Drop That Beet, Yo

The title of this post might strike you as odd, and maybe even slightly unprofessional, but I find it appropriate for the beginning of the second half of my Community Nutrition rotation.

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EatWell Weight Loss and Farmer's Market

Another week at EatWell Weight Loss and people are starting to feel familiar to me. During weigh ins last week I actually had two participants create an action based goal with me. (Action based essentially means not weight based, which takes the emphasis off of the scale and places it onto behavior change.) This development was thrilling because it indicates participants are starting to trust me more.
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The farmer's market on campus was extremely hot! That didn't keep our vendors and shoppers away though, and it was good to see everyone out supporting the market. Our friend farmer Steve was at it again with his amazing produce, and he shared with us some prime nectarines. Easily the most deliciously sweet nectarine I have ever eaten in my life. We also enjoyed some cherry tomatoes.

Veg Out - Beet Edition

A very special event this week was the Veg Out series with our Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) participants. UK Health & Wellness recently started a program where 200 shares of CSAs were sold to UK employees. One of our Registered Dietitians does a once-a-month cooking demonstration explaining how to use those less common vegetables seen in a CSA. This month the produce of choice was beets!

I got to dust off my server skills and wait on our CSA holders while our RD whipped up different recipes. There were several different recipes including a beverage, two salads, and a dessert all using beets in some form. This demo took place at The Food Connection in The 90, which is a state-of-the-art learning kitchen, equipped with cameras, audio and visuals. Our RD has extensive culinary skills with a background in farmer's markets, so she is the perfect one to lead this type of lesson! Everything was delicious!

Recipe Testing

I spent a lot of my time in the grocery store last week due in part to both recipe testing and the Community Investigation and Report assignment. The recipe testing was much more fun, of course, and I think we found some good ones. First, let me explain that we are testing recipes for our Kids Can Cook class, which is my last big project of this rotation.

​I tested four recipes: Sweet Potato Banana Bites, Greek Pizza with Pourable Pizza Crust, Peanut Butter Fruit Dip, and 5-minute Homemade Ranch. This is honestly my favorite part of being a Registered Dietitian, being able to try new recipes to share with other people. We all need to eat food, and I believe more people would eat less processed food if they could gain skills in the kitchen. Here is a little documentation of my ventures:

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Behind the Title

The title is an inside joke of sorts. Throughout the summer, the Seaton Center is host to varying youth sport camps, and this week just so happens to be Cheerleading Week. As I sit in the office adjacent to the gymnasium I can hear the happenings of the camps. Constantly throughout this past week of cheer camp I hear the cheerleaders all shout in perfect unison and full of spirit, "Drop that beat, yo!" Then the music starts playing and the thunder of their shoes indicates a dance routine has commenced. 

I chose this title not only because I cannot stop hearing "Drop that beat, yo" in my head, but also because it went very nicely with the beets from Veg Out. Most importantly, the beat is about to drop on my Community Nutrition rotation! The last three weeks of this rotation is going to be jam packed full of awesome experiences, and it is my turn to lead the show! In the upcoming weeks I will have the chance to teach my own EatWell Weight Loss class, both on-campus and online! I will also be joining my preceptor on the Snack Cart around campus and leading a Kids Can Cook class for UK employees and their children. What a fantastic way to round out 27 weeks of my dietetic internship. 

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Competencies:
​CRD 1.1 Select indicators of program quality and/or customer service and measure achievement of objectives. (Tip:  Outcomes may include clinical, programmatic, quality, productivity, economic or other outcomes in wellness, management, sports, clinical settings, etc.)
CRD 1.3 Justify programs, products, services and care using appropriate evidence or data.
CRD 1.4 Evaluate emerging research for application in dietetics practice.
CRD 2.1 Practice in compliance with current federal regulations and state statutes and rules, as applicable and in accordance with accreditation standards and the Scope of Dietetics Practice and Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics.
CRD 2.2 Demonstrate professional writing skills in preparing professional communications. (Tip:  Examples include research manuscripts, project proposals, education materials, policies and procedures.)
CRD 2.3 Design, implement and evaluate presentations to a target audience. (Tip:  A quality presentation considers life experiences, cultural diversity and educational background of the target audience.)
CRD 2.4 Use effective education and counseling skills to facilitate behavior change.
CRD 2.5 Demonstrate active participation, teamwork and contributions in group settings.
CRD 2.7 Refer clients and patients to other professionals and services when needs are beyond individual scope of practice.
CRD 2.9 Participate in professional and community organizations.
CRD 2.10 Establish collaborative relationships with other health professionals and support personnel to deliver effective nutrition services. (Tip:  Other health professionals include physicians, nurses, pharmacists, diabetes educators, health educators, etc.)
CRD 2.11 Demonstrate professional attributes within various organizational cultures. (Tip:  Professional attributes include showing initiative and proactively developing solutions, advocacy, customer focus, risk taking, critical thinking, flexibility, time management, work prioritization and work ethic.)
CRD 4.6 Prepare and analyze quality, financial or productivity data and develops a plan for intervention.
CRD 4.8 Conduct feasibility studies for products, programs or services with consideration of costs and benefits.
CRD 4.10 Develop a plan to provide or develop a product, program or service that includes a budget, staffing needs, equipment and supplies