICU units. I also worked in outpatient pediatrics. This is where my love for pediatric nutrition started to develop. I really enjoyed being able to make nutrition changes and see the changes within a few days. I really loved working in pediatric outpatient and developing a relationship with those patients. After almost 3 years, I took a new job in Indianapolis, IN at St Vincent Women's Hospital working in the NICU. This was a huge leap of faith for me, but it has proven to be such a blessing. I knew that I enjoyed the NICU, but I being able to work in pediatric critical care full time has been such an amazing experience. I love being able to work with these critically ill patients, provide them with the best nutrition and then watch them grow, over come the odds and thrive to go home with their families. 

Photo taken by our pediatric surgeon (Evan Kokoska) for an album The People of Peyton Manning Children's Hospital.

I have been able to do so many neat things over the years. I have been at St Vincent's Women's Hospital now for almost 4 years (as of April). I have had the opportunity work with lots of amazing people. I was able to give a talk at the Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Conference (IAND) last year on NICU Nutrition and the role of the RD in the NICU. I have been able to serve on the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (AND) Test Writing Committee for the new Certified Specialist in Pediatrics and Critical Care Exam (CSPCC). I had the opportunity to write a chapter in a Nutrition Communication book that will be published in the next year through the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. I have been able to serve on the IAND State Board on the Nomination Committee and exited to be on the local CIAND Board this upcoming year. I have been able to mentor lots of interns and excited to see them pursue their dreams as RDs. I have worked with amazing people and I am so excited for what is ahead for my career. 

Looking back on it, I am so thankful to have parents who cared about my future. Who pushed me to pursue my interests, paid to put me through school and supported me as I took leaps of faith with job and opportunity that has come my way. I have been a Registered Dietitian for 6 1/2 years and it has been such a fun journey! 

National Nutrition Month

March is here! Can you believe it? I am so excited for spring and the start to hopefully some warmer weather. I love all the seasons, but it is always fun to be able to welcome spring in March and look forward to less snow and more sunshine. March also means that it is National Nutrition Month. I have posted about Nutrition on a weekly basis here on RD Anna, but this month is special because the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics focuses some key messages to spread about nutrition and wellness. Each year there is a theme. The theme for 2018 is "Go further with food." I think that is a great slogan for the year, because all eat and that is a necessary part of life, but what if we try to take that an extra step. What if we focused on making our diet or our habits just a little better. Take it that next step and push ourselves to make even better choices. 

Key Messages For National Nutrition Month 

• Include a variety of healthful foods from all of the food groups on a regular basis.
• Consider the foods you have on hand before buying more at the store.
• Buy only the amount that can be eaten or frozen within a few days and plan ways to use leftovers later in the week.
• Be mindful of portion sizes. Eat and drink the amount that’s right for you, as MyPlate encourages us to do.
• Continue to use good food safety practices.
• Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week.
• Realize the benefits of healthy eating by consulting with a registered dietitian nutritionist. RDNs can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs.

Recognizing Credible Information

Can I just say super fast that this is the second time I am writing this post, because somehow I accidentally deleted the whole thing the first time I wrote it. So let that be a lesson, always, always save what you are writing. 

I was so excited this week to have two people comment about my RD Anna Facebook page and the information that I have shared. They said that they had read some of the articles and really appreciated the great information that I was sharing. That is so exciting for me. First of all, that people were actually reading what I was writing and sharing. Secondly, it was wonderful that people were recognizing and appreciating having evidence-based information that is being shared. 

Our social media feeds are filled with misinformation and with the whole "fake news" phenomenon that has been occurring over the past couple of years, credible information is important. We need people to be sharing accurate information and not propagating misinformation. That is one reason why I share information on my Facebook page. I feel that as a health professional and nutrition expert, you should be getting your nutrition information from me, not some random person on the internet who calls them self a nutritionist. I also wanted to share an example with you that happened to me the other week. Someone at my work was telling me about how they had read information on Facebook about how infectious disease doctors were to blame for people dying from the flu this year. When I tried to clarify, what this person was saying her response was "the article named the specific flu strands, so therefore it has to be true." This is why as health professionals, we must share accurate, credible information and as people on social media, we need to identify misinformation.

How do you identify credible information on social media? 

• Look for credible sources in the article. When you are looking through an article shared on social media, take the time to see what sources are quoted or what citation they use. Where is the writer getting their statistics? Is this information from credible sources? If you are looking at medical or wellness information are the sources being used from places like JAMA, AAP, CDC, AND or another nationally recognized institution known for presenting evidence-based information? If you can't identify any sources for the information presented, that might be a red flag this article might not be credible. If the sources are not from nationally recognized institutions, that might be another red flag to take the information with a grain of salt. 
• Who are the "experts" that are being quoted? Most likely whatever, you are reading, as some time of expert that is interviewed or quoted. What are the credentials for that individual? Are they an expert in the field that they are speaking about? If the question to that is no, then that is probably not a credible article to be getting information from. For example, you don't want a podiatrist to be talking about the terrible flu season. That is not his/her area of expertise. Also look at the credentials that the "expert" has. Is this person talking about nutrition, just someone who is classified as a nutritious or is this an actual Registered Dietitian Nutritionist? If your athletic trainer is talking about nutrition, that might not be the best nutrition expert to be getting that information from. Taking the time to identify who is the "expert" is and how they are being quoted is a key way to identify credible information online. 
• If the information is "too good to be true" then it might not be true. If you are reading a news headline and you just can't believe what it is saying, that should be a red flag. Every writer wants to draw you in, get you to click on the link and open the article they have written. Often writers create crazy titles to get you to click on their article. If you are reading through this information and feel like this information is too good to be true, then pause, step back and realize that it might not be accurate information. This is especially true with weight loss recommendations. Everyone wants a quick fix, but that is just not how it really works. 

Hopefully this information is helpful as you try to weed through all the information on social media and identify what is actually accurate information. You might be wondering what my sources are for these recommendations, well check out some of the links below. 

•  from the John Hopkins Library
• from IEEE Computer Society paper  
• from Science Direct a paper about factors that influence credibility of information shared on social media

Writing Exam Questions

I have had the opportunity to serve on the committee that is putting together a new board exam for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) for pediatric critical care. This was a brand new experience for me. There was an application process and 10 of us were picked to serve on this test writing committee. This new exam will be in addition to the Certified Specialist in Pediatrics (CSP) Exam. This will be a specialized certification for RDNs in the PICU and NICU. The test will be called Certified Specialist in Pediatrics in Critical Care (CSPCC). 

I had the chance to go to Chicago this past week to work more on the development of these test questions. It is such an interesting process to write exam questions for a national board exam. Like I mentioned earlier this is a brand new experience for me. I never realized the time that went into crafting the perfect test question and providing the best/most plausible incorrect answers.

I share this with you all for two reasons: 1) To encourage you to apply for things that are outside your comfort zone. I had never done anything like this before, but being able to learn about this process and get to gain these skills has been such a neat adventure. I also got to network with some amazing RDNs from around the country. This isn't something that I imagined I would be doing, but I took a chance and went for it!  2) This additional certification is needed. Having this board exams for RDNs is important to help encourage and support specialty areas in nutrition. Being able to specialize in a certain population or disease state helps you, as a provider, to give the best care to your patients. I am very excited for this to come together and become another certification that RDNs can obtain. From my experience, RDNs are often under-utilized and I think this a great way to show how important nutritional management is for pediatric critical care.

If there is an experience or opportunity that comes up in your career area, then go for it! Don't be scared to apply or think that you aren't qualified enough. Take a chance and go for it! You never know what all you will be able to learn. I am excited to be able to be included in this test writing process and eager to see how this certification helps to build up the profession in pediatric critical care!