FAQs
A few of the questions I’ve received over the past few years:
How did you get into dietetics? Didn’t I read you had studied physics before??
You read that correctly, dear reader. You can read more about my journey from physics to nutrition on my Guest Posts page, as well as my Becoming an RD page. I’ve received many emails from readers with specific questions about what studying and training to become a registered dietitian is like. Since becoming a registered dietitian in July 2011, I want to pass this knowledge on! I’m happy to answer any questions about dietetics, nutrition, schooling, etc. I’ll even answer questions about physics if you’d like, but I can’t guarantee the accuracy of my answers anymore!
Why did you start blogging? How do I start blogging?
Before beginning The Happiness in Health in January 2010, I read many food and nutrition blogs for fun. I was impressed with how influential many bloggers were, and how this influence could be used for good (or for evil, intentional or not). I wanted to throw my voice into the fray and become part of a food and nutrition community that spans distances, while sharing what I’ve learned about nutrition and (I hope) leading by example. However, since I began THIH, I’ve discovered that what I like best about blogging is having my own little project where I shape how the site looks and what it says. THIH is a reflection of myself, particularly the part of myself that I present to the world when I interact with people over the Internet. Good practice for a career, no?
As for starting your own blog: I would recommend looking at the blogs you enjoy and thinking about why you like them. Is it the way they look? Is it the factual information they present, or the personality of the blogger that comes through, or both? If you find something you like, ask the blogger how he or she developed that particular feature. Food and nutrition bloggers are generally very helpful – they were in your shoes once!
A few other tips:
* For the love of blogging, just go with WordPress as a blogging platform from the start. I can’t tell you how many bloggers have said to me: “I wish I had started my blog on WordPress”. Transferring from another, less user-friendly platform to WordPress is a pain in the patoot. Of course, if you are a whiz at website-building, HTML, etc., feel free to do whatever the heck you want.
* Speaking of HTML: don’t be afraid to use it! I taught myself a bit of HTML by using this helpful site and made all of the modifications to the basic template used by THIH. Be patient and experiment. Of course, if you’re short on time you can always pay someone to design your site, but where’s the fun in that?
* Whether or not you buy a domain for your site or use a free host (e.g. wordpress.com) is entirely up to you. If you’re starting a business, by all means go for your own www.awesomename.com – otherwise, you may want to go for free hosting while you figure out if blogging is something you want to continue long-term.
* Back up your blog regularly. I can’t stress this enough. BACKITUPBACKITUPBACKITUP. When you think about how much work you are putting into your website, it would be silly not to back it up often. Find out how to back up your WordPress site here, here, or here. You should be doing three steps for a complete backup.
* When writing content for your site, be yourself! If you’re bored with what you’re writing, your readers will be bored while reading it. Think about what you’re truly interested in and write about it. There may be a million other similar blogs out there (ahem, food and nutrition blogs), but only this one will be YOURS.
* Do you have any other tips? Leave them in the comments.
Who designs your website?
The basic template for The Happiness in Health is Hanami by Mignolo, with all HTML modifications done by myself (albeit slowly). I have more plans for the site’s design, so stay tuned!
How much do you weigh/How tall are you/Did you ever have an ED/etc.?
I’m 5’6″ and I wear a size 9 shoe. I enjoy food and I sometimes eat too much or too little – and that’s okay. I don’t give out information about my weight because I feel that our society has too much of a fixation on weight. On THIH, I don’t talk a lot about the role of the media in the pressure to look a “certain” way, but I’m well aware that the pressure exists. I prefer to focus on the positive aspects of food and nutrition and demonstrate by example that I respect my body and my health. I’ve been fortunate to always have a healthy relationship with food, and it’s my wish that all of you do, too. We’ll get there!
Are you and Peter for real?? How old are you and why do you have so many crazy things in your kitchen??
Yes, we are for real. We are in our mid-twenties and we enjoy spending time in the kitchen. People have their priorities – ours happen to involve a lot of specialty ingredients and single-use equipment :D
How did you make your header?
My sadly unspectacular answer: Powerpoint, my go-to design tool. I created all of the sidebar graphic links that way, too. Hey, if it works, it works! I suppose I’ll learn other graphic design programs someday … when I have more time …
Previous headers on THIH:
More to come!
