Note: A slightly-modified version of this post is also a guest post on guest post on Lazaro Cooks! … what can I say? I’m busy, swamped, ready to sell my favorite blender for a slow-paced afternoon – whatever you dear readers call having no free time nowadays. Gotta milk whatever I write, right? Thanks for having me as a guest poster on your admirable blog, Lazaro!
As many of you know, I became a registered dietitian last July and couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the nutrition profession. Upon introducing myself to others as a registered dietitian, people will typically ask me some version of the same question. What do you think that question is? Is it:
(a) “By golly, Jessie, how do you stand eating rabbit food all day long?”
(b) “What’s a registered dietitian? (Or, even better: “What’s a registered dianitian?” )
(c) “Will you avert your gaze from the fried chicken I am cradling in my hand?”
(d) “How should I eat?”
Okay, I need to confess: I’ve been asked versions of ALL these questions; however, what’s the question I’ve been asked the most? If you answered (d), a high-five and hearty pat on the back for you!
So, what’s my answer? A short version: eat real food. By real food, I mean unprocessed, perishable foods composing a diet that consists mostly of vegetables, fruits, lean protein, whole grains, and a small amount of healthy fats. Notice I said “perishable” – some packaged foods will have the word “fresh” emblazoned on the front, but you aren’t fooled, right? And, notice I said “mostly” – I subscribe to the “always, sometimes” diet.
…”Ah, ha!” you say, “This girl, RD is passing off Michael Pollan‘s words as her own!” True, Michael Pollan’s “Eat Food” mantra brought the current fixation with packaged and processed foods over fresh and unprocessed foods to public prominence. Yet, people have been thinking about – and, even better, unconsciously choosing – real foods for time immemorial. We have reached an age where people must turn to experts for guidance on how to eat. Strange, yes? I will do my part, of course, but I mourn the loss of unconsciously healthy food choices.
Luckily, we dietitians have people like Lazaro helping to spread the word! Think of Lazaro as my RD sidekick, if you will. His commitment to using fresh, sustainable ingredients in creative ways is part of a trend that I am thrilled to see across the blog world and into the real world. With a little work, I believe we can return to making healthier food choices without a second thought. The choice is OURS.
What can a hungry health- and eco-concious cook do right now? Why, make dishes like “I Choose YOU! Shrimp Scampi“, of course!
Unfortunately, most shrimp consumed in the U.S. are imported from other countries where regulations concerning production are poorly controlled. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want eat contaminated shrimp if I can help it. I choose U.S.-caught shrimp whenever possible – yes, domestic shrimp often is more expensive than imported shrimp, but I have made a conscious choice to enjoy foods that are better for my health and for the environment. For a good guide on ocean-friendly seafood, check out this link.
Shrimp Scampi
Serves 2
Ingredients:
8 oz. shrimp, domestic if possible
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter (omit if desired)
Red pepper flakes
Lemon
Fresh parsley
Whole wheat pasta or brown rice, cooked
Cook pasta or rice and arrange on warm plates. Defrost shrimp if necessary and make sure shrimp are very dry. Place flour on large plate and mix in smoked paprika if desired (I add the paprika when I want to give the shrimp a little kick). Lightly dredge shrimp in flour and place on another plate.
Place a frying pan over high heat until very hot. Add oil and butter and allow butter to melt. Add shrimp immediately and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning once halfway through. Don’t overcook! Remove shrimp to the plates with pasta or rice and set aside.
Add a little more oil to the frying pan if necessary and place over medium heat. Add garlic and stir for no more than 30 seconds. Drizzle garlic/oil mixture over shrimp and pasta/rice, sprinkle with red pepper flakes and torn fresh parsley. Squeeze lemon over all if desired.
Serve immediately and enjoy! I often eat this dish with grilled summer squash or sautéed Swiss chard.
To all you dear readers: keep it real! Peace.
Q: What’s your food philosophy?
Doesn’t that sound like a great name for a rock band? I imagine the band’s poster would look something like this:
[source]
In non-rock band-related topics: can you believe at this time last year, I was in China?? Time flies when you’re learning how to be a dietitian! To relive my China adventures, live scorpions and all, click here.
In non-rock and non-China-related topics: I have just completed my penultimate dietetic internship rotation in food service at Jefferson House, a long-term care and rehabilitation facility in Connecticut. Remember my previous posts about what a dietitian does? In this post, I’ll chat a little about what a food service dietitian in a health care setting might do. First, let’s go inside Jefferson House!
Meet Bill Gurekovich, director of food and nutrition services at Jefferson House:
Bill oversees both the kitchen staff and the clinical dietitians at Jefferson House, creating one efficient team that works well together. Part of his success as department director, I believe, is his ability to step into any role required of him: in one day, I’ve seen him both attend a food contract meeting with department heads from other hospitals and unload four pallets worth of groceries into the facility’s storeroom (I tried to help and spent most of my time either struggling to lift relatively light boxes or standing in the middle of the room, asking “Where does this go?” Yeah, I think you were more of a hindrance, Jessie. Also, I need to work on my T-rex arms.)
Bill happily explained his many daily tasks, including ordering food and supplies based on inventory, figuring out the department budget, discussing new food products with sales representatives, reading about the food service industry’s latest news (including changing food prices), reviewing current menus for possible changes, researching new equipment purchases, evaluating the draft contract for an upcoming food contract, reviewing bills and expenses, etc., just to name a few! In addition, Bill operates a catering business that serves both Jefferson House residents/employees and outside groups. To be able to manage all these tasks, one needs to be organized and efficient – Bill certainly has both these qualities in spades! Although Bill is not a dietitian himself, dietitians often hold similar positions. If you’ve been reading my dietitian series, you’ll know that dietitians have many diverse jobs!
Enough text … more pictures! Let’s enter the kitchen:
Hi, Joe!
I don’t have any pictures of me at a computer this time, because, with the exception of a few projects, I spent most of my time on my feet and in the kitchen learning how a large kitchen operates. An enormous THANK YOU to all the wonderful women and men who work in the Jefferson House kitchen who welcomed me into the facility! You were a huge part of why I had such a great time over the past four weeks :)
While working in the kitchen, I learned how food production is carefully timed and organized so that meals reach the residents on time and piping hot (or cold, as the case may be). Everyone has their own job that must be completed by a certain time. People who have not worked in a large-scale kitchen may not realize how much work goes on behind the scenes – I can tell you, it takes a LOT of work to serve those meals.
Here, I have just finished setting up these trays:
And toasting bread for “breakfast club”, a special breakfast the kitchen cooks for the residents once a month:
Obviously, I still need to work on my aim when taking pictures of myself.
When working in a long-term care facility, you often need to think about older residents who may either not be eating enough or have chewing or swallowing difficulties. Nutrition supplements to the rescue! I had a chance to finally see some of the nutritional supplements that I had only heard about, including this little gem:
This ice cream-like item is a Magic Cup, a high calorie, high protein supplement for people with swallowing disorders. Often, someone who has difficulty swallowing (due to neurological or physical problems) cannot swallow thin liquids. Even though Magic Cup has the consistency of ice cream when frozen, it doesn’t melt into a thin liquid like regular ice cream does – that could be dangerous for someone with swallowing difficulties. Instead, it softens to a pudding-like consistency.
Like many specialized nutritional supplements, Magic Cup is expensive, so I made sure to get permission from Bill before trying one (thanks, Bill!). I chose the chocolate flavor (of course).
The frozen version tastes almost like chocolate ice cream. I could taste a little “extra”, likely from the additional supplements in this product. When melted, the Magic Cup looks like this:
… and, tastes just like chocolate pudding! Mmm. I can imagine that someone who is not eating well and has difficulty swallowing would enjoy a Magic Cup.
Another product for people with swallowing difficulties is pre-thickened water and juice:
I tried the thickened water, and guys: it is bizarre drinking thickened water. WATER.
Enlive, a clear liquid supplement for people who are recovering from surgery or who currently can’t handle regular food or liquids:
Similarly, jello packed with protein:
Finally, for residents with oral problems including chewing difficulties, pureed food is available. I love how these pre-pureed foods are reformed in the shape of the actual food. For example, corn:
Pureed turkey, with meal tallies in the background:
A few other images from my time at Jefferson House:
Pretending to flip burgers for one of the residents’ cookouts:
Womanning the table at one of Bill’s catering events:
One of my projects during this internship was finding the kitchen a new frialator (I kid you not). Here, I’m standing next to the current fryer:
On my last day, everyone in the kitchen threw me a party:
I’ll admit to you, my dear reader: I got a bit teary when I saw this spread. Ladies and gentlemen of Jefferson House, I will miss you tremendously.
So, there you have it, folks! Dietetics and food service in a health care setting – varied and never boring!
Now, I only have ONE two-week rotation left in my dietetics internship! I can’t believe I’m almost done. For my final rotation, I will be working with Lanette Kovachi, Subway‘s corporate dietitian. I’m looking forward to it!
Have a wonderful week, everyone! :D
Q: Have you ever worked in a large-scale kitchen? What do you think about those nutritional supplements? Before studying dietetics, I never knew there was a need for these modified food supplements!
