What Dietitians Actually Do

This is so great. Everything about this is incredibly true!

1. Every time we're at a restaurant, one of my friends will preface their order with "I know this is so unhealthy" or "Don't judge what I'm eating." Sure, I probably wouldn't order things like chicken fingers and beer cheese dip, but most of the time, I really don't care what you're eating. I'm not a food cop. And even I was, I wouldn't dare steal someone's ice cream cone!

2. I don't know mom, do you think I'm a total hippie and cook with lots of herbs and plants? Maybe this is one is kind of true. Whole Foods is my happy place, I adore yoga, eat veggie burgers on the reg, and love trying weird, healthy foods.

3. Once I mention that I'm a dietitian, people get super uncomfortable and usually respond by saying "I know I'm overweight right now." "I just started this new diet and have been eating healthier." "I've really been trying to lose weight." We're not out to shame people and make them feel guilty for being overweight. Yeah, obesity is a huge problem in America, but the goal is to empower people to make healthy lifestyle changes, not make them feel bad about themselves. There are so many factors that go into being overweight/obese, beyond poor eating habits and low physical activity levels. If losing weight were as simple as "calories in vs. calories out", there wouldn't be an obesity epidemic.

4. This refers to clinical nutrition and is probably the most frustrating of them all. Being a dietitian automatically associates you with food. Therefore, doctors and patients alike just assume that you're the one that prepares the food. I would be a very rich girl if I had a dollar for every time someone complained to me about how much they hated hospital food. In reality, dietitians do much loftier things such as writing tubefeeding and TPN orders, calculating energy needs, prescribing diets, providing medical nutrition therapy for various disease states, etc. Sometimes doctors ignore every single recommendation you make and do whatever they want. Yes doctors are smart, but they've also only taken one nutrition course during their entire time at med school. Just saying.

5. I have a blog, so obviously I like to think I eat lots of delicious nutrient-dense foods all day long.

6. So true. I indulge in dark chocolate on a daily basis. Sometimes I make random trips to get cupcakes and frozen yogurt all by myself. No shame. Basically, most dietitians look for any and every excuse to eat really good food.