Toss Those New Year's Resolutions

Do you remember back in January at the beginning of 2020? Remember when you made resolutions for yourself. You were thinking ahead to the year that was about to unfold with so much optimism and eagerly anticipating what the year would bring. Little did we know that our lives would shift and change in ways that we couldn't have imagined. 2020 has been quite the ride and honestly a year that many want to put behind them. We are just over half way through 2020 and I was thinking about what I dreamed this year would hold. For me, I anticipated a big move for our family and a new job and then I imagined what that new job would entail. Our move happened, I started a new job, but I am not doing exactly what I imagined. Starting a new job is a humbling experience, because you have learn how things are done in a new position with new coworkers, but let me tell you how humbling it is when you have to start that new position during a pandemic. Then you find yourself doing tasks you didn’t think you would be asked to do. Now, let me say I am extremely thankful for a job. I am just sharing my experience to let you know that it is ok if you feel extremely disappointed by 2020. If you are thinking back to those hopes and dreams you had at the beginning of year and you feel let down.

Acknowledging those feelings and working through that grief is important. From those hurt feelings, we have two choices - we can continue to be depressed or we can work to pick up the pieces and move forward. I can most assuredly say that 2020 is NOTHING like any of us imagined. We have all experienced challenges, disappointments, grief and had to adjust our expectations. Now how are you going to move forward? What are you going to do with the rest of the year? I am here to encourage you to find some positive aspects of 2020. What are some good things that have happened?

• We have had SO much more family time and that has been fun to see our boys grow up and change.

• We have made some time for some hobbies like disc golf, reading, running and porch sitting.

• We are adjusting our goals and plans to move us forward to where we see ourselves in the future. We are finding projects to pursue at work, considering graduate school, studying for exams and trying to salvage a sense of drive/determination in our work.

What items are on your list of positive things to come from 2020? How are you going to adjust your goals? I am not say you need to set unrealistic expectations. Lots of us are worried and stressed about school and work and that is ok. But what are you going to do to fulfill your sense of purpose and find that joy for the rest of the year? I challenge you to look for the joy and find a way to adjust your expectations. Life is too short to just throw up our hands and give up. Here’s the to rest of 2020 and trying to make the best of rough situations!

Family Meal Times

Here in 2020 we find ourselves with LOTS more time at home and that means more family meal time! Whether you like it or not, there are more dishes and more meals to be eaten inside your own home. That can be overwhelming for families, because lots of people are seeing an increase in grocery spending and trying to figure out how to cook/prepare food. Even some food prices have increased and that has bumped up grocery budgets.

So what does this mean for you as a parent in regards to family meal time? Have you felt additional pressure to cook and sit down to eat together? Have you felt at a lost and frustrated by always feeling like a chef + all your other responsibilities? I am right there with ya. Some days I felt like I spent my entire day preparing meals and snacks for my family.

I wanted to provide you with some information to help encourage you that this time and effort you are spending in the kitchen is worth it! There have been a variety of studies done looking at family meal times and behavioral outcomes in children. An article in JAMA looked at adolescents while making good life choices (avoiding tobacco, drugs, alcohol) and correlation with those behaviors and family meal time. This article found that families who ate together more often had an inverse relationship with adolescents participating in those questionable behaviors (using tobacco, drugs, alcohol). So eating together meant these youth didn’t participate as much in smoking, drug abuse, etc activities. Other studies have shown that family meal times increase consumption of healthier food items (like fruits and vegetables) for the parents and children. These families also have a more positive outlook on life and more positive self esteem, which is an interesting finding. This article from the New York Times provides some great encouragement for sitting down together as a family at the dinner table. For teens, the more often they are able to sit down with their parents, this provides additional opportunities for communication and building relationships. I know this even holds true for my 3 year old, he loves to sit down and tell me about his day. We tend to do talk more around the dinner table and it is his chance to talk and just be the center of our undistracted attention.

Family Meal Tips

1. Write Out a Meal Plan: It is often tough each night to stress about what you have in your pantry and what you are doing to prepare. Taking a moment to write down some ideas of what you want to cook will help throughout the week when it comes time to cook. You can use this meal plan list to help create a shopping list and then also cross off meals as you make them throughout the week.

2. Incorporate Your Family (in food preparation and clean up): I need to get better about this, but I often try to do it all on my own. My 3 year old loves to help, but he often makes a mess and that makes more work for me, but I am going to work to have him help more. It is important to have him involved so that he learns and then appreciates the hard work that goes into cooking for a family. Sometimes I put off cleaning up from dinner, because I value having time to play with my kids and get them ready for bed, that’s ok too. Find a routine that works for your family where everyone helps and contributes.

3. Branch Out of Your Comfort Zone: Try new recipes and new foods! Pinterest is amazing for recipes and you can find any recipe online. Try to push yourself outside your comfort zone and add 1 new recipe to your weekly menu. Save that recipe and if you end up liking it you can add it to your meal rotation.

4. Stimulating Conversation: Take this time to sit down together and talk. Discuss upcoming things you want to do together as a family, how your day was, things that you are worried about or things that make you happy. Find the positive to all this time together and get to know your family better.

Trying to look at the positive side of this pandemic is an opportunity to bond and build closer relationships with our family. That time together around the dinner table is priceless and won’t last forever. Savor those moments, don’t get too upset about all the cooking and cleaning and be present with your family in the moment.

Finding Your Way in Clinical Dietetics

I felt like I had to write a blog post on this topic of clinical dietetics, because it has been where I have been working for the last 9 years. Plus being in a hospital was not a place I thought I would be. For those of you that aren’t as familiar with the world of dietetics a vast number of RDs work at hospitals and are clinicians. These RDs see inpatients and outpatients and provide nutrition recommendations/education on various disease states. Throughout school you learn that there are variety of jobs and places where RDs can work, but you are prepared that you will most likely find yourself working at hospital, some where along the line. I didn’t think that was where I would end up, but now we are 9 years later and I found that I love NICU nutrition and I really hate not being in that specialty area.

I share this with you, because there are lots of RDs who are on the flip side of this coin and worked in clinical and hate it and are unhappy in that area. That is ok, but I wanted to take a moment and try to encourage/prepare you … if you are a RD who has found a specialty area that you love in clinical dietetics … don’t give up and fight like hell for that dream you have.

So let’s say you find that you enjoy working at a hospital. Lots of RDs enjoy working to care different types of patients in different areas of the hospital. You tend to have two groups of clinical RDs - adults and pediatrics. Then within those age groups you have different disease states where people start to specialize. Clinical dietetics managers are under pressure to staff these various areas of the hospital with the minimum number of staff possible, because helps the bottom line. So more often then not you are asked to cover multiple areas/units/or populations within the hospital. So you are pushed towards being a “jack of all trades” and that is ok for some people. For some of us that is not what we want. For some of us, we have very specific goals and aspirations. I wanted to write this post to push you to never stop fighting for that specific dream you have. If you have a niche and an area within dietetics you love … do everything you can to put yourself in that dream job. I was feeling compelled to write this, because I haven’t heard this enough. Instead I have heard “oh well I have to be flexible and do something else for awhile” or “you need to sometimes do things you didn’t originally expect” or “we all need to be part of the team.” And I do agree with those statements, but not when those statements are used to keep me from my clearly stated objective. I have worked too hard towards a specific goal to be derailed from that dream. So never apologize for having a passionate dream and knowing where you want to go. No one should make you feel that your drive should be something you apologize for, but instead should be harnessed to propel you forward.

With all that being said …if you find yourself working towards a dream you have (if it is in clinical dietetics or not) … never let anyone stand in your way. Go after that dream with all that you have and don’t let people who lack that drive make you feel bad for your desire to succeed.

Embrace the Chaos

I feel like 2020 can be summed up in one word - chaos. This year has been nothing like I anticipated. I imagined starting a new job, moving, exploring a new city and my husband traveling to/from Indianapolis periodically. I imagined our family coming over and staying with us occasionally. Instead things have been crazy and nothing like I imagined, hence the chaos.

I am very much a Type A personality and I want to work to have control over things. I can barely leave my kitchen in a mess, because it isn’t relaxing to have a mess. I have to work in a clean space, because otherwise I am distracted by the mess. I appreciate knowing what lies ahead and then working towards goals. Change is hard for me. I know this about myself and I am working towards embracing change and the chaos that comes from the unknown.

This year has really highlighted to me the little control that I actually have over anything. I like to think I somehow know what is coming, but in all reality I don’t know. I am sure that you have felt that way this year, plans have gotten cancelled and changed and you are left just hanging out at home. It can be sad and disappointing.

I have been trying to focus on the positives of this year and working to be more ok with chaos. I still have goals for myself and for my life here in 2020, but they have definitely shifted and changed in the last few months. At first that left me feeling hurt and frustrated, but then I realized that this is just how things have to be and I need to find a way to embrace that and change my attitude to be more joyful. When life gives you a situation that is out of your control, you have two choices - you can embrace the change and look for the positive or you can be bitter and resentful. I have been upset, but that is not a space I can stay in and I know that there is a bigger plan for me. If you find yourself right now amongst the chaos and wondering what this means for you and questioning what the future holds … know you aren’t alone and things do work out for the best. Hang in there and continue to work towards those goals you have for yourself, never lose sight of that!

Take Time for You!

I wanted to write about self love and taking time for you! I know that seems kind of crazy during this time in the world, writing about loving yourself, but this is important now more than ever. We (as people, as parents, as employees, as family members) are tired and we are stressed. We are in the midst of a pandemic, we have civil rights issues we need to address as a country, we are wondering about school plans for the fall, job security, etc and we need to make it through this marathon. These issues are going to be present in our lives for a long time and we need to make it to the other side. For us to be able to do that, we need to learn to take time for ourselves. We need to learn to love ourselves and give ourselves what we need to keep fighting these battles on a daily basis.

I have had the opportunity to have a week off of work. I also have childcare (which is a blessing). So I sent my children to their amazing daycare lady’s house and I had a week to myself. A whole 5 days where I could do whatever I wanted for the day. I haven’t had that opportunity since I have had children (3.5 years ago). I chose not to feel guilty about taking this week for myself. I love my children and I have spent lots of time with them during quarantine. Looking back over this week, I am SO glad I made time for myself. I needed this refuel time. I was able to paint our garage (yes, that is a thing) and I learned how to fix small dry wall holes and about different finishes of paint. I was able to go for a run multiple days. I walked my dog countless times. I drank my coffee hot. I went to the store a couple of times without having to rush home (while wearing a mask and avoiding people). I re-finished a coffee table for our living room. I ordered some shelving for our garage. I cleaned the basement. I got our library cards. I got our cars registered in new state. I got the dog’s nails trimmed. I read a book. I did the laundry. I relaxed and drank beer with my lunch.

I love doing these types of projects and getting stuff done. Those things I listed above provided me with so much happiness. I felt so accomplished. I was able to relax some and I never felt bad about it. I needed some self love and to remind myself that I am that same person I was before children. That person who loves creative projects, learning new things and has energy to tackle a To Do List. I was able to just hang out with my family over the weekend and I even put off the grocery store trip, because it was stressing me out.

So after hearing all these things I did with my free time, how have you learned to love yourself? You might not be able to take a week away from your children and that’s ok. Also you may hate projects and this list of things I did, stresses you out. That is fine if that isn’t your jam. Find things that make you feel happy and enlightened. What are you able to do each day to show and remind yourself that you are amazing?! Taking some time for you goes a long way in keeping your attitude positive and encouraging you through this crazy time in the world.

This self love is important for you, but also sharing that love with your partner matters as well. I was chatting with my husband about how proud of him I was and that he does a great job. Then I reminded him that he needs to love himself. I will always be that cheerleader for him, but he needs to turn that love and support inwards and love himself too. How you view yourself impacts your outlook on your life. So plan some time (it can even be a 20 minute bath or face mask session) to dedicate to you and don’t feel bad about it. Embrace that need to take time for you and find those things that make you happy.

Summer Loving

This summer is obviously different for all of us, than what we originally imagined. I feel like it is turning out to be unique and I am wanting to make the most of it. I want to be able to spend some of this extra time with my children and make some fun memories together. It won’t include a big, summer vacation, but often we will be able to do some fun things together that they will remember and enjoy.

We have moved to a new area of the country and during a pandemic. We are social distancing from family and friends, because we feel that is the best thing we can do. We are getting more time just the four of us and I wanting to do some neat things with my boys to make this summer fun and special.

Creative Summer Activities

• Water Play - We don’t have a fancy pool, but we have been playing outside lots with our water table, kiddo pool and slide and then our sprinkler. I know blow up pools have been a hot commodity recently and if you happened to find one, good for you! I have loved being able to get my boys outside and playing in the water to cool off. This is a great way to run around and burn off energy and stay cool.

• Craft Projects - I am not an extremely crafty person, but I am trying to encourage my kiddos to work on their creative expression. We have played with play dough, colored pictures, mailed our creations to friends and family, worked through alphabet crafts and played with pipe cleaners. I don’t have an abundance of craft supplies, but I have appreciated finding kits on Amazon that have all the things needed for the crafts. That is a huge win for me and plus I know I have ALL the things we need for the activity. I have also looked at Kiwi Co and I am interested in getting a subscription for William to do some projects, but we haven’t ordered that yet.

• Cooking Classes - I have kind of fallen out of the habit of including the boys in cooking. It can be tough to make the time to have them help. William and I have been doing some baking in the afternoons when he wakes up from nap and Samuel is still sleeping. William has had so much fun measuring the ingredients and getting to make yummy treats. I would love to take more time and have him help with meals. So hopefully each week, I can have him help me prepare dinner. Got to set a goal and we will see how it turns out.

• Nature Walks - The saving grace of quarantine has been daily walks, in fact we would normally go on two walks a day. We have loved watching baby ducks, looking at the clouds, talking about tree bark and watching for birds. I really love this time outside, because we get to do a somewhat structured activity outside. We have gotten to see baby ducks grow up and learned about how they nest, what they eat and how their feathers change.

• Summer Reading - The last several years we have done the summer reading program at our local library and also through a friend’s Usborne business. I have been trying to get us set up with library cards and trying to do their summer reading program. It is obviously all a little different this year, but we are still reading our books and loving that quiet time together, sitting the AC at the end of a long day.

What fun things are you trying to do this summer? Are there any types of activities you are excited to do or things you will miss? I am excited to be able to make some special memories and hopefully enjoy some time with our favorite boys.

Listening and Learning

I am writing this blog post, because we need to talk about what America is going through. We can’t silently ignore the pain that Black people have carried for far too long. The state of affairs our country has found itself in is heart breaking. I keep circling back to these feelings and reminding myself that Black people face these feelings ALL the time. I am facing them now, but because of my whiteness I don’t live with this heart ache on a daily basis.

That leaves me wanting to do better. I want to show and teach my children that this is not ok. We owe it to our children to step up and make changes so that they do not experience this heart ache on a daily basis. My hope to is raise my children in a way where they love and support their neighbors. They are able to see the differences and understand why being kind matters. I want them to believe that these differences are also the thing that makes America unique and is a beautiful thing. You might be wondering how this current state of our country ties into this blog … well we ALL have to eat. We, as humans, must eat and the types of foods we choose to consume are as diverse as our country. That is one reason I went to school to study nutrition, because it affects everyone. No matter what your background is, you have to eat. Food can also demonstrate the social discrepancies within our community. Those who struggle financially also commonly experience food insecurity. Nutrition is something that affects each one of us on a daily basis. We need to do better to help our brother and sisters so they can have these basic human needs met, including food on their tables. Food is has the power to brings us together. We break bread together and share it with our neighbor. It breaks my heart to see how our differences have divided us and we need to do more! We need to step up and support our Black friends and neighbors. I don’t believe that there is a simple solution to solve this hurt and quickly fix any of these disparities. I just want to share that I am listening, I want to learn more and I want to work to do better!

Photo from: Fortified Family and a RD who has an amazing BLW business. I loved this graphic and wanted to share her post as well, looking at diversifying the content that she is sharing - CLICK HERE for her post and for the credit of this image.

Cooking More At Home

Well one thing that this pandemic situation has created is the opportunity to eat more meals at home. And by more meals at home, I am ALL the meals at home. That has meant several things for our family - 1) we are spending more on food at the grocery and then 2) we are cooking all those meals ourselves. We have gotten carry out from a few restaurants, but the vast majority of our meals have been made by ME at home!

This could definitely be seen as a negative, but I also think it should be looked at as a positive opportunity. We have been able to make some delicious meals and try some new things. My favorite new recipe discovery has been a salmon patty recipe that is delicious - CLICK HERE to check it out. I love salmon and try to incorporate it in our diet about once a week, but sometimes that regular salmon fillet get a little old. If you haven’t already, try to find some new recipes, to switch up our routine and try something new.

Being at home and finding yourself in the kitchen more often, trying to figure out what to prepare can be overwhelming. That is why taking some time and putting together a meal plan for the week and then a grocery list is super helpful. If you haven’t taken the time to meal plan, take a moment when you are getting ready to go grocery shopping to write down meal ideas for the week. I normally try to aim for like 5-7 different meal options for the week. I organize our meals like this: Breakfast (cereal, bagel, eggs, sausage, yogurt, oatmeal), Lunch (sandwich of some type, leftover, fresh veggies and fruit with dip) and then Dinner (the prepared meal I had planned for that day). Since both myself and husband work, we make lunches as easy as possible and then I am normally the one who prepares dinner. I try to include a fruit and vegetable with each meal. Some days the dinner meal option is super easy, like heating up fish sticks and cooked veggies and sometimes it is more in depth like making homemade mac n’ cheese with a side salad. If you need some ideas on some new recipes to try - CLICK HERE for some healthy weeknight meal ideas.

After I write down those 5-7 dinner meal ideas, I figure out what ingredients I need to buy. Then I write those items down on my grocery list. I add in staples that I buy every week - bread, eggs, cheese, milk, bananas, etc. Then guess what, the meal planning and grocery list are both done. I have 7 meal ideas that I can make for dinner throughout the week and then I have a list of things I need to buy at the grocery.

Our routine is that I will go to Aldi and buy as much as I can from my grocery list. Any items that aren’t available at Aldi, I will put on ClickList order and go to Kroger and pick it up. This process has worked super well for us over the past several months. I have been doing this meal planning/grocery shopping routine for several years now to help us stick to a budget. If you are curious about how we budget and meal plan - CLICK HERE for a post I did last year on the topic.

Tips to Remember for Cooking at Home

1. Write out meal ideas for the week (aim for 5-7 meals).

2. Use those meals for the start of your grocery list.

3. Add your weekly staple items to your list.

4. Head to the store and grab the things you need and stick with your list.

Urban Gardening

I just want to preface this post with the fact that I am NOT a farmer or even a person with a super green thumb, but I love having the ability to dig in the dirt and teach my children where food comes from. That passion is what is prompting me to write this post.

Each year, I try to plant a few vegetables in some containers and attempt to grow some of our own produce. As the years have gone by, some things have grown better than others. Last year was kind of a dud of a year. Our tomatoes got planted late and they didn’t grow well. The tomatoes that did grow got eaten before it was fully ripe and then even our basil didn’t grow well. I am not sure exactly what the issue was, but I am sure that not watering things (with a two year old and 6 month old) exacerbated the problem.

I have never had a super large garden, since I have lived on my own. I grew up with my grandparents planting a huge garden each spring and then even my own parents having a decent sized garden in a raised bed. Since I have moved out on my own, I have planted a few things in gardening pots and moved them to each place we have lived. Each year I typically plant tomatoes, basil, peppers or some other herbs. This year I went ahead and planted tomatoes and some herbs (seeds) at the beginning of May. Well the weather took a turn here in Ohio and dropped to like freezing temperatures at night and despite the fact that I covered my tomatoes they died. I ended up finding some other garden plants at Aldi for a decent price, I scooped those up for replacement plants round #2.

I have also worked hard to try to encourage and include William and Samuel to learn about gardening and growing produce. William has helped me plant this year and last year. He also helped me harvest cherry tomatoes in the past. He loved eating them as we washed them and cooked with them. This year, William helped me to plant the tomato plants, spinach seeds and some flower seeds. We have been watering them and watching for them to grow. I am hopefully that they will survive and we will be able to pick tomatoes this summer and cook with them. When we planted the seeds, we talked about how we had to we cover them up with dirt and give them water to drink and they use the sunlight to grow. We also talked about how trees and plants use their leaves to absorb sunlight and that is how the plant’s get their “food.” This is a great way to start talking about science lessons.

Resources for Families

• PBS Kids article on Gardening with Kids: How it affects your child’s brain, body and soul

• Kid’s Gardening Tips

• Activities for Growing for Children

• Gardening with Children

• Ideas for Gardening with Kids

A Little Acid Base Balance

During this whole coronavirus pandemic, I have tried to brush up on my acid base balance. As an ICU dietitian this is important. If you are reading this and you don’t work in an ICU, this might not mean as much to you. Just know that your body is complicated and is designed to stay in a balance, that when it is thrown off can cause havoc and needs to get rectified for you to survive. When you are healthy your body works to keep your body in homeostasis. Your lungs help to remove unwanted CO2 and then your kidneys work to process bicarbonate. When you are sick or find yourself in an ICU setting this balance either respiratory, metabolic or both gets messed up. So this means your body isn’t able to maintain that balance and your body starts to go acidotic (lower pH) or alkalotic (higher pH). Your body wants to keep your pH around 7.4 and that helps ensure all your organs are able to function appropriately. The pH of your arterial blood is determined by three things: 1) your PaCO2 (that is the pressure of CO2 in your blood), 2) lactic acid which is a by product of anaerobic metabolism, and 3) the buffering capacity of your blood (the amount of bicarbonate that is present.

If there is a problem with your lungs ability to function then you can have respiratory acidosis or alkalosis. This means that your ability to clear that CO2 is altered and your pH will go down (acidosis) or up (alkalosis). If you have an issue with your kidney function then that is termed metabolic acidosis or alkalosis. This means that bicarbonate isn’t able to be processed appropriately.

https://www.medifee.com/blog/acid-base-disorders-a-look-into-balance-and-imbalance/

What does this mean for a dietitian? Being able to have an understanding of how the body reacts to stress and then critical illness impacts how you provide nutrition to help the body get through that event. A patient in the ICU with an acid-base imbalance may be on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). Being able to know what time of imbalance the patient is experience (acidosis or alkalosis) and then having a working knowledge of if it is respiratory or metabolic will help in understanding the treatment methods.

Having this understanding of how the body maintains a normal acid-base balance for physiologic homeostasis and growth matters. Becoming familiar with the key components of acid-base status is important and those include PaO2, lactic acid and bicarbonate. Having a basic understanding of how these blood gases are interpreted allows clinicians to figure out what therapies are needed to normalize acid-base balance. This can help save patient’s lives and makes a difference! So whether you are an ICU provider or not, knowing that your body is incredibly complex matters.

Resources:

1. Webinar by Dr Adamkin from Louisville.

2. Book on Acid Base Balance

Work Life Balance

So how are you holding in there? Life right now continues to be crazy and each day we are just trying to make it through. Get through the work day, try to accomplish little tasks, keep the children alive/entertained and then cooking and cleaning. This has been tough! I feel like we are just getting by and not really rocking any part of life. States are now steps to start re-open, which is great and necessary, but of course makes me nervous about everyone’s health and well-being. This quarantine time has come with economic implications - our family has kept both of our jobs, but my work will not be giving our merit based raises this year. I know that is just the top of the iceberg when it comes to seeing what will happen with jobs and income in the next year. We of course are thankful for our health and being together and having the ability to work from home. That is a blessing!

What have you been doing to stay sane during this time? For our family, we have had to do certain activities during the day and trying to stick with a schedule. We normally have breakfast around 730am and then I have rounds that start at 830am. Then from 9-945am we have our Bible study time, house chores and snacks. Then around 945am I start rounds again that go until lunch (around 1115am). The afternoons include some reading time before nap, then when the boys nap I try to do as much work as possible. In the afternoons we try to walk the dog, fit in a run or some type of play time (inside or outside). Some days go better than others and some days the schedule just falls apart.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because, this is hard! This time in life is hard for all of us. Stick with it and hang in there! You are doing a great job and you should be so proud of making it through today. I found this graphic online and I am so glad that WHO and the CDC are supporting parents during this time. I loved how this graphic talked about giving positive encouragement to your child. I have found myself many times just yelling “no!” or “stop” and I need to remember to say positive things and encourage my boys when they are making good choices.

Hang in there and know that you are not alone. We are all struggling at this whole work, life balance and I know things will continue to be different for all of us for the rest of 2020. Stay strong, find joy in the little things and if you need to hide in your bathroom for 5 minutes of peace and quiet … that is ok too, no judgement!

The Egg-redible Easter Egg

Easter is just around the corner and you know what that means? Easter eggs! I love holidays and being able to do fun activities with my family is always something I look forward to. Obviously this year, things look at little different. There are not family gatherings, no big worship services, no community Easter egg hunts. It is kind of strange to not have all those annual traditions. Well, even though we can’t gather together to celebrate as a group, we can still celebrate Easter and this special holiday with a family and friends (especially with the aid of technology).

One of the fun things I did this week with my children was dying easter eggs. I knew that my oldest, would love doing a fun activity together and what is more festive than coloring eggs? Hard boiling eggs are an easy way to have a healthy snack that you eat throughout the following week. To properly boil an egg, you want to put the egg in the water in a pot. Turn the heat onto hi and get the water in the pot to boil. Turn off the heat and let eggs sit in the boiling water for 15 minutes. Place eggs in ice water to cool, before placing in the refrigerator. I hard boiled the eggs, let them cool and then we dyed the eggs the next day. We now have 9 beautifully dyed eggs that we get to eat for the rest of the week.

I am sure you have heard over the years, that eggs are good for you and then that they not good for you. It can be confusing. Well in 1 large egg you will find 78 calories, 5g fat (2.7g unsaturated fat), 1g carbohydrate, 6g protein. You will also find 11% of your daily value of vitamin D. There is saturated fat about 2g in one egg. This is often the part of eggs that get a bad rap. The American Heart Association recommends that adults consume about 11-13g of saturated fat per day. So if you eat 2 eggs then you are consuming 4g of saturated fat and that is about 30% of total saturated fat you should have per day. Eggs also contain 6g of protein so in additional to the fat in 2 days you are getting 12g of protein. Eggs also provide your body with choline. This nurtient is an essential, water soluble compound (that is neither a vitamin or a mineral) and it helps your body with liver function, brain development, and muscle movement. Adults need 450-550mg/day and pregnant women need 550mg/day. One egg contains 147mg of choline.

As you can see 1-2 eggs are packed with nutrients that can help you get fat you need for energy and protein to help with muscle development. You can definitely work to fit eggs into your diet in a healthy way. Plus, there are so many great ways to prepare eggs. You can hard boil them, fry them, scramble them, make them into a quiche or over easy. You can have them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eggs are such a versatile food item.

So as we look forward to Easter weekend, think about ways that you can incorporate eggs into your meals. You can make them into a side dish or highlight them as the main entrée. If you are looking for some creative egg recipes - check out this link.

The Coronavirus Pandemic Struggles

I was laying in bed, thinking about this crazy world we are living in now. I was thinking about my goals. I was thinking about what I want to look back on over the next year and see what I accomplished. I know that sounds deep, but I think I was just grasping for a sense of feeling “normal” again.

This pandemic has affected each of us in so many ways. This is a struggle for everyone around the world as we adjust to what has now become our new “normal.” For my family, things look different because my husband is working from home full time and I am home 3 days a week working. Our children are staying home and no longer attending daycare. We have to find some sense of balance while holding down two full time jobs and then also caring for our children full time. I know that is a blessing to have jobs and I am so thankful for these particular challenges, but each day I go to bed exhausted and wishing I could have been more productive. This feeling … of not being able to do enough … is something that all of us need to let go of. We are in the midst of a pandemic! That means that we all have so much on our plates - trying to balance our job, e-learning for older children, entertaining little ones, cooking all our meals at home, keeping our houses clean and navigating other challenges. We aren’t going to be able to fulfill all of those responsibilities at 110%. We need to adjust our expectations and give ourselves some grace. A kind and wise friend, shared with me that we need to respect the fact that we are living through a traumatic experience. We are having a lot asked of us and that is stressful.

With that being said, I have been trying to think of ways that I can feel productive and also not get burned out. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Things aren’t going to be back to “normal” for a long time and we need to be able to stay sane as the weeks and months go by.

What does this look like for you? What are some things that you can do each day to help you feel happy, productive and proud of the tasks you accomplished?

Make a List

I know that seems cliché, but making a list of what you want to do that day, then check it off when you accomplish those tasks can be extremely rewarding. Now, don’t go crazy and make the list crazy long, but pick 3 things you want to do today. Write those goals down and then start to think through when you can accomplish those things. For example, each day I have been writing down the 3 work related items I NEED to get down and then 3 household things that NEED to happen. That way I feel like I am balancing work and home responsibilities.

Maintain a Schedule

I have small children so I constantly reminded of the importance of a routine! If you have children or not, you can always benefit from a schedule. Take a moment and write out how you want your day to look. Schedule the things into your day that you put on your list. Figure out how you are going accomplish those tasks and then remember to fit in some fun things as well. For my family, I am hanging up a chalk board in our kitchen where we can write down what we are doing that day. I want to pick a different activity each day that we can do together. This will give us all something to look forward to each day. For example, one evening our activity was disc golfing in the back yard. The boys loved it and it was wonderful to just take a break and enjoy the fresh air. I made myself be present in the moment and try to not worry about the dishes. Guess what? I have nowhere else to go. I have plenty of time to get that cleaning done.

Time to Have Fun

Taking time for fun is often overlooked in the midst of our crazy scheduled. Now that issue of a busy calendar has been eliminated, what is standing in the way of you having fun? It can be so easy to just give into being impatient, grouchy or just feeling exhausted and you overlook taking time for yourself. I know for so many working parents, that “me time” you get is when the children are sleeping. For example, I’m staying up later than I should, writing this blog post. I enjoy writing and I miss it. I knew that I needed to take a little time to do something that makes me happy. So here I am typing this blog post, late at night, but I am smiling and I regret nothing!

Find Your Gratitude

Figure out and focus on those things you are thankful for every day. There is so much stress we are under at the moment and you listen to the news and it makes it worse. Try to maintain that positive outlook through focusing on things each day you are grateful for … I am so glad we have jobs. Despite the challenges that come from balancing work and home life, we are earning our paychecks and that is amazing. I am also thankful for Easter candy and enjoying a few treats while stuffing Easter baskets.

Believe me, I am not claiming that I am pro at navigating a pandemic and the stress that brings with it, but I am 100% positive that life is tough right now for everyone. Hopefully you are reminded that you are doing a great job! We are all going through a traumatic and extremely challenging time and that is ok if we aren’t able to give all the things 110%.

Big Changes and a Pandemic

I realized that it has been over a month since I have had the opportunity to write anything on this blog. Our life, everyone’s lives have been crazy in these past several weeks. If you read my last post, we have had some big changes in our lives. We moved, I started a new job, Chas is working from home, children changed daycares and all this amongst a pandemic. Yep, the one thing I didn’t think would happen and the biggest thing I can’t control. This has rocked our world! We are so thankful to both still have jobs, but we are trying to figure out how to take care of two children and then also work. As a Registered Dietitian I am considered essential staff at the hospital. Learning more about how this virus is affecting children. I have colleagues who are adult ICU RDs and working hard to care for these sick adults who have COVID-19. That list of essential staff includes RDs, just like RNs, MDs, RTs, techs and others needing to be at work during the week. I am also training and let me tell you, trying to train and figure that out in during a pandemic is kind of crazy. Waiting on computer access and lots of other things that are just taking awhile. Chas has been working from home, which is wonderful and we are so thankful for his flexible job. We now are having to balance all this with watching both of our kids during the day at home as well.

As a healthcare working, it is stressful to have to go into work. I am obviously not in the front lines (not in the ER and not providing direct, hands on patient care), but I am interacting with people and in a facility where there are sick people. I am thankful and appreciate each and everyone of you who are staying home. That is helpful, because there are lots of people who can’t do that. Those essential employees have to go out and interact with others and working to prevent the spread of this virus is SO important! I know it has been an adjustment for so many of us, but making these changes will help to save so many lives. To those of us who are wearing scrubs, changing in the garage and trying to keep our families at home safe …. you are doing an amazing job! To all my healthcare co-workers, colleagues and friends … you all are phenomenal and keep up the good work. You are doing an important and vital job and I know it can be stressful. Stay strong and we can do this together!

New Job and a New Chapter

It is crazy that I am writing this blog post about this next chapter in my career. It is kind of hard to believe that this time as come. I have worked at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis for about 6 years now and then I have owned and been doing my private practice job for just over 2 years now. It has been a good place for me. I have been able to do a large variety of projects and I have enjoyed being able to push myself. I have started my own business, seen clients outpatient, I have presented a national conference, published an article in a national publication, I have give talks for various infant feeding companies and I have had the chance to work with amazing physicians, practitioners, nurses and therapists. Moving from Layette to Indianapolis was exactly what I needed to do to sharpen my skills as a NICU dietitian and now I am excited to announce that I will be moving to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. I will continue to work in the NICU and I will be 1 of 5 NICU dietitians there. Their NICU is expanding and this expansion is opening in the next year. I am over the moon to be starting this job at one of the best children’s hospitals in the country.

So you are probably wondering what this means for me and my family? Well we are moving! We are leaving Indianapolis and moving to the Cincinnati area. This is a big transition, but so far things have come together beautifully and we are so excited for this next chapter. We have lots of new challenges ahead, putting together a new normal and fitting a move in there, but it will all be worth it! When someone offers you were dream job, you take it! You drop everything and you run towards that offer with everything you have!

I wanted to share that with you, because it can be scary. It can be intimidating to leave the familiar and go out into the unknown. I feel like most of us, prefer to stay put. Why would you want to leave something that is fine? Life is too short to live in a space of being “fine.” Lots of us want to stay in that safe bubble and not venture out where we don’t know what will happen or to a place that makes us feel uncomfortable. Well, I encourage you to never that your fear stand in your way. If you have a dream or a goal, then run towards that goal. Don’t let anything hold you back and you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to!

So stay tuned for more exciting happens with my job and RD Anna. This blog isn’t going anywhere. I am moving to Ohio and this website is coming with me. RD Anna might look at little different over the next year, but I will still share nutrition blog posts and other information here and on social media.

Donating Breast Milk ... The Second Time Round

I have been so thankful for the opportunity to be a breast milk donor now two times with both of my children. This opportunity was something has meant so much to me. It was a goal that I had each time, I have breast feed my children. I wanted to have enough milk for my child obviously, but also to be able to give some to other children. Being able to help support those babies I work with in the NICU everyday is something that is near and dear to my heart. I do understand for lots of mamas, this wasn’t a choice for them. They may have wanted to breast feed, but couldn’t sustain their milk supply or maybe didn’t have much of a supply to begin with. I don’t want this post to make any mama feel inadequate, but I just wanted to share this journey in the hopes of inspiring you and having you encourage other mamas out there on their breastfeeding journeys.

So I wanted to talk a bout how and why breast milk donation is important. I wrote up a post about 3 years ago now about the steps to breast milk donation - CLICK HERE. I wanted to share with you more about where this milk goes and why donating to a milk bank is important.

You might have heard about informal milk sharing. That is where one mama gives her breast milk to another mama to feed her child. This is also the idea of wet nursing (and those individuals had been used in years past). For mamas today, I would be very cautious about informal milk sharing. You have no idea what mothers do in terms of medications or drugs taken, alcohol consumed or any other substances. That makes me very apprehensive to tell mothers it is ok to obtain breast milk from informal milk sharing. Some women will say “well I know this person and trust them.” That is ok, and you as the mother have to do what you feel is best for you and your child and make a choice you can live with. I do have an experience with giving some of my milk to a mother (who I didn’t personally know) . I spoke with her ahead of time and told her that I was an approved milk donor, but she never asked me any questions. Honestly, I never gave my milk away again. I didn’t feel comfortable with it and didn’t feel like it was best use of a limited resource.

The process to donate milk to the Milk Bank has a couple of steps - an application, a screening call and blood work. Those things are all done to ensure that the milk is safe for recipients. This milk that is donated, is then pooled together to ensure that the calories and protein are evenly distributed. It is then bottled and then pasteurized for hospitals and the community to purchase. This process is done in a safe and clean milk handling space. The staff that handles and pasteurizes this milk is specially trained to follow safety guidelines and procedures.

I wanted to share this information with you all so you are aware of this amazing resource and if you have extra breast milk and are interested in donating - reach out to The Milk Bank.

I also wanted to share a quick summary about my personal experience with donating milk for a second time. I have admit it was a very different experience. Life with two small children is so much different compared with only having one. The first time, I had LOTS of extra milk and was able to donate quite a bit. I also was limited on freezer space and that is what pushed me donate more sooner, rather than later. This second time around, I have donated less and then getting the blood work done took me forever. It was just hard to fit it in my schedule. I plan to try to donate some more milk one more time, but I have had as much extra as I did the first time round. I share all of my personal experience with you to let you know that each pregnancy, each child and each time you choose to breast feed is different. It never goes the same way twice and that is ok. If you are able to have extra milk to donate, please send it to The Milk Bank and if that’s not possible for you that is ok as well. There are other ways to give and support this non-profit.

Skip the Baby Food, Give the Table Food

If you have been around here for awhile you know that I really love Baby Led Weaning. I have done it for both of my children and I am a strong believer in feeding your baby what you are eating. I had the opportunity to put together a journal club presentation for our local NICU Journal Club on the topic of Baby Led Weaning. I thought it was time to write up another post on the topic and hopefully help to answer some questions you might have or at least alleviate any concerns you might have.

https://images.app.goo.gl/pFeXVG6aDvtV8FiS6

What is traditional baby food feeding method and do I have to do that? I thought it might be easiest to put together some questions and talk about some of the background behind how we feed 6 month old babies into their toddler years. You are probably familiar with traditional baby foods that you purchase at the store or even puree and make yourself. You might have started your child on some type of cereal and then tried vegetables, fruits and even meat purees. The first baby foods were developed in the 1920s and then increased in popularity into the 1930s. Before that there was no commercially available baby foods. With this launch of marketed baby food, parents were instructed that they needed to purchase these items. This has been a rite of passage for most infants, trying cereal and then advancing up through the various stages of packaged baby foods.

What are the pros/cons to traditional baby foods? Obviously purchasing foods that are already “prepared” and ready to feed to your child is extremely convenient. It is also very familiar to families. Most people understand the idea of purchasing baby food. Purchasing these baby food products can be expensive and then there is limited variety of these items. Don’t get me wrong, more blends of foods are made and marketed to families, but it is still limited. Another draw back to this method, is that the child is eating something that is different from the rest of the family. They are missing out on that experience of watching others eat and learning how to do that themselves. They can still work on those skills but it is a lot different when they aren’t able to mimic what is happening around them.

So what is Baby Led Weaning (BLW) and how is it different from using traditional baby foods? The idea of baby led weaning has been around forever and is not a new concept, but the terminology might be a “new” way to describe this method. The main premise of BLW is that the baby sits at the table for meal time with the rest of the family and gets to feed themselves. The food that is offered is the meal that the rest of the family is eating. The food can be modified to make it easier for a 6 month old to eat and hold. For example, the veggies offered would be cooked so they are soft enough to manipulate in the child’s mouth. Plus, those cooked veggies are cut in a way that they are long strips that will stick out from the child’s fist so they can bite it. That is all developmentally appropriate for a 6 month old child. As the child grows and gets closer to 12 month, they have a better pincer grasp and can more easily pick up small food pieces. BLW is appropriate to start with child who are 6 months of age and who are able to sit up, have good head and neck control and who are showing interest in foods (reaching for what you are eating and wanting to be with the family at meal time).

What are the pros/cons to Baby Led Weaning? This method of feeding can be easier on families, because they don’t have purchase baby food and the caregiver only has to make one meal. This family meal time has been shown in research to help children as they grow develop to have good social skills and help build stronger family relationships and positively correlate to better weight control. The foods that the child is exposed to at meal times tends to include a wider variety of foods compared with just traditional packaged baby food items. This can be a very unfamiliar feeding method for families and that can be intimidating. Plus, if there is a daycare provider or someone else helping to care for the child, they might be unfamiliar with BLW and not want to be supportive of the parent’s wishes.

If I am interested in trying baby led weaning, where do I begin? Start by using some of the resources listed below to do some research. Most parents are concerned about choking and giving table foods to babies. Becoming familiar with the difference of coughing and choking is helpful in understand that your child is learning how to manipulate food in his/her mouth versus getting that food in their airway and being unable to breath. If you have questions or concerns, let me know! I would love to chat with you about this feeding method or even work with you to figure out the best way to feed your child.

List of Resources:

• https://www.fortifiedfam.com/

• https://www.feedinglittles.com/

• Rapley, Gill and Murkett, Tracey. Baby-Led Weaning The Essential Guide. 2019.

• Rowan, H and Harris, C. Baby-led weaning and family diet. A pilot study. Appetite 58 (2012) 1046-1049.

• D’Auria, E et al. Baby-led weaning: what a systematic review of the literature adds on. Italian Journal of Pediatrics (2018)44:49.

• Brown, A, Jones S, Rowan, H. Baby-Led Weaning: The Evidance to Date. Curr Nutr Rep (2017) 6:148-156. 

• Helwig, J and Stasenko, N. Baby-Led Feeding. 2018.

What products or things do I need? Well you really don’t NEED anything, but there are some great products out there that you might find helpful. With BLW, the child is getting to decide how much they eat of something and you as the caregiver get to decide what they eat and when they eat. So to help encourage more self feeding some of these products (listed below) are helpful! The goal would be getting a bib to help protect your child’s clothes (whatever one works best for your child), then a plate or bowl that can’t easily be thrown to the floor, an open cup or a sippy cup that your child likes and then some type of small utensil that your child can easily manipulate.

Products to Try:

• A good bib: Bapron

• Plates/bowls that stick to the high chair: EzPz cups and plates

• A cup: EzPz Tiny cup

• Small utensils: Grabease or NumNum GOOtensils

Hopefully this is a helpful tool for you as you learn more about ways to fed your child. It is amazing how fast these little ones learn and how the watch the world around them and mimic what they see. Being able to develop those healthy family relationships with each other and with food is so important!

Making Social Media Work For You!

Social media can be a super overwhelming term for a lot of people. There are so many different platforms that exist and ways to communicate with people all over the world. It is hard to sometimes figure out what platforms you want to use. It can also be challenging to know how you want to be make that platform work for you. Lots of people use social media for personal things - staying connected with friends/family, keeping up on celebrities, reading the news, selling things online or learning how to manage their life better. There is also the avenue of using social media as a platform for your profession. No matter what area you work within, you can share things and post about your area of expertise.

If you are reading this blog, you obviously follow my professional social media account, RD Anna. I created this website and account to have a platform to share nutrition information with the public. I wanted to put a little distance between my personal account and my business account. That is what a lot of people are starting to realize that there can be a lot of overlap with social media and you need a game plan to navigate the internet and make that media platform work for you!

I think one of the first steps when it comes to navigating social media is deciding what platforms you want to use. Where do you want to focus your time? I recommend starting with one platform, become familiar with that platform and then branch out from there. Also play around with the different platforms and see what works best for you and what you enjoy using. For example, I tend to enjoy Instagram and people sharing pictures. I like scrolling through my Instagram feed, seeing pictures and reading the captions. I have a Twitter account and I have used Twitter more in the past, but I don’t like to scroll through Twitter. Twitter also is a “faster” platform in my opinion and you can easily miss things because people might be tweeting multiple things throughout the day vs. often posting on Instagram 1-2 times a day at the most. Find a platform you enjoy using and start there.

The next step is to decide what you are going to share. What do you want to share with your audience? Start with your main topic of interest and focus on that. If you are wanting to provide nutrition education, then make sure you are focusing on that content. For example, I have wanted to provide nutrition information, education and encouragement on this platform using my blog. This is a place where you can find evidence-based nutrition information and then also information on my job as a dietitian (getting involved with local and national organizations). Determine what you want to share on your social media platform and stick with that content!

Work to share information in an engaging way. Enjoy the time that you are spending on social media. We have so much competing for our time, make sure that you are creating content that is engaging and that makes you happy. If you aren’t enjoying what you are making, then you wont stick with it and it won’t be good content. Find your niche and share your message with your audience.

I am sharing more on being a Registered Dietitian and using social media next week in Lafayette and at the local Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics meeting. If you are in the area, you should come! If you have any other ways to help make social media work for you, drop those comments, below!

2019 Year End Review

Each year I like to take a moment and type up a blog post on my yearly goals and how things have gone in the last year. It is now that time, to pause and look back over 2019 and all the amazing things that were accomplished. I went back to my blog post from this time, last year and pulled my goals. I was curious to see how things went and if I accomplished what I set out to do at the beginning of 2019.

Goals from 2019

• Continue with weekly blogging. Well this didn’t go perfectly. There were several weeks that I didn’t get a blog post put together. I also decided this year that I wanted to make sure I had quality posts put together, with minimal spelling errors and that takes more time. So I didn’t hit my goal of 52 blog posts in the last year, but that is ok. I managed to type up 37 blog posts in the last year. That is not too shabby.

• Continue to serve as a media contact for St Vincent and do TV, Radio or Newspaper interviews as needed. I ended up doing a couple of TV interviews and a couple of radio interviews for Ascension St Vincent in the last year. I didn’t do as many as years past, but that is ok. I was still busy and I was available, when asked to provide media pitches and maintained a good, working relationship with our PR department.

• Continue to grow my contracting outpatient nutrition counseling business with Mini Minds in Carmel, IN. I was able to see a hand full of clients during 2019 through Mini Minds in the last year. That has been an amazing experience and I have learned SO much about outpatient, pediatric counseling. I hope to be able to see some more clients in 2020 and help more families with nutrition questions they might have.

• Work to complete additional hours towards a Lactation Counselor certification and renew the Certified Specialist in Pediatrics Exam. I took a court to become a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) and I passed. So that was accomplished and I am so excited. I am going to work towards renewing that CSP certification in 2020.

• Run as a national candidate for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Ballot as a At Large House of Delegate in the category of 30 years and younger. I did this! I ran for a national ballot position. I wasn’t elected, but I am so proud that I put myself out there and I went for it. It is hard thing to do and I am happy with taking the time and making the effort. I will definitely run again, for another position and hopefully I will get elected in the future.

Goals for 2020

• Work to publish > 30 blog posts in the next year. I am wanting to do some more specific blog posts on various pediatric nutrition topics. If you have any questions or have suggestions, let me know!

• Renew my Certified Specialist in Pediatrics certification. I have been a CSP for 5 years and that means that I need to get this certification renewed in 2020. I will get to study some more and sit for another exam!

• Advance my knowledge in neonatal nutrition and work on some research projects. I am not sure quite yet how this will unfold, but I am excited for some neat opportunities this year!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

It is hard to believe that 2019 is coming to an end. It has been quite the year. I am always amazed when I look back over the year of all the amazing things that I was able to accomplish. This year was no exception. I am so thankful for so many wonderful opportunities and connections that I have made and strengthened over the last year.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and follow along my journey on social media. It means so much to have your support and have this opportunity to get to share nutrition information with you all. Hopefully you find it helpful and have appreciated the things that I have shared.

Here’s to another amazing year in 2020 and I can’t wait for some more amazing adventures and new challenges. Please, stick around for the ride and follow along for some neat opportunities that will unfold in the next several months.