{"id":230,"date":"2021-03-31T18:42:49","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T18:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/?post_type=podcast&p=230"},"modified":"2021-03-31T18:42:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T18:42:50","slug":"episode-16-back-to-basics","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/podcast\/episode-16-back-to-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Episode 16 – Back to Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this National Nutrition Month episode, Dr. Jones talks with Registered Dietitians Sotear Kuy and Lindsay Wilson about the differences between a Dietitian and a Nutritionist, myths about diets, and the importance of being an informed consumer. You can find out more information about University Housing and Dining\u2019s Nutrition and Wellness efforts at https:\/\/housing.utexas.edu\/dining\/nutrition-services<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this National Nutrition Month episode, Dr. Jones talks with Registered Dietitians Sotear Kuy and Lindsay Wilson about the differences between a Dietitian and a Nutritionist, myths about diets, and the importance of being an informed consumer. You can find out more information about University Housing and Dining\u2019s Nutrition and Wellness efforts at https:\/\/housing.utexas.edu\/dining\/nutrition-services<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"http:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2021\/03\/2021-03-29_L-I-V-E_Back-to-Basics_mastered.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"62.66M","filesize_raw":"65703034","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":""},"tags":[617,622,618,621,619],"series":[2],"class_list":{"0":"post-230","1":"podcast","2":"type-podcast","3":"status-publish","5":"tag-diet","6":"tag-lindsay-wilson","7":"tag-nutrition","8":"tag-sotear-kuy","9":"tag-university-housing-and-dining","10":"series-live","11":"entry"},"acf":{"related_episodes":"","hosts":[{"ID":68,"post_author":"39","post_date":"2020-07-20 20:29:28","post_date_gmt":"2020-07-20 20:29:28","post_content":"","post_title":"Dr. Brandon Jones","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"dr-brandon-jones","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-07-20 20:33:17","post_modified_gmt":"2020-07-20 20:33:17","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/?post_type=speaker&p=68","menu_order":0,"post_type":"speaker","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"guests":[{"ID":238,"post_author":"23","post_date":"2021-03-31 18:40:03","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-31 18:40:03","post_content":"\n

Lindsay is a master\u2019s level registered dietitian specializing in nutrition education and outreach, as well as management of special dietary needs, particularly food allergies. For more than nine years, Lindsay has had the opportunity to positively impact the thousands of University of Texas students on campus meal plans by advocating for healthier choices on dining hall menus, implementing food safety and food allergy best practices, and spearheading award-winning programs that educate students on how to make more informed dining decisions. Outside of work, Lindsay enjoys spending time with her family, baking and cheering on her hometown Pittsburgh sports teams.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Lindsay Wilson","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lindsay-wilson","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-31 18:40:03","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-31 18:40:03","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/?post_type=speaker&p=238","menu_order":0,"post_type":"speaker","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":234,"post_author":"23","post_date":"2021-03-31 18:38:46","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-31 18:38:46","post_content":"\n

Sotear is a registered dietitian with a degree in culinary arts and master\u2019s in public health. She provides support and guidance to students at The University of Texas, specializing in culinary nutrition focused programs and developing recipes and menus that promote a 5-star dining experience. Sotear encourages students to follow a balanced lifestyle that encompasses her nutrition philosophy of \u201cEverything in moderation, even moderation.\u201d She loves all dining experiences, from street vendors in Thailand to Michelin three-star restaurants in Chicago. In her spare time, you can find Sotear hiking with her family, embarking on new eating adventures and experimenting with recipes in her laboratory (aka kitchen).<\/p>\n","post_title":"Sotear Kuy","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"sotear-kuy","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-31 18:38:47","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-31 18:38:47","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/?post_type=speaker&p=234","menu_order":0,"post_type":"speaker","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"Transcript":"

[0:00:04 Speaker 1] Mhm. Yeah.<\/p>\n

[0:00:09 Speaker 0] Welcome to live leadership, Innovation, Ventures and Entrepreneurship. A podcast that showcases the talents, skills and abilities of UT faculty, staff and students. I’m your host, Brandon Jones, associate director for student learning and development in housing and dining. And we’re excited to have you listening to us. Mm, yeah. Welcome, everybody to the leadership, Innovation Ventures and Entrepreneurship Podcast. I am your host, Dr Brandon Jones, associate director for student learning and development in housing and dining at the University of Texas at Austin. And I am excited because we have two very special guests with us today. Who are my colleagues that work with me here in Uhd, and I’m excited to introduce them to you. First, we have so tear Kay, who’s one of our registered dietitians here in university housing and dining. And also we have Lindsey Wilson, another one of our registered dietitians who are going to be here to not only talk about March being National Nutrition Month, but also just to talk about the significance of this month, some myths about nutrition and diets, but more importantly, about the work that they do within housing and dining. And so I’m very excited to have them on. But before we dive into the questions, I want to give uh, so tear and Lindsey a chance to introduce themselves to the audience. So, So tear. Can we start with you? Can you tell everybody who you are and, uh, a little bit more about you?<\/p>\n

[0:01:48 Speaker 1] Yeah. So I have been with housing and dining for going on four years now. And Lindsey and I actually had the same anniversary date. I believe so. Yeah. May 15th. Or somewhere around there would be my four year mark and her 10th or 11 or 12 years. She’ll she’ll confirm what year it is for her. Um, but prior to joining house and dining, I actually have a K to 12 background. Um, so I was in K to 12, working directly in a commissary kitchen, um, making student meals for about 10,000 meals a day for charter schools in the Dallas Fort Worth area. And I highlight that because I feel like it was very significant for me and joining university, housing and dining because it’s kind of the progression of the population that I worked with from K 12 all the way. Now do I get to see them? Transition Freshman’s into college So, um, and it’s been very interesting seeing the progression of dietary behaviors and nutrition choices and the type of things that we educate on from all the way from when they’re small to now becoming adult, and it’s making more of their own informed decisions of what they want to eat. Um, so for housing and dining, I work a lot with on the programming side. And since my background has to do with culinary nutrition, that’s been a lot of my focus area in terms of the type of programming that I put on. Um, so we both work on a program called Cook Wife Eat Wife. And that program really focuses on teaching students how to cook and develop that skill set in order for them to make more informed decisions in terms of the type of food that they decide to consume. Um, and then I also work with menu developments as well as recipe development for very specific areas within dining, such as the fast line, which is the Russian simple taste line, as well as some plant based offering.<\/p>\n

[0:04:00 Speaker 0] That is amazing. I knew I knew you all did amazing work because clearly I reap the benefits of it when I’m at work eating. But I didn’t realize you had a K 12 background. That’s awesome. We’ll probably talk a little bit more about that because I have questions about the pizza that growing up, I’m just kidding. We’re not gonna talk about that square<\/p>\n

[0:04:21 Speaker 1] shaped pizza.<\/p>\n

[0:04:22 Speaker 0] Yes, pizza was so good. I don’t like<\/p>\n

[0:04:26 Speaker 1] the<\/p>\n

[0:04:27 Speaker 0] corn that comes with it, right?<\/p>\n

[0:04:29 Speaker 1] So I’m going to We’re dating ourselves right now<\/p>\n

[0:04:33 Speaker 0] clearly because<\/p>\n

[0:04:34 Speaker 1] I think they since I last checked, we don’t offer a square shaped pizza in school anymore.<\/p>\n

[0:04:39 Speaker 0] That’s a good thing.<\/p>\n

[0:04:40 Speaker 1] It’s now around.<\/p>\n

[0:04:42 Speaker 0] That’s a good thing. Believe me, I’m glad that my daughter doesn’t know anything. That was my favorite meal of the week. Like if I was going to eat anything, it was going to be that square pizza. And at the school I was at, which was which shall remain nameless. That was corn. And then what else came with that? The jello, possibly or some random<\/p>\n

[0:04:59 Speaker 1] dessert. Oh,<\/p>\n

[0:05:01 Speaker 0] yeah. And then the milk, of course, kind of got to have my chocolate milk to go with that. So I’m still alive. I’m still here. I lived through it, so I will have to have an offline conversation about that. I definitely<\/p>\n

[0:05:13 Speaker 1] definitely about 12.<\/p>\n

[0:05:15 Speaker 0] Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. Lindsay, how are you doing today?<\/p>\n

[0:05:21 Speaker 1] Hey, they’re doing well. So s O. T. I mentioned I have been with housing and dining and to confirm it has been 10 years or will be 10 years as of May 15th. So in just little over a month, um so for myself, like most people who live in often right now, I am a transplant. Um, so I’m actually from the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania area. Um, I did my undergrad at Penn State University, where I got my bachelors in applied nutritional science as well as a minor in gerontology. Um, not quite. You know, the minor degree that’s really working for me right now with dealing with college age students. But yeah, you never know when it might come into play. Someday, Um And then I got my masters degree in dietetics at the University of Pittsburgh, where I did a coordinated master’s program there. And then shortly after graduation was when I moved here to Austin and started working at U T. And my job has kind of edge and flowed and changed over the course of the past 10 years, really based off of our students and you know, their demands and desires and how they’re dieting. Habits have changed over the years, so it’s always been something to keep me interested and engaged and involved, which is probably why I’ve been here for as long as I have. Um, you know, it’s kept me, kept me intrigued and interested in sticking around for 10 years now. Um, but with the scope of what I do, it’s very similar to so tear. Obviously don’t have as much of the culinary nutrition background. Um, I would say, my focus and my expertise has really fallen in more of the area of food allergies and special diets. Um, and so that’s kind of been a lot of what I’ve focused on over the years is really building up our program so that we can better serve and provide options for students who have a wide range of dietary restrictions, whether it be a food allergy or celiac disease, um, or any other type of diet, whether it be religious or even personal, you know, such as vegetarian and vegan. We are often, um, we’re very eclectic city, and so our students diets reflect that effectiveness. So it’s always fun to make sure that our dining hall menus have options that meet that diverse, you know, dietary needs that our students have, but also to be able on the opposite and provide education and outreach and other resources and initiatives for our students to be able to meet them where they’re at. So I think that last one is probably one of the more exciting aspects of my job. Is constantly year after year, almost being forced to kind of change our approach to the resources and education and outreach that we provide to meet students where they’re at because, you know, each year they’re constantly changing. So that’s one of the things I love about my job.<\/p>\n

[0:08:13 Speaker 0] Well, thank you both for sharing that and, you know, just to tell the audience, you know, one of the reasons why I wanted uh So Terry and Lindsey on the show is not only because it was National Nutrition Month and Women’s History Month, but also because it for those of you who have students who are here and those students have eaten in our dining halls recently. When they go grab their napkins, there’s a picture of two people, and that’s so tear. And that’s Lindsey. And I’m like, You know, these. I wanted the students to know that these are real people who really care about their needs. And so, for the parents out there, um, I want you to know we have registered dietitians on staff who you’re gonna you’re gonna get a chance to learn a little bit more about as the show progresses, but also for the students listening to this episode that if you if you’re already a student here or you’re potentially thinking about coming here, this isn’t just your average everyday dining hall experience. We’re all about education, outreach and making sure that you can make the most informed decision possible about the food that you’re consuming. And if you are a foodie and an avid food enthusiast like I am, you’ll enjoy eating what we have in our dining halls and all of our food locations. But more importantly, you’ll be an informed consumer, and so what I want to get started with talking with you all about is, you know, being let’s let’s start with the I have one question that I want to start with. Can I? Can I start with? What is the difference between a dietitian and nutritionist? And I’ll explain Why? Because one of my goals coming into this year because I’m such an avid food enthusiast. I made the goal that this year I want to have a better relationship with what I eat and so that I know what I’m doing and getting what I actually need in my body, not just what I’m craving. And so I said, I’m gonna go meet with a nutritionist this year, But then I’m like, But wait, what’s the difference? And is there a difference? And so what is the difference between a dietitian and nutritionist?<\/p>\n

[0:10:13 Speaker 1] So I can start off fielding that one and then feel free to add Lindsey? Uh, so there is a difference between a dietitian and nutrition is so the term is often used interchangeably. But I would say the biggest difference between these two professions are the fact that there’s not a legal restrictions that is attached to the nutritionist profession or title. Basically. So in order to call yourself a dietitian or a registered dietitian nutritionist, you do have to meet legal requirements that by your state and educational requirements by the Academy of, uh, nutrition and dietetics. So, um, education requirements are quite different, and anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. And they may or may not have the educational background that a dietician has. Um, so I would say, in terms of distinct differences, it would be educational requirements and licensing, as well as the training that is required in order for us to become registered dietitians and licensed in Texas. Yeah, Brandon, this one is a pretty trigger topic for registered dietitian. So wonderful for you to lead off with that one. For your first question, Um, it is a trigger topic. Exactly for why, sir to invention, because anyone can really call themselves a nutritionist. Um, whereas with registered dietitians, you do have to go through at least a bachelor’s degree through a credential program as well as an approved dietetic internship. You also need to have that licensing and registration not only nationally, but, um, within your individual state as well. And you also have to complete at least 75 hours of continuing education every five years to maintain that licensor. So it is pretty in depth. Um, so registered dietitians can call themselves nutritionist, but nutritionists cannot call themselves registered dietitians. One of my favorite stories that one of my old professors used to tell, um to kind of really show. The stark difference between registered dietitians and nutritionists is that she actually went online and did an online certificate program and basically the certificates that she got for a nutritionist. She put it in her dog’s name, so her dog became licensed as a nutritionist. That’s hilarious. And just for her to be able to prove a point to show you that literally anybody can<\/p>\n

[0:12:43 Speaker 0] call themselves a<\/p>\n

[0:12:43 Speaker 1] nutritionist so proper credentialing does matter. Um, And so with a registered dietitian, you are getting that actual strict educational background and a licensor that is verifying that you truly have the knowledge to, you know, work with people for their individual diets and their dietary needs. So huge difference. Yeah, I would add also that for the internship, requirements were required to gain experience in a wide variety of fields pertaining to food and nutrition. So the I think it’s it was 1200 hours at the time that I was getting license. I’m not sure if it’s more or less right now, but it should be around. There is more. Okay, Um but yeah. So we have to split our internship experience in the areas of food service community held as well as clinical nutrition so that we, once we finish the program, were well rounded in all of those areas to work in the field that we choose<\/p>\n

[0:13:40 Speaker 0] First off, Thank you all. I didn’t mean for it to be a triggering topic. It’s just<\/p>\n

[0:13:44 Speaker 1] because<\/p>\n

[0:13:45 Speaker 0] we’re a learning organization and I love when our students learn something. When we listen to this episode and again, I was transparent. I wanted to know for myself because I don’t want to go out there making the wrong decision. And I almost did, until just a couple of seconds ago, I said, You know what? Let me actually talk to the people that I work with who do this as a job to do just get their insight. And so thank you for giving that insight because I think it is important that, um to all the parents and current students and our faculty and staff who listen to this show, This is important. I mean, the things that we put in our body, uh, is very important. And I’m like, Let’s get it from credible sources. So I’m glad that I work with two very well qualified individuals. But more importantly, if you’re a parent and you’re listening to this and because I know that Texas parents always tells us that there’s three things that the parents want to know about, what their kids are getting into, are they safe? What are they eating and what are they doing? And so, parents, if you’re listening, what you’re saying is that we have two very, very, very qualified, uh, leaders helping make sure that not only are we teaching your students about what what they’re putting in their body, but also what are some of the best ways to make decisions about what they’re consuming and eating. So you were learning, and I can’t I can’t wait to continue to dive in. So thank you both for sharing your insights, Uh, and the wisdom because I now know the difference. Like I’ve made my own little notes over here. And I know for a fact I will not be meeting with a nutritionist after all. Let me scratch that out of the goal. I will be meeting with an actual registered dietitian, so thank you all for that. What are some other like common? I wouldn’t say mistakes, but what are some common misconceptions that people have when working with a dietician or just around diets and food in general? Because food is something we all consume. I hope, uh, food is something that we all are going to interact with. And so surely there’s some misconceptions around not just nutritionists, dieticians, diets, food, all of that stuff. What are some common ones that you all run into, especially working in a college setting or even in k 12, for that matter?<\/p>\n

[0:16:06 Speaker 1] So I think both of us could probably jump on that answer pretty quickly. So I’m going to tackle the probably the most common or that the one that might bother us the most. I’m gonna say this because of cheering and had this conversation over and over again in the past. But I will say that probably one of the things that a lot that bothers a lot of registered dietitians is that so many people, whenever they do, come to a dietician for support and assistance with their diet, that’s so often the request is simply make me a meal plan. Yeah, and I see folks here in the image they are raising your hands. Like I said, I knew this was going to be very agreed upon. Um, but yes, I would say that making a meal plan for someone is the most frequent frequent requests that we receive. Um, you know, as registered dietitians, our goal is not only to provide you with the information that you need, um, you know, with regards to specific food items and what to eat and how much to eat. But we also want to make sure that whatever changes were teaching you that you should make our changes that will be sustainable over a long period of time. Because if it’s not something you can stick with and it’s only going to be temporary, then the results and the benefits are only going to be temporary. So by providing somebody with a basic three day, five day, seven day Neil Plan. Sure, that’s giving you ideas of what you can eat for those couple of days, but is not really teaching you and giving you the tools that you need to carry over that same healthy eating pattern for several weeks, several months or for the rest of your life. Um, so I will say that’s definitely been one of my biggest challenges with working here at UT because when I did first start, you know, 10 years ago, um, you know, and I was meeting with students that was so often the request that I would get I would love for you to make me a meal plan. And so, of course, you know, as a newer R D. I was honoring that request and making them, you know, it is very time consuming to draft up a meal plan based off of each individual person’s, you know, preferences and their lifestyle and their, you know, cooking capabilities and all of those other things that you want to take into consideration to customize that meal plan, you know, and then you have that one hour meeting with them. Give them a meal plan and then you never hear from them again. So, you know, Was that information really being put to use? Wasn’t having any actual long term benefit? More than likely not So after a couple years, Um, I did shift my focus with how I met with students, um, to being much more of a counseling approach versus Let’s just meet once and create a meal plan and then, you know, never speak again. So, um, just just so any parents or students who are listening and they don’t know, So here and I are available to meet with students one on one in that consultation format. Um, so if a student does need support with dining on campus, they’re not sure what to eat. Um, you know, or want to adapt a healthier lifestyle. Um, you know, we are available to work one on one with them in that capacity. Um, generally, they are for more basic consultations. Um, and we do also have a registered dietician on campus that works in university health services as well. So she’s also able to work with students one on one in a very in depth format as well. Um, but with all of our roles, it really is focusing more on that consultation and behavior change aspect to really teach you basically how to walk the walk and not just develop a meal plan. Now I will say, I’d like to think I’m very good at developing custom meal plans for people. I know that you and I just have that conversation. Just a couple of weeks ago, she was like, You can make a lot of money if you went into private practice, you know, just making meal plans for people. Um, but, you know, I much prefer the aspect of that, you know, with how we do things on campus, where you’re focusing more on the education and the behavior change versus just a simple Here’s a meal plan transaction so needed to get that one out of the way first. But I’m sure so tear has probably a few additional things to talk about. List. Yeah, I’m glad you mentioned the male planting because automatically whenever, Even when I speak with my friends and, um, even when we have student employees who are in nutrition as a major, uh, the first thing that they want to do is they want to learn how to build meal plans and how to do it better. But the thing is that to me, I look at look at it as a great skill set to have a registered dietitian and as a great tool to be able to provide. But it’s kind of like that saying Where do you want to teach someone out of fish? Or do you want to keep on giving them the fish? Something like that? Right. Um, so in order. So on top of that, to add to that, what I see a lot of is from not just from students but from everyone when they first come to see a registered dietitian is that whether they’re nutrition or health goal be to lose weight to gain muscle. Um, whatever their goal may be, they are always looking for a solution that is very sexy. Basically, I’ll put it that way, like they want something that they want to hear, a plan and a solution that is really out of the box and unordinary. But, you know, it always goes back to the basics like any. When you talk about diet trends and anything like that that applies to college students, Um It may sound really sexy and something that you want to engage in right away. But honestly, whenever you dive into it, it’s just not sustainable. It’s not sustainable. It’s not the way that you can or should live forever, so that a lot of those diets are meant to be temporary. And whenever they realize that, Oh, so really, I just need to get back to basics. I need to figure out what my place look like and how to make it work for me at this stage in my life and my schedule, and that is what is going to be sustainable. And that’s actually a really hard conversation to have, because it’s not as, um intriguing, Right? So everybody wants the next big thing, and they want to be able to be in the trend and be in the know and they want to have fun with it. But I’m going back to the basic, sometimes can be a little bit boring, but it’s what works and that’s what following and leading a healthy lifestyle really means it’s just keep on exercising the basic every single day until it becomes like a natural part of the things that you do.<\/p>\n

[0:23:10 Speaker 0] Thank you for sharing that. Can you go back for a second and talk about what you were saying? Some people, specifically students kind of, um are don’t don’t find it to be earth shattering or groundbreaking what you propose, because it’s going back to the basics. Where do you think it comes from? That mindset that, uh, if it’s not sexy, it’s not worth it? Where do you think that comes from? Especially for college students?<\/p>\n

[0:23:34 Speaker 1] I would say that it’s embedded in our culture and society. You know, Um, it’s part of the diet culture on campus, especially to really, what is what is in mainstream social media right now. Um, how can I have quick results? I want to lose \u00a310 in 10 days. How do I do that? Um, people are always looking for immediate gratification and, uh, to see results right away. Instead of really realizing that it’s just like getting a four year degree. You know, it takes four years for the most. Generally speaking, it takes time, and with anything you do like building habits takes a lot more work and, um, understanding and appreciating honoring where you’re at and where you want to be long term instead of just short term goals. Yeah, building off of that, I think probably why it affects our college population so much is because we are dealing with a younger population of people. And so they inherently, then, are much more tech savvy, constantly on a phone or some sort of device. So having that instant access to the Internet, where whether it be through social media or Google search or a podcast or what have you, whatever the means of information? Trans transmission? Um, you know, if they do ever have a question about a food or a diet, that information is there an esoteric mentioned with our current culture that we live in diet is a huge topic of conversation, And so because we have that instant and immediate access to information, yes, that’s amazing, because we can get answers very quickly that way on any number of topics. But also not all of the information that’s out there is credible or something that works for everyone. So Tina mentioned, everybody’s looking for that quick fix, and I think that’s you know what’s so disappointing about nutrition is because you know everybody’s looking for that magic bullet, you know, or that one superfood that’s going to completely change their you know, their entire lifestyle. Or like what you mentioned causing. And I lose \u00a310 in 10 days or what have you? Um, but that’s really not the way good nutrition should work. Um, you know, it is about that sustainable change. And so, you know, unfortunately, so much misinformation does go out there kind of lending back to what we talked about a little bit ago with the difference between a dietitian and nutritionist. Um, you know, there’s there’s all sorts of people who share nutrition information regardless of their title or their backgrounds. Um, and a lot of times you really get a lot of nutrition and diet information simply coming from people who may have lost weight themselves or, you know, worked out in the gym and gained, You know, a great physique that way. Um, but what’s important, I think, in regards to not only having a credible source for the information, um, and not necessarily focusing on that instant change, but also knowing and recognizing as well that nutrition and eating is not a one size fits all approach, and I think that’s probably maybe the third thing I wanted to point out in that what works for one person doesn’t necessarily achieve the same results for someone else. So simply by going off of someone else’s success story does not mean that you may have one following those same habits. So that same dietary pattern, I think that’s kind of what’s great about our profession is that because we are trained, we do work with each individual on that one on one basis to find out and gather all of that information related to their own personal history and their story and their lifestyle. To then tailor our approach and our recommendations to that individual so that the diet and whatever it is that they’re eating, works for them. Um, and I just want to point out to you whenever I say diet, I’m referring to just the entire eating pattern of any person, not in the terms of a temporary quote unquote diet. But yeah, that not only you know that misinformation, incredible sources or, you know, and not looking for that quick fix but also recognizing that it’s not a one size fits all approach, and that’s what’s kind of great about being a dietitian. We can customize that for each person<\/p>\n

[0:28:02 Speaker 0] you all are teaching today. I’ve taken almost two pages of notes just for myself. Like normally, I’m I’m script. I’m able to script in some questions here, but I’m literally taking notes at the same time because this is information that I didn’t get. You know, I I didn’t I didn’t take a I took a class in college that was required for, uh, my degree, but at the same time, I didn’t get anywhere near this type of information. It was the basic food, pyramid stuff, nutrients and all of those different things. And it’s like, okay, but culturally like so Tear was saying So many things are embedded in the culture. And I’m from real East Texas, where, you know, food is an experience, not a thing to fuel you. I was not taught that like, Hey, this is meant to be fuel. I was taught this is the experience. And so it’s all based on how it makes you feel. And so now that I’m older and that I’m a parent of two kids, I’m trying to make sure that I, you know, learn what I need. What I didn’t learn so that I can help make those decisions. So thank you all for sharing this information. I want to go. Lindsay, Were you about to say something? Go ahead.<\/p>\n

[0:29:14 Speaker 1] I was I was just going to say One of the things you’ll discover by working with a registered dietitian, though, is that food is not just one or the other. It’s not just fuel, and it’s not just enjoyment. And registered dietitian should teach you that it is all of the above food. Yes, I primarily is fuel, but it is our culture and our everyday experience. It’s family. It’s friends. It’s enjoyment, its flavor. It is all of the above, so it doesn’t always have to be bland. Yep, thank you. Appreciate every aspect of it. Yeah, so I also that’s That’s a good segue into the fact that we should clarify that food does not have to be bland and that nutrition does not have to be boring. I get an amen.<\/p>\n

[0:30:00 Speaker 0] Amen It<\/p>\n

[0:30:03 Speaker 1] so food and nutrition Nutrition is very food is nutrition. It feels your body, it’s about your lives. Experiences it’s about tying in your cultural heritage. Um, it’s about all of the above, and it can be tasty. It can be healthy. You can have cake one day and still leaves a very healthy lifestyle. Um, and you can have a salad one day and not feel like you are on a diet. So it’s it’s about to me. It’s about really defining where you’re at in that season of your life and what you need nutritionally to fit that season of your life and also to reach your health goal. And that would be different for everybody. And it could be different, um, from month to month, depending on where you’re at in your life and what your goals are. So I think, like it’s really important to understand that and honor that and embrace that, that I mean 2020 and 2021. These two years are about just frequent change, and the topic of food and nutrition also fits into that, having to frequently adjust and change to your surroundings, your environment and your circumstances. So I think like the new motto is just honoring where you’re at food and nutrition wise and, uh, making the best of what you are able to do.<\/p>\n

[0:31:35 Speaker 0] And I appreciate that. That clarification So tear and Lindsay as well I really appreciate that. Because what we’re witnessing, like this is I’m getting a consultation right now. Honestly, because again, I’m showing my ignorance in a couple of these areas. And what I appreciate is this new, this new information that I’m being presented with just in this conversation and the changes that at least at least one that I plan on making as a result of this conversation has been very helpful. And so I hope that everyone, not just students with everyone listening to this episode kind of take that information and do something with it because I think it’s important that we don’t get binary in your and our thinking like I did. You know, Uh, it was either this or it was not. It was either an experience or it was boring. It was either fuel or it was. But it doesn’t have to be this what I heard so tears saying is that it could be all encompassing, and I loved what you just said about food doesn’t have to be bland and nutrition doesn’t have to be boring. Every parent out there should rejoice at that right now, because that’s why I absolutely meant it when I said a man, because I’m like, Hey, I’m trying to have that conversation with my own Children right now But I’m also remembering 30 years ago when my parents were trying to have some type of nutrition conversation based on where their understanding was at that time as well. And so, by being able to say, like, can we just appreciate where we are with what we know but also also leave and also leaving room for new information and being redirected. So thank you both for helping to clarify that area. I want to shift a little bit to talk about some of the things that you all do here at U T. I think that my favorite thing, that you all do it, it’s super biased and it’s my show, so I’m not afraid to admit it. But my favorite thing that you all do is the cook wise, and I’ll leave a link to some of the things that you all are doing in the liner notes, so that folks who want to check it out and see what you all have online can see it. But the cook wise and the owl Uh, the apron and the dorm recipes, all that stuff, like the last four years of working with you all has just been incredible because I’ve seen the evolution of some of the things that you all have been doing. And I just love the door mobile recipes and the cook wise talk about the programming that you all do And what some of the thinking that went into what helped create some of the things and give the audience an example of some of the signature programs that you all are offering.<\/p>\n

[0:34:13 Speaker 1] So tear, I’ll maybe go ahead and give an intro to the to the initiation of the programming. And then when I segue into how it transformed them when you came on and let you take that part So, um, so with the programming that we’ve done, um, so, like I said, I’ve been here for 10 years now. Um and so I was the only dietitian of causing and dining for quite some time. Um, I do not have a culinary nutrition background. Um, I can pick for sure. My husband probably tell you I’m a decent cook. Um, but I by no means, um have as much creativity or culinary expertise as what Sudhir does to get super fancy with my cooking and my ideas. So great, you’re great. So I will say that my programming in the past always focused a bit more on the education and very simple recipes. And, you know, um, normal recipes that students can make in the residence halls, you know, snacks and that sort of thing. Um, so the education outreach component was always more on educating students about the food. Um, just taking a dabbling a little bit into, you know, different suggestions and ideas of what they can make. And so when we did get the green light, then to bring on a second registered dietitian four years ago, that really was a focus of mine was to try to bring somebody on who had more of a culinary nutrition background to be able to add that complementary aspect into our programming. And so that’s when so tear enter. So with the programming that we had previously, it simply was our eat wise program. And so we had these adorable little al mascots that represented different fruits and vegetables. We focused on fruits and vegetables because fruits and vegetables are the food groups that college students notoriously across the entire United States. And for years, they’ve always historically under consumed. Um, so we’re kind of focusing our educational campaigns on increasing fruit and vegetable intake. Um, you know, we were able to do that in a fun way with those owls, so they look like grapes and a piece of Citrus and a strawberry. And one of them looks like a core piece of corn. Another one is an artichoke. Um, so lots of fun things. So they’re very adorable. So we put those on all sorts of branded pieces to try to entice students to, you know, come to our events in our educational table wings that we had, um, and participate. And that’s one thing I’ve learned about students over the years. You always have to have some sort of incentive for them to engage in some way so we would make our events interactive, whether it be through them, um, spinning a giant prize wheel to then answer a nutrition related question and if they got it right, they would maybe get a T shirt that had one of our owls on it. Um, we’ve also done different things, like guess the greens and we would have multiple different letter screens out on the table. You know, from endive to arugula and spinach and ridicule and try to have them guess what they are.<\/p>\n

[0:37:25 Speaker 0] And then they Besides, besides arugula and Romain, there’s different. Okay, I don’t learn<\/p>\n

[0:37:33 Speaker 1] today, So that is part of part of what the focus was. Um, you know, originally was really trying to introduce students to new foods, different types of foods. Get them to learn something. Um, you know, knew about maybe a food that they were already eating, but just try to basically enhanced, um, their exposure to new foods as well as enhanced what they know about the current foods they had within their diet. Um, and so the owls were fantastic, and so they kind of became our national Nutrition month mass spots. Um, and then whenever so tear started, we then kind of transition them. And with her having her culinary background, we kind of came up with the slogan in that you know you have to cook wise in order to eat wise. And so the Al mascots saying that a little repurposed. I got cute little chef hats on um And then that’s when Sotirios expertise in the culinary arena then really came into play with expanding that program until I let her take over on how she has done that.<\/p>\n

[0:38:36 Speaker 0] Yes, please.<\/p>\n

[0:38:38 Speaker 1] Wow. So I am trying to think of how to articulate everything that’s in my head right now. It’s like just a couple of minutes, because this program, this program, is a program that I am. You know, I just feel so blessed to be able to work with this program and to have the owls already in place when I started because I fell in love with those owls and the moment that chef, the moment that chef hats were put on them, I was like, Yes, it’s like I don’t know, it’s perfect. Everything about it was perfect. And the huge part of the reason why I was so drawn to the position was the culinary nutrition component I cooking is obviously a huge passion of mine. Is, um, something I grew up doing before I could remember doing anything else. Um, so just like a quick backstory. My I learned how to cook from my grandma and my grandmother was actually trained, um, as a royal palace cook back when she was living in Cambodia before she immigrated to the U. S. And so growing up with her and learning the type of cuisine that, um, she specialized in and just the way that she cooked and the attendant to detail that she put into all of her food and Cambodian food is naturally a really health conscious type of cuisine. So I already grew up with those healthy eating habits that I learned from her and to her There was no other way to eat. That was the way that you eat. That was the way that you cooked. And the way that she presented and served food to people is something that stuck with me my entire life. And so that’s kind of if I were to describe my passion for food and how that came about, it would have to be through, like my experience is cooking with her. And, um So whenever the I started working on the Cook Wise program that could like the wise program to me. I wanted students to somehow also share in my lived experiences because I saw food and I saw cooking. I saw it in a way that was really different teams. I felt like students. Yes, they should definitely know the basics of cooking and because it’s a skill set that I think everyone should have, um, not only should you be self sufficient in the kitchen, but you should also utilize those skill sets in order to make healthy, informed decisions. But I wanted to teach them how to cook, utilizing techniques and recipes. That was a little bit about the basics because I wanted them to be able to start thinking outside of the box. So for one of the first cooking classes, I think it was for either the first or second year. I was here for National Nutrition Month. I was coming up with adorable recipes, um, to utilize for the cooking classes, and I was thinking, Oh, well, instead of just eggs in a microwave, why don’t we kick it up a notch and teach them how to make hollandaise in the microwave? So it’s true. It’s true that they probably will not be sitting there on a Saturday afternoon making holidays in the microwave on their own. But my thought process behind utilizing more. Um, I guess quote unquote fancier recipes is that two years later, three years later, whenever there, whenever they no longer live with this and they’re out in their apartments and they start to experience the often eating culture and they order these things off the menu, they have the knowledge and the know how to prepare themselves, and on top of that, they can figure out how to adjust the recipes and techniques to make it healthier. So my line of thought whenever I was developing those types of that type of curriculum and recipes is that they may not be able to immediately utilize it. But it’s something that will that they’ll think about two or three years down the road. And they’re like, Oh, I remember that cooking class. I remember that dietician who taught me how to make hollandaise in the microwave, and you can substitute this type of oil for for that and like you can season with herbs and spices versus just adding fat and salt and all that kind of stuff. So I so I would say like my approach to it is more long term, Um and that yes, While the engagement pieces super important, like teaching them how to make eggs holidays in the microwave, it will catch their attention more. But also in three years, they will be thinking back to that class and be able to utilize the things that they learn in the class and apply it to their adult lives. Basically wants to leave campus.<\/p>\n

[0:43:38 Speaker 0] And the thing that I appreciated the most about everything both of you have said, is that you all don’t just talk about it. You give them the opportunity to practice it. And one thing that you know, being in charge of student learning and development. I’m always watching what you all are doing because I’m trying to find ways that we can incorporate it into our learning agenda. So that one we’re not duplicating efforts. But then too, so that everybody has a chance to participate. And the thing that I love most is that you all have made a lot of those ingredients available, uh, in the dining hall, but also in some of our markets for students who want to try to make these recipes, uh, in their rooms. And I love the classes because the students who participate get the kid. They could take it home. They could take pictures of the recipe. I know that I was there one of the years when you always showing them how to make their own avocado, avocado, guacamole and I was like they made it so easy to do but provided ingredients that a lot of students that the feedback that I was getting from students was these were ingredients I never would have thought to incorporate. Or<\/p>\n

[0:44:39 Speaker 1] I added my<\/p>\n

[0:44:40 Speaker 0] own lemon juice or something like that, and I’m going. All of that stuff was available in our market for them to practice it. And so it wasn’t just, Hey, go be healthier or go try these things. Here’s an opportunity for you to build and develop your capacity for doing these things. So you all are teaching your increasing capacity. You’re helping develop a skill, but more important than you’re doing something that’s actually changing lives. Because, you know, I don’t know what the data will be this year, but more than you know, 27% of our students that live with us, you know, identified as first gin or came from backgrounds where some of these options may not have been available. And so I really appreciate it. Just watching this work and watching you all live this out every single day. And I can only imagine what it’s like in your office down there. What, like what? What goes on and what you all are talking about and thinking through. Because when I see the end result, like the cook wise and these different programs I’m just thankful that I get to<\/p>\n

[0:45:41 Speaker 1] be on your team. I’m<\/p>\n

[0:45:42 Speaker 0] like, I’m glad they work with us because I get to reap the benefits. So thank you all for sharing that this this This has been awesome. Was there anything else? Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead.<\/p>\n

[0:45:51 Speaker 1] I would say that for um and I feel comfortable speaking for Lindsay on this. This part of part of everything is that we both really want to empower the students to make their own decisions. We want to be able to present them with the facts that’s grounded in research because we are at an education institution. Um, and not just that, but we have to be able to back up what we’re saying. So we both may have very specific opinions when it comes to food and nutrition and how we choose to live our lives in those areas. But we will present the students of facts, and that’s how we design our education, our programming and things like that. But at the end of the day, we want them to feel empowered, take the information that we present to them and that we teach them and then make it their own, um insensitive, their own developed developing their own eating style, their own health style, and just making informed decisions in general. Yeah, absolutely completely agree. And and honestly, that was what I was going to jump in and say as well in that, um, you know, our goal is not only to provide information and the transactional way, but to present it in a way that is also transformative as well. So having both of those components working hand in hand together, um, and that can be done through, you know, numerous different means. Um, but it really is with the end goal of empowering them with the knowledge so that they can then take that, apply that to their own lives and their own individual way, and then transfer and transform that into their actions for how they eat, you know, on campus, whether it be in the dining halls or with the food they keep in their dorm room or how that then transitions to them once they move off campus. Um, so it is. It is definitely both short and long term goal, um, oriented with all of the things that we do. Um and, yes, you would probably love being a fly on the wall because, you know, when when we were there in the office, you know, prior to Covid, it was a constant back and forth. You know where one of us would be in the other ones office, You know, brainstorming because we had an idea. Um, you know, and then, you know, once we were working remotely, I can’t tell you how many times we’ve called each other up or, you know, sending text messages that say, like, 11 o’clock at night or random hours a good day saying, Hey, I had this idea. What do you think? Um, you know, And that’s just how our brains work. And that, you know, are our entire world is encompassed by food in some capacity. And so whether it be something that pops up on our social media or, you know, in the news or what have you, you know, a new recipe that we see or a new product that we find at the grocery store? There’s always inspiration whenever it comes to food and how we can take something new and present it in an exciting way to the students so that they can use that to kind of impact on their their food environment.<\/p>\n

[0:48:56 Speaker 0] Wow, I really appreciate you all taking the time out of your day to talk with us and share your wisdom and your insights about the different projects that you all are undertaking. But more importantly, how you go about serving? Uh, not only the students who live with us, but the faculty, the staff, the Austin community who comes and eats at our different facilities, but more importantly, the lives that are changed because of the information that you all make available. And so I want to say thank you so much for the work that you’re doing. I can’t wait to get back to, uh, you know, again, reaping the benefits of this knowledge. And I’ve already again taking two pages of notes. So I know that my world is definitely different having had this conversation today, and so I hope it’s the same for our audience. Is there any final thoughts or anything else that you’d like to share with the audience about what you all have coming up, Things people can look forward to when they come to campus in the fall? Um, or if they need to reach out and ask you any other questions, how could they go about doing that?<\/p>\n

[0:49:58 Speaker 1] So while we have a lot of things that we want to have happened in the fall, depending on, uh, if we’re back on campus full time and things like that, but regardless or not, we will still be offering programs virtually so if we’re back on campus in the fall will still be offering virtual as well as in person programming. Um, so we’re I mean, we’re looking forward to just engaging again directly with students, uh, on more often and yeah, I think we’re going to be offering a lot of cooking classes, uh, cabling events, education events, and we’re still going to be doing private consultations for students who wanted or needed. Um, and we’re looking to expand the programs and the reach. Yeah, to expand. Depend that. One of the things that we’re planning up for the fall is really an extension of what we were just talking about with the cook wise eat wise program and the durable recipes that you’re discussing, um is that we’re actually in the process of putting together a quick, wise eat wise cookbook. Um, that we want to watch that we want to launch for the fall semester. So it will include, uh, quite a few different normal recipes. So and by durable recipes. And we talked about there’s a lot. But just to clarify that anyway, that may not be familiar. Those are really just recipes that are, um, you know, basic equipment that is approved to have within the residence halls on campus, using ingredients that are more affordable, but also, um, for the most part, readily available on campus. You know, you don’t have to go to some specialty market for them or that sort of thing. Um, and just using, you know, basic skill sets. Um, so really recipes that just about anybody can make regardless of their setting, whether it be in a very basic, um, you know, kitchen within an apartment or even just within their residence hall or even somebody who you know is at home and does have a full kitchen. I’m just very, very accessible recipes. Um, And so with that cookbook, um, we’re gonna hopefully launch that in both a printed and virtual format for the fall semester. And, um, we would like to then expand different resources that then go with that. Such as, You know, um, a kitchen conversion tool that shows you know how you convert, you know, teaspoons all the way up, two cups, two pints and courts. You know, if you are doing measurements, um, as well as you know, what are the minimal internal cooking temperatures for different foods? So all of those things you would kind of find in the index or the resource session of a cookbook. We then want to take and put into printed format so that we can use those they in the communal kitchens that we have around the residence halls on campus so that if students you know are using those communal kitchens to do any cooking on their own, they have those resources there that are easily accessible to them, maybe even have one of those cookbooks and then the communal kitchens, you know, for students to access. Um, so we have all sorts of different ideas for ways that we can expand the reach of that absorbable recipe program. Um, and how we can kind of get that information out there to students. But that is one of the big things were planning up for the fall. All of the other education and outreach programming that we’re doing is still a little to be determined. Um, but we are going to have multiple different formats and programming in place and both in person and virtual capacity for the fall. So we’re really excited.<\/p>\n

[0:53:28 Speaker 0] I can’t wait to see the cookbook, uh, you know, and hopefully, if it’s ready by moving, we might be able to get that out there. You know, at the baseball field, when when, especially when our freshmen are moving back into the hall. So, uh, stay tuned, folks. Listen, we’ve had a great show today. I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you for listening and stick around. We hope you enjoyed today’s episode to catch the next installment. Be sure to follow us on Spotify apple podcasts, Google podcasts and stitcher. This podcast was recorded and edited in collaboration with the LA its Development Studios Audio Department. More information can be found at liberal arts dot utexas dot e d u slash L a I t. S. The intro song was composed by Ian Herrera and you can find his work at ian herrera dot com. The Outro song was composed by Noah Keller. And you can find more of his work at noah d Keller dot com.<\/p>\n

[0:54:39 Speaker 1] Yeah, we’ll<\/p>\n

[0:54:41 Speaker 0] see you next time<\/p>\n"},"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2022\/03\/LIVE-logo-TPN.png","download_link":"https:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/podcast-download\/230\/episode-16-back-to-basics.mp3","player_link":"https:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/podcast-player\/230\/episode-16-back-to-basics.mp3","audio_player":"https:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/podcast-player\/230\/episode-16-back-to-basics.mp3<\/a><\/audio>","episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":[],"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/podcasts.la.utexas.edu\/live\/feed\/podcast\/live","embedCode":"

Episode 16 – Back to Basics<\/a><\/blockquote>