Beautifully tragic

If there's one song and corresponding video to sum up how I feel about becoming a dietitian, it's the one below.


Like the small ghost in the cab, I feel as if I'm invisible. There really is not much I can do. So I stay in closed doors, viewing the world from the safety of my job. I watch helplessly as tragedy strikes one client after another.

And at the same time, when I help people, I feel I may be making their problems worse. Like the ghost peering into the cafe, I will peer into the privacy of my client's lives trying to do "what's best". Like the ghost, I will be watching what people consume, thereby making the process of eating less enjoyable. My clients will sit down to a cherry pie, and like the ghost, my presence will be there, making them feel guilty about consuming a "bad" food.

Is this what I want? Is being a dietitian really hurting, not helping? It's quite romantic, the whole idea of helping people, curing them from illness. But in reality, are we contributing to the disease? This devastating disease that prevails in society, the extreme fear of food.

And the road ahead is lined with broken dreams
So walk, walk on by
And I fail to give you everything you need

The world is a paradox

That fact that we live in a paradoxical society is not new.  Much of the medical research released to the public is contradictory.  A lot of the advice offered to people is in stark contrast to what they read the previous year, month, week, and even day.  Because of this, it's no surprise to me that food advertisements often glorify and promote sugary, salt-filled options while society at large is told to "eat heathy", "increase fruit and vegetable consumption" and "watch sodium intake."  
 I find myself angered when I read articles that allude to this paradox such as the one found on the Science Daily website (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/0901192104440.htm).  People do have the ability to express agency, and "bad" foods are okay sometimes.  Of course, the creators of these "bad" foods have ample amounts of money to advertise where farmers do not, but I believe the public is aware of this fact.  How much of an effect does advertising really have on society? Perhaps I am completely naive, but aren't people able to form their own ideas, thoughts, and opinions on whether to buy products or not? And what's wrong with buying the occasional bag of chips or box of candy? Okay, perhaps magazines should be asked to cut back on the number of advertisements for "unhealthy" foods.  But would that help?  Would that change the way we eat? Here's the other paradox: we live in an overweight nation.  Almost all advertisements feature uber thin models. It is clear that the abundance of underweight models in advertising does not encourage the attainment of an underweight status in most individuals.  So do food advertisements really work to encourage the consumption of "unhealthy" foods? Which has more influence, advertisements or the messages and articles we read about consuming a "healthy" diet? What is the real relationship between advertising and behaviour? I'm so curious to know. How much of an effect does advertising have on the way we live? Would seeing ads with "healthy" food options increase the consumption of "healthy" foods? Would advertising the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy and grains increase the quality of Canadians' diets? This is something I would really love to learn more about.

The truth is, I really don't know

My mother has always been a huge fan of the dietitian Leslie Beck.  Ever since I started studying nutrition, she has exclaimed in an overly proud voice, "I know you're going to be just like Leslie Beck! I can't wait to watch you on TV some day! Would you like me to email her? I checked her web-site and got her email address! I can email her and ask her how she got started.  Would you like me to do that Leigh-Ann? Leigh-Ann, do you want me to email Leslie Beck?"

Honestly, I don't know much about Leslie Beck, so I decided to look into her work.  I found an article she wrote for the Globe and Mail last week that caught my eye (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090121.wlbeck21/BNStory/specialScienceand Health/home).  In her introductory paragraph she explains that she work in private practice and has a lot of clients asking about weight loss pills.  In seems in our program we don't learn much about herbal remedies, supplements, or any type of pill available on the market.  What would I say to someone that asked me about weight loss and diet pills? As a fourth year student, I feel I should be able to formulate some sort of response.  Yet what do I know about this topic? Absolutely nothing.

So I read Leslie's article.  She goes through each supplement or pill and explains how much of the research done thus far is inconclusive.  She explains that the best way to lose weight is the old-fashioned way: diet and exercise.  Although evidence points away from the benefits of taking a pill, I am in awe that have never even heard of most of the pills Leslie has listed.  I wonder, then, is this an area I should know more about? We discussed in class the benefits and downfalls of having a quick-fix.  Are clients even willing to take the slow route to success, or would they be more willing to pop a pill?

I feel like there is so much I don't yet know.  Perhaps it will become more clear once I start practicing as a dietitian.  Maybe I should email Leslie Beck.  How did she come to know what she knows? How can I better prepare myself for the world of dietetics? What type of questions should I expect to receive? If the answer to the complex problem of weight loss is just exercise and dieting, should I even bother to learn about alternatives? The truth is, I really don't know.

Who would trust a fat dietitian?

While searching for articles and topics to discuss in my blog, I came across another nutrition student's very intriguing blog entitled, "Confessions of a Fat Dietitian" (www.thefatdietitian.com).  The purpose of her blog is to track her weight loss journey by listing foods she has consumed and counting her calories.

My question is, why does this nutrition student feel the need to lose weight? Is she doing so for health benefits, or to better fit into our "nutrition community".  It is well documented that most nutrition students are Caucasian, middle class, and slim, because slim, in our society, equals healthy.  Overweight individuals are seen as lazy, weak, and in terrible physical shape.  In our cruel world being overweight is seen as having eating issues that need to be worked out.  Who, then, would trust a fat dietitian? 

In reality, I believe a fat dietitian would make an excellent dietitian.  In fact, I would argue that an overweight dietitian would make for a much better nutritionist than her skinnier colleagues. Of course weight shouldn't matter when assessing one's job skills, yet in our profession, there seems to be no escape from this.  We study food.  We analyze BMIs, weights, calories, and nutrients.  Our job is to be exerts in the field of health.  There is an underlying role we must play in being a dietitian, and that unwritten job requirement is to be skinny.  Yet, what are we, as future dietitians, doing to make sure we fit the job description?  How many of us engage in unhealthy eating behaviours in order to be what society deems "healthy"? Are all of us naturally skinny individuals? I believe that there are dietitians out there that practice harmful eating habits in order to fit the mould.  I would even argue that there are dietitians out there that suffer from anorexia and/or bulimia.

So who wants a fat dietitian? If a dietitian consumes nutritious foods and lives a "healthy" lifestyle consisting of regular physical exercise, social interaction, and has great mental well-being, who cares if she is overweight? As long as she is not hurting herself, I would much rather talk to a healthy fat dietitian than a skinny dietitian that binges and purges.  I would much rather talk to a dietitian that appreciates food, embraces food, and loves food than a dietitian that worries about her weight.  This is where the fat dietitian I discussed above is at fault.  Why is she obsessing about her calories? Why is she not obsessing about living a healthy lifestyle?  

 

Fat, fat, you don't want that!

Fat.  Why is everyone so afraid of you? Why do people cringe when they hear your name? What have you done to deserve this unfavorable treatment? You're cut out of menus, you're eliminated from recipes, you're even banned from some diets.  But why? Are you really to blame? 

The reality is that you are not an enemy.  In fact, you are vital for survival.  You help prevent against heart disease, lower blood pressure, and protect us from the cold. Plus you taste amazing! 

The problem is gluttony, or the overindulgence in your magnificent taste. Too much of you is indeed a bad thing.  You are capable of raising our cholesterol levels to dangerous heights.   So we left you, dear fat, eliminated you from our lives.   Society saw you as dangerous and hazardous.  Everyone avoided you.  I recall a time when I was chatting with an elderly lady about my nutrition studies at the bus stop when she instantly broke into song, "Fat, fat, you don't want that!" Society was told to replace you with sugar, salt, and chemicals.  It made our food taste awful.  We did miss you fat.  But we were on the rebound, desperate for some replacement.  

It's just now that change has begun to appear.  Jennifer McLagan's cookbook, Fat, is just one example of how we are now accepting you back in our lives.  It will take time, poor fat, for you to truly be accepted once again.  Even when looking at the cover of McLagan's book, I feel queasy.  Yet when I taste your smoothness and pureness, I think I am in love once again.  Sasha Chapman, in her article "Praise the Lard" writes, "Lard, along with other traditional fats, isn't as nearly bad as we thought."  Fat, we are discovering the truth and we desperately need you.  Fat, fat, we want you back!