DIETETICS | Starving Dietitian

The Starving RD Study Guide Part 1

July 29, 2013 by joshua iufer

Now that the post-exam high has worn off, I thought I’d offer some useful tips for fellow Dietetic students. Before you get too excited, you should know that by law I’m prohibited from discussing certain aspects of the test. This won’t so much be a step by step as a list of helpful hints. For those not in the Dietetics world, you can either stay and get a peek into the credentialing process or come back Friday. Your choice. Without […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Dietitian, Nutrition, RD Exam, Study Guide

It’s the Final Final.

July 25, 2013 by joshua iufer

I know I know, I’m a little behind on posts. You’ll have to forgive the delay though. See, while I’m still the same person with or without the Registered Dietitian credential, there was still one last thing I needed to do. Actually pass the test for my credential. Easier said then done right? So there I sat, glued to my desk, studying every nutrient and process, down to the very atoms that keep us running for days on end. Throughout […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Dietitian, Education, Exam, RD, Tests

The Pursuit of Truth

July 18, 2013 by joshua iufer

To learn what we don’t know, we must question what we think we know. This is the sign of a true scientist. Us humans are strange creatures, we carry our pride like a blindfold around our faces. Instead of keeping an open mind to new perspectives, we tighten our blinders and dig our heals in. I myself am not immune to this phenomenon. Despite years of training, I find myself mentally fighting the urge to reject “out of the box” […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Diabetes, Nutrition, Obesity, Paleo, Peter Atia

Leave a comment

No Kitchen Left Behind

June 28, 2013 by joshua iufer

You might be pleasantly surprised, next time you’re forced to chow down on hospital food, that it’s not the food you so despised. Hospital foodservice competition has skyrocketed in the past few years. As my preceptor used to say “People can get care anywhere, they come for the service“. See in a time when Doctors float between hospitals, there’s really not much differentiating each facility. Competition isn’t the only reason for this renewed value on fresh food though. Would you […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Foodservice, HEALTHCARE, Medicare, Nutrition, Obamacare

Leave a comment

White Coat Lie

June 19, 2013 by joshua iufer

“You did great.” “It’s going to be fine” “That looks good on you” The power of white lies. Those harmless little fibs for the benefit of others. In the course of ethics white lies are a curious thing. By some definitions, that which benefits the most is considered ethical. On the other hand there is something to be said for ethics going hand in hand with openness and honesty. This debate is as old as mankind itself. Rearing its angry […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Medicine, News, Nutrition, White Coat Lie, White lie

Leave a comment

Introverts Guide to Healthcare

June 17, 2013 by joshua iufer

The life of an introvert is shrouded in difficulty, at least, that’s what many introverts will tell you. Whether because they’re too shy or not a “people person” or simply because they would rather be off doing something by themselves, I’ve encountered many fellow introverts doubtful of succeeding in the healthcare field. I mean it makes sense, someone suffering from social anxiety might not be the best suited to spend day after day interacting with patients. Or so I thought. […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Extroverted, HEALTHCARE, Hospital, Introverted, Medical

Leave a comment

Millennial Tide Shift

May 21, 2013 by joshua iufer

Dietitians continually live on the bleeding edge of information. In part because medical professionals are required to take part in continuing education. But that’s not the only reason. One of the traits I see time and time again in RD’s and Dietetic Interns is the ongoing hunger for knowledge. One of the reasons for the “Starving Dietitian” title in fact. Nutrition, being a relatively young science is an ever changing atmosphere, as I’m sure many of you have realized. Why […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Cooking, Food, Generation, Healthy, Millennial

Leave a comment

Wake, Work, Sleep. Repeat.

May 13, 2013 by joshua iufer

College students are no stranger to the phrase “enjoy it while it lasts“. Say it to them after finals and you’ll probably be met with “ugh anything is better than this”. In fact it never made much sense why people spoke so begrudgingly of the day in day out work place. Working for a company you asked to get hired to, doing the job you wanted to do, and getting paid for it? Show me where to sign. I never really understood, […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Boring, Dietetics, Inspirational, Jobs, Work

Leave a comment

Dietitian Drama

April 12, 2013 by joshua iufer

Much like the Seasonal Cicadas, now’s that time of the year when Dietitians across the U.S. descend on the Golden state to talk about exactly what you’d expect. This year, of all places, the annual California Dietetic meeting is being held in Santa Clara, just a skip away from my hometown. Unfortunately I, being a lowly intern, wasn’t able to take the time off to visit. However, things aren’t exactly peachy there either. See the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, CDA, DFPI, Dietitians

Leave a comment

Nutrition in Technicolor

March 18, 2013 by joshua iufer

“But I just want to make sure I have the right answer!” This phrase kept jumping into a conversation between myself and a new intern. She had recently begun her program whereas I was nearly 2/3 of the way through. The steep learning curve was just a little too much and she was throwing on the brakes. The first few weeks in Clinical Nutrition are a test of endurance. Sun up to down are spent absorbing and practicing, rinse repeat. […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Diet, Dieting, Dietitian, Dogma, Nutrition, Yo-yo

Nutritious Lies: Calories In, Calories Out.

February 27, 2013 by joshua iufer

No time to read? Watch this post instead! The debate of the last century. How far we’ve come, how far left to go. If I had to pick a question for Nutrition experts to solve once and for all, this would likely be it. I’ll try my best to give a good summary, but be gentle, I am but human. The question seems easy enough; Is weight loss just a physics problem? Too much energy = store fat, Too little […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Calories, Calories In Calories Out, Dietitian, Food, Nutrition, Weight Loss

Leave a comment

Tip of the Iceberg Lettuce

February 20, 2013 by joshua iufer

The world of Dietetics is enormously minuscule, mind the contradiction. Registered Dietitians, R.D.s for short, pop up in just about everyplace where food or medicine is federally funded. Why then do they seem sparse? Go up to your friendly neighborhood stranger and ask them where to go for nutrition advice, the answer in 9.5 out of 10 of them will undoubtedly be “Nutritionist”, condolences to the half person. If you are lucky enough to get the real answer of Registered Dietitian, 50 Bucks […]

Categories: DIETETICS • Tags: Diet, Dietetics, Keto, Nutrition, Paleo, Science