My New Outlook on Community Nutrition
As I write this, I have just completed my four week rotation at Cal Poly Dining and can’t believe how fast it flew by! In just a few weeks, I’ve learned so much about community nutrition and the dietetics profession as a whole. Throughout my undergraduate studies and work experience, I never thought community nutrition was for me. To my surprise, my opinion has made a complete 180. The experiences and insight I have gained in just this short time have opened my eyes, and have given me a new outlook on the potential of my career. Throughout my rotation at Cal Poly Dining, I had the opportunity to create an in-service for staff, provide education on functional foods, and develop a large-scale strategy for promoting healthy eating on campus. I even got to attend marketing and sustainability meetings and was encouraged to voice my opinion. I truly felt like I was a part of the Cal Poly Dining team, all thanks to my amazing and genuine preceptor Kaitlin Gibbons.
Community nutrition is all about understanding particular populations and promoting relevant health and wellness themes. Here are some of the most important factors I learned about dietetics that can be applied at any site, encompassing the ability to think critically and challenge your adaptability.
Know your audience and establish purpose.
Providing relevant nutrition information is imperative to the success of a program. I learned that it is important to address what a community needs or wants, and to not waste your time and energy preparing material an audience already knows. Demonstrate that you are there to bridge the gap between what they want to know, and how they can achieve it. At Cal Poly Dining, a huge part of what I did was help freshmen discover what their food options were on campus. Some students followed special diets, some had allergies, and many just wanted to know more about staying nourished without kitchen access. To address this, I created a newsletter to be posted in dorm rooms that gave students nutrition tips and ideas to help them stay afloat during their busy and kitchen-less time at Cal Poly.
Look beyond the surface.
At Cal Poly Dining, I realized that students were not the only population that could benefit from nutrition education. I was on the hunt for answers to the question: how can I make a difference here on a deeper level? I heard about an incident where a student had an allergic reaction to food after a food service staff member assured him that the food would be allergen-free. That’s when I knew I needed to give an in-service to staff about managing allergens in food service. Nutrition education comes in all forms and it’s necessary to not only focus on the surface, but to also take a look behind the scenes.
Read up on nutrition trends and emerging research.
I know-- as a nutrition professional, it’s easy to skip over those articles about what’s new and trendy. We try to focus on wellness as a whole and don’t believe everything we hear. Have you ever tried working with college students? They try every trendy diet known to man and no one can stop them. Don’t be afraid to research topics that you have preconceived opinions about. There is a ton of information out there, but the more you know, the better you can answer questions from an evidence-based perspective.
Communication is key.
I learned that communication is multifaceted. Whether it’s with a client, peer, or boss, your ability to communicate is central to sharing meaning and understanding with others. Remember to establish a human connection and be genuine in your professional career. Building rapport with those around you will maximize your potential to engage in new opportunities. Think about when you’re speaking with a client or patient. We may have some preliminary information about them, but what do we really know? Allowing clients to make informed decisions requires a solid foundation of trust, comprehension, and understanding one another. This can be achieved by asking the right questions and providing a welcoming and a non-judgmental environment. During my rotation, I was lucky to be able to sit in on meetings with students to discuss their options on campus based on dietary restrictions and preferences. Being able to watch these real-world sessions (and contribute!) provided me with invaluable insight that I will take with me throughout my career.
Take a step back and look at the big picture.
Sometimes nutrition education alone isn’t enough to get the ball rolling when it comes to wellness promotion. I learned that it can be helpful to take a step back and analyze what can be done from a large scale perspective. The simple fact of the matter is that buying food isn’t-- and never was-- simple. At Cal Poly Dining I had the opportunity to explore how I could enhance healthy eating through marketing while taking into account psychological factors. I wanted to create an environment that would make buying healthier foods easier for students without them having to think about it. To do this, I developed a plan that would decrease the availability of less healthy foods, while making healthier choices easier through increased visibility and convenience. I learned that it is important to consider the nature of an organization when it comes to the capacity to plan, implement, and achieve envisioned objectives.
How do you know you don’t like something if you’ve never tried it? I learned this from my preceptor, as she was new to Cal Poly Dining just like me. As much as she enjoyed life as the Director of Food & Nutrition at Sierra Vista Hospital, she has no regrets about switching gears and taking on the role of Registered Dietitian & Sustainability Coordinator at Cal Poly. She recognized that her new position would allow her to improve new skill sets at an entirely new angle.
I learned the power of keeping an open mind. Allow yourself to embrace different possibilities, opportunities, views, and suggestions. Having this outlook creates new avenues for success, allowing you to channel your personal growth into professional development!