[00:00:00] Libby: If you're looking to grow your business as a registered dietitian, you've come to the right place. If you're not sure what to do or what steps to take next so that you can create flexibility and freedom in your life, then you're going to learn a lot from tuning into our podcast here at dietitian boss.
[00:00:17] Libby: I'm Libby Rothschild, the founder of Dietitian Boss, a [00:00:20] fellow registered dietitian and business owner. And in our podcast, I share some The highs and the lows. And I talk all about how to grow your business, get it started. And I interview our clients to date. We've had over 200 interviews from clients who share their journey on our podcast, dietitian boss.
[00:00:37] Libby: I'm here with Evita [00:00:40] Basilio. She's a registered dietitian and the nutrition content and partnerships manager for Practice Better. And all in one practice management platform for health and wellness professionals with several years of experience working in the community and serving a diverse population at an acute care hospital, she is deeply focused on increasing access to nutritious, sustainable and culturally [00:01:00] appropriate food.
[00:01:01] Libby: And an increasing inclusivity within the field of nutrition. Evita is based in Calgary, Alberta, and you can find more about her on LinkedIn or through her website at evitabasilio.com. Anything else that you want to add to that bio there, Evita?
[00:01:15] Evita: Yeah, thanks so much Libby for introducing me. So like Libby mentioned, I'm [00:01:20] living and working in Calgary, Alberta.
[00:01:21] Evita: I'll just do a quick land acknowledgement. So that's Treaty 7 Territory, which is the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Setina and the Akiya Nakota Nations and the MĂ©tis peoples from Region 3.
[00:01:33] Libby: Awesome. Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate that. And I'm really excited to have us dive in today and talk all about [00:01:40] Increasing access to affordable and accessible nutrition and any guidance and topics related to that.
[00:01:46] Libby: So, thank you for joining us today. Thanks so much. Yeah, I'm really happy. So, in terms of inclusivity, can you tell us a little bit for those that aren't aware? What does inclusivity in dietetics mean, and what are [00:02:00] some common misconceptions, just to kind of introduce the topic to those who might be more novice on the subject?
[00:02:06] Libby: Yeah, we,
[00:02:06] Evita: I'll start off by saying we are all still learning and unpacking this topic, and typically when we've been thinking and talking about diversity and inclusion in dietetic studies, from, you know, we've been doing this from the lens of race, [00:02:20] ethnicity, and culture, but it also encompasses striving for inclusion in ability, age, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, size, literacy level, and socioeconomic characteristics.
[00:02:32] Evita: So, the way I view it, this means inclusion in First off, number one, the nutrition and dietetics profession as a whole, when you have an [00:02:40] inclusive profession and field, this translates over to increasing inclusivity in the care we provide and how we practice. So then number two is within the clients and communities we work with.
[00:02:51] Evita: So we're providing competent care based on our clients needs. backgrounds and needs. And then number three, I made, I did a land acknowledgement [00:03:00] because I think that's really important. Ensuring we're respecting the traditions and history of the land we work on. So that's wherever in the world you are, because we know our nutrition and food research is largely Eurocentric and meant to inform practice, but it's still up to us to decide when to use certain resources and how to tweak The information to what [00:03:20] works for our clients.
[00:03:21] Evita: So, Libby, I'm really grateful for you for giving me the space to unpack where inclusivity can take action in these areas off the profession and client care. And like I mentioned, these concepts, you know, there were still learning and unpacking it, but these concepts mean many different things to different people.
[00:03:37] Evita: So thinking about where you're located. And what your [00:03:40] communities need in order to be inclusive in your practice and within the field is also just really important.
[00:03:46] Libby: Yeah, and I appreciate you sharing that. And we've had several guests and experts talk about inclusivity over the years and we've had panels.
[00:03:53] Libby: So we've had dietitians. Like you, I've hosted and I've had our clients host panels to talk about this and what [00:04:00] it means in practice. So this is a continuous, like, this is a great conversation we have. And I really appreciate how you're talking about, you're defining the misconception that inclusivity, some people, dieticians might believe it means the obvious, but it really goes deeper than that.
[00:04:14] Libby: So I appreciate those examples. Can I ask off of that description that you gave us, well, how can we be [00:04:20] more inclusive if we're practicing online? Cause you mentioned about the land. Or online, but how does that work?
[00:04:26] Evita: Yeah. So thinking about the land that you are on is also the land that your clients might be on, you know, we are conditioned to follow Western models with little consideration given to the holistic and integrative understandings of [00:04:40] and approaches to health in many indigenous communities.
[00:04:43] Evita: So wherever you live, most places we like. Canada and the U. S. We live on stolen land to do the research on what happened to the indigenous peoples and their practices, including their food ways. What fights for resistance are they currently engaged in and find out how you can support indigenous communities in your [00:05:00] areas.
[00:05:00] Evita: And another reason I'm mentioning is this, especially for Canadian listeners, is recognizing the role that dietitians have played in these communities and the land that we live on and how that creates a distrust in what we do. A really quick background is in Canada. Specifically, we've conducted an unprecedented and so basically what we did was we did a series of nutritional studies of Aboriginal communities and residential schools in the [00:05:20] country and most of these were conducted by trained dietitians.
[00:05:22] Evita: And the results from these studies was that we've, we took these communities, we forced them away from their more nutritious, traditional foods and give them more highly processed foods, mainly consisting of like white flour, lard, and sugar. And this has resulted in a lot of malnutrition in the communities.
[00:05:38] Evita: These studies also helped to build [00:05:40] Canada's Food Guide. So this is the backbone to RD or dietitian education and defines the way that we eat. So finding out a little bit of the history of wherever land you're on and where your clients are on is understanding where those nutrition recommendations came from.
[00:05:52] Evita: And it's a call for us to revitalize indigenous food practices within your virtual care and your health care system. So as dietitians, we need to [00:06:00] change our ideas of healthy food and shift that colonial mindset to sort of fixing a problem of what we think is problem and establishing a model of care rooted with indigenous wisdom and reliable and trustworthy information.
[00:06:12] Evita: So really figuring out what, you know, the history of the land you're on and where your clients are on and figuring out where you can listen, being on the land, [00:06:20] eating, ensuring that food, building relationships and learning and gaining that knowledge.
[00:06:23] Libby: And when you mention a model, is there an established model that we can look to as a reference point, or is that, tell me a little bit more about it.
[00:06:30] Evita: I would highly recommend looking to the models that are within the Anywhere at the land you look on. So this could be because especially like for safer, like where I am in Calgary, [00:06:40] Alberta, like, we have our university that actually brings up models from indigenous communities in our area and the way that they practice within their food systems to help define what the system should be within Alberta.
[00:06:52] Evita: So I'd say. The first place you want to look is maybe the university in your area and then look at indigenous communities and aboriginal communities. And if [00:07:00] they have any resources that are readily available, that would be the first place just because the models really differ depending on what type of land you're on.
[00:07:07] Evita: And
[00:07:08] Libby: in terms of people or books, what would you say are great resources? I know it's kind of a tough question because, you know, Canada and our audience are all over, but would you say that there are some [00:07:20] great places people can look to learn more outside of Canada? Looking where they're located and then where their clients are located.
[00:07:26] Libby: Is it, do
[00:07:26] Evita: you have anything
[00:07:27] Libby: for that?
[00:07:28] Evita: Definitely. Like the first place you want to look for is like, again, like within your own community of, of what's, what's happening
[00:07:33] Libby: over there. That's helpful. But for example, when I think of leaders in a space and our listeners, [00:07:40] hopefully are working towards becoming experts in their space, I think that food.
[00:07:43] Libby: I think Dr. Marion Nestle, right? So if we're talking about accessibility and inclusivity, then who would be people that you would say, or it doesn't have to be a person, it could be a resource. Yeah,
[00:07:54] Evita: the Academy for sure has some stuff. The Woodlands Wisdom Nutrition Project. So this represents a proactive [00:08:00] approach of tribal colleges to address.
[00:08:02] Evita: food and help concerns of indigenous communities. So I would recommend first going to that sort of nutrition project. So it's called the Woodlands Wisdom Nutrition Project. And that's a really, a really helpful one that I think has even helped me understand a lot more about models of care. And then in terms of leaders in the community, [00:08:20] there's so many, but I'd say looking at especially indigenous dietitians are doing a lot of work out there.
[00:08:24] Evita: So within like for Canadian listeners, Dietitians of Canada, Melissa Hardy has done a ton of research within indigenous. Nutrition care for Canada, specifically the U. S. not as well versed, unfortunately.
[00:08:37] Libby: But that's, that's really helpful. So I appreciate you giving [00:08:40] those resources. And I don't know if you're familiar with practice groups from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, because I know you are a Canadian dietitian.
[00:08:47] Libby: I'm not sure, and I'm sure maybe one of our listeners will let us know if you don't know if there are practice groups or indigenous dietitians or for that category for trying to gain knowledge and do some advocacy. Are you aware of [00:09:00] that? Or is that something? I'm not,
[00:09:01] Evita: no, not for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics within the dietitians of Canada as well.
[00:09:06] Evita: I think there are still some gaps in there. I don't think that we've got like some really like founder based groups, but I'd love to hear from, yeah, from listeners, if they've got other recommendations or ideas of groups. That folks can get more information.
[00:09:19] Libby: So when [00:09:20] we talk about some of the concepts, for example, what comes up a lot with our clients is make meal planning.
[00:09:25] Libby: And especially with the work that you do, right. With, with nutritionology, maybe you talk a little bit more about that. How can we as registered dietitians make meal plannings effective from the practitioner and the client standpoint, but we're also thinking about accessibility and inclusivity. [00:09:40] Yeah.
[00:09:40] Evita: So I'll start by describing like what a meal plan is, because that can mean so many different things.
[00:09:45] Evita: it to different people. So whatever type of nutrition care plan that you provide, it likely includes nutrition guidance, which should in the end be actionable for the client. So not just giving them a list of foods to remove and ones to include, but a plan that actually takes their unique needs [00:10:00] into account and provides easy to follow real food ideas of what their, you know, new or modified way of eating can look like.
[00:10:06] Evita: So this can be in the form of a structured meal plan. So what we typically think of. I think seven days a week, a couple of meals a day, but it could also be a collection of recipes or a meal planning guide. So a meal planning guide is when you maybe provide [00:10:20] your client with recipe ideas and then a blank template where they can go in and create their own meal plan.
[00:10:26] Evita: The best nutrition plan for your client is one that they can follow. So this, you know, and meets their nutritional and their medical needs while being affordable, accessible, enjoyable, and allowing them to stay healthy. Stick with it long term. So in terms of making meal planning more [00:10:40] affordable for clients and more efficient for practitioners affordability, we want to think of accessing healthy foods and following dietary recommendations on a budget can be challenging for many clients.
[00:10:49] Evita: And we know, as nutrition professionals, we are well positioned to teach clients meal planning and grocery shopping skills to find versatile and affordable options that are easy to access, which can reduce food [00:11:00] waste and avoid the purchasing of expensive, unnecessary ingredients. So in order to do this, improve efficiency, you want to be able to use software.
[00:11:07] Evita: So that clean life is a nutrition planning software. And I highly recommend practitioners check it out because this can really ease in your process. So creating a nutrition plan based on your client's unique needs, it means more than, you know, of course, just getting their Gold's [00:11:20] balance. So you want to first do your nutrition planning assessment.
[00:11:23] Evita: So this would be asking questions like your clients geographic location and the ingredients they have access to, their weekly grocery budget, and how often they grocery shop, the pantry staples they already have, the types of foods they eat. And when you're asking this, you know, you're considering culture, religion, traditions at [00:11:40] certain times of the year, even how often they prefer to cook, the types of cooking and food storage equipment they have in their homes.
[00:11:46] Evita: For example, I used to work in mental health and I had many clients who couldn't have knives in their home. And so making sure that I'm asking those questions of like what cooking and utensils equipment they can have in their home, as well as motor [00:12:00] skills, what they can prepare, especially for the elderly.
[00:12:02] Evita: So that's when you're thinking of like inclusivities. All of those different demographics, and how can you create that assessment tool to ask the right questions to start those conversations so that you can then build that inclusive plan? So you're assessing for potential household food insecurity, any other barriers [00:12:20] they may face, understanding their relationship with food.
[00:12:22] Evita: food. Maybe they need to do food exposure therapy or sensory work for neurodivergent clients or clients with an eating disorder who are looking to practice intuitive eating. And then you're going to create that meal plan using a collaborative approach.
[00:12:36] Libby: So with those are all great questions, but [00:12:40] we want to provide great care.
[00:12:41] Libby: Some of us might see a diverse amount of patients with different chronic diseases, so we might already be feeling like we're just trying to catch up. So is there some type of structure or easy way? And this is the balance, right? Between overly structured and then glossing over some of the important aspects we need to ask to be more inclusive [00:13:00] when it comes to meal planning.
[00:13:01] Libby: What do we do as practitioners to Ask and know the right things, but not overwhelm ourselves or the client or the patient. Is that part of embedded in your software or? Yeah,
[00:13:12] Evita: great question. So that nutrition planning assessment tool that I just mentioned with those many, many questions. So that is actually, it's part of that clean lights.
[00:13:19] Evita: It's a free assessment [00:13:20] tool, but it's also within practice better. So that can I can practice better are fully integrated. And so you can find that assessment tool. your practice better, which you send to your clients prior to their appointment. So you're gathering all of that information before you see your clients.
[00:13:34] Evita: And then you can review this before your client's initial intake appointment. And then you can go through those, their answers [00:13:40] to really cater that appointment appropriately.
[00:13:43] Libby: So there's the ideal, and then there's the practical practitioners. We want our clients to fill that out. We want our clients to come prepared, but then there's the reality that our patients aren't always going to fill it out.
[00:13:55] Libby: Or they might not complete filling it out. So what do you see if we're creating an intersection [00:14:00] between the tool and the concept of inclusivity? What are some of the biggest issues that practitioners are facing to create a comprehensive, inclusive plan? And what do you think are some tips on how practitioners who are listening can make it easier for them to bridge these gaps?
[00:14:15] Evita: Yeah, I think it depends on like where your client, or why your client is coming to see you [00:14:20] as well. So, the main reasons clients don't feel follow up plan is because one, it's too expensive. We know grocery prices all over the world have really increased with inflation. And so key when you're creating a realistic plan, it has to meet your client's budget.
[00:14:34] Evita: You're asking like what type of ingredients, grocery list, where they shop. So keeping that ingredient list [00:14:40] minimal and accessible. So choosing a few affordable ingredients, you know, that they have access to, but also that they will like, so likes and dislikes is an important one that meets their cultural needs and their traditions at home, as well as their religion, and then what they have the ability to cook.
[00:14:56] Evita: So when we are creating any type of meal plan, or even a recipe [00:15:00] collection for your client. can be really overwhelming. Finding out what they are already making and then what that they, what they can make, what they have access to, and the amount of time that they have in their day. How many times do they want to cook?
[00:15:12] Evita: Or using things like slow cooker, pressure cooker, and how many times do they want to have leftovers? So those will be your key questions when you're [00:15:20] creating your plan. So you're factoring in preparation and cooking time because healthy eating can often be inaccessible due to time constraints and requiring expensive cooking equipment.
[00:15:29] Evita: So that will really Play into your inclusivity of what does my client actually have access to? And when, you know, taking in consideration that budget, but also the amount of time and their [00:15:40] occupation.
[00:15:40] Libby: So what you're saying is in order to make the tool more, let's say seamless for those who are overwhelmed.
[00:15:47] Libby: You want to ask those key questions about budget time and what was it you mentioned something about religion and culture,
[00:15:55] Evita: culture, tradition, as well as like maybe how many people that they're cooking for, what does their [00:16:00] family look like? Are there any allergies or intolerances in the household? Of course, like those basic questions that we ask about.
[00:16:06] Evita: Diet is like what they like, what they don't like, instead of likes and dislikes, even asking them to give you a safe foods list and a fear foods list. So safe foods are the ones that the client knows and likes, and the list is developed over time at the client's [00:16:20] pace, whereas fear foods are divided into, you know, that they're either feared due to an eating disorder, body image, co occurring condition that they might have, like an allergy, medical condition, or gastrointestinal issue.
[00:16:29] Evita: So just giving foods that they want to eat and the foods that they don't want to eat. That's really helpful to help build your plan.
[00:16:34] Libby: And that's a great way to, to give an abbreviated version for the listeners who might say, I want to implement this, [00:16:40] but I, I'm going to have to build up because it's, it requires a skill as a practitioner to use these assessment tools and to be able to communicate effectively.
[00:16:49] Libby: So, I'm going to go back to just asking 1 last thing about the tool. Have you found from practitioners have they given feedback or you've seen what is the hardest thing when it [00:17:00] comes to creating an inclusive meal plan and using your assessment tools? What's the hardest thing to do to really be effective, right?
[00:17:06] Libby: Cause you mentioned for a meal plan, meal planning, David has to hit all this criteria. It has to be something that someone can use and they like, and that actually makes sense. So what's just the biggest sticking point that their practitioners [00:17:20] have with being effective?
[00:17:21] Evita: The biggest one I'd say is that they need to start small.
[00:17:24] Evita: So not, you know, when you start with your client and you decide you're like, you, you get, all this information from them, which also you don't need to get from that first consult. You can build over your time, build that information or that intake over time as you learn more about them is start small. So maybe [00:17:40] you don't give them a full, full on meal plan in that first couple of weeks of you working with them.
[00:17:45] Evita: You just give them a few recipes, ideas, you find out which meal they're struggling with the most. So maybe it's getting dinner on the table. They're like a busy parent, perhaps. And if we may be caring for an elderly person in the family, as well as their entire family, and they'll have a lot going [00:18:00] on. So maybe just starting with dinner meals and getting those few recipes in there, like a little recipe collection or recipe book that you prepare for them.
[00:18:07] Evita: that meets some of that criteria of foods that they like, that their family likes, that also starts to ease them into the type of nutrition recommendations that you're giving in. From there, as they start to build confidence with the, with creating [00:18:20] meals and cooking and preparing with you, then you can start to move on to allowing, or giving them a full structured meal plan with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
[00:18:29] Evita: And then eventually down the road, that's when you teach them the steps. Skill of meal planning, you give them that autonomy. So that inclusivity piece falls in there too, where you're teaching them the skills to [00:18:40] do their own nutrition planning instead of just doing all of the, the work for them and then making them, you know, maybe feel not as part of the process.
[00:18:47] Evita: And then another piece is feedback. I cannot stress that enough. After any plan or appointment that you have, you need to gather enough feedback to see if the nutrition recommendations that you are giving is working and that is being inclusive of all of their needs and [00:19:00] of their household needs as well.
[00:19:01] Libby: Yeah. I think that's really key. So thank you for sharing that because I think if we don't talk about the roadblocks, it almost sounds like it's too, too easy. Like, Oh, I'll just, I'll just do this. And it's not quite how it is. So as practitioners, we have to build trust with our clients or patients. And in order to do that, we have to work on our counseling skills, our listening [00:19:20] skills.
[00:19:20] Libby: Our clinical skills, and so I can't stress enough that in order for somebody to trust you with their health and nutrition, they have to be able to trust you as a human being. And so you have to build that rapport with them and make sure they're comfortable. And it's an art and a science, right? So the science, we have this assessment and I have the variables and then the art would [00:19:40] be helping them.
[00:19:41] Libby: Feel comfortable enough. Sometimes people are embarrassed to share some of this information. They're embarrassed to say that they're on more of a budget or whatever it might be. It is a lot of vulnerability. So you want to create an environment where people are comfortable. And then the next biggest thing, of course, is that a lot of practitioners I see are our clients.
[00:19:57] Libby: They want to do everything all at once. And sometimes that can scare [00:20:00] away the client because the client gets overwhelmed. And then you ask client for feedback and then you can't read their face and their face is they say it's okay. And their face is telling you it's not. So, again, that takes a skill set for practitioners to really understand to take it slowly and get some feedback and make sure we're meeting the client where they're at, which is something that I don't see dietitians do [00:20:20] enough, especially if dietitians are saying, oh, I'm not retaining this client.
[00:20:24] Libby: I'm not inclusive enough. It's like, well, you know, how were you communicating with this patient or client? Do you have any thoughts about that? Avita?
[00:20:31] Evita: Yeah, I, the word listening is so critical here because the shift towards listening, it's so important. Engaging in any kind of inclusivity work. We [00:20:40] as nutritional professionals, you know, we're the experts in nutrition, but our clients are the experts in their own lives, and we need to be willing to take a step.
[00:20:47] Evita: back to listen and reflect on what we know and our biases. So this means listening and learning from clients about their food traditions, their nutrition needs and health goals. It involves respecting your client as an individual, [00:21:00] practicing reflective listening and incorporating their preferences, culture and boundaries, and always including your client in any decision making.
[00:21:08] Evita: So something that I even like to do with clients using that clean life is you can actually nutrition plan with them together. So you're not just like building out a plan and then giving it to them. If you're doing a virtual appointment or in [00:21:20] person, you can use the software and both the client and the practitioner sign in at the same time and build a plan together.
[00:21:25] Evita: So you know, that first step of course is making sure you're asking the right questions and having a really robust assessment tool to dive into all those questions. But then you have to ensure that your nutrition care plan should be individualized, avoid monolithic perspectives of what a healthy plate [00:21:40] looks like or what you think a healthy plate looks like.
[00:21:42] Evita: Rather, it should really include a variety of heritage. foods that are accessible and accessible to the client. So it's really fun when nutrition planning in that clean life is you can like pull up all of the filters within our recipes and you could be like, Oh, you're looking for like African recipes that are low glycemic that have this much amount of protein [00:22:00] that maybe only use one pan.
[00:22:01] Evita: So the clients feel really inspired when they're able to see you filtering down those recipes within that clean life. And then they see all of the options, like delicious, good looking options that they can have within their, you know, maybe new way of eating or, you know, whatever nutrition guidance that they need.
[00:22:16] Evita: And then they feel encouraged and inspired and they feel seen and heard [00:22:20] when you're taking into consideration all of that. So I always recommend if you are nutrition planning with your clients, you do that with them, you involve them in that process and you open up the software and show them all their options, even when you filter down for all of their dietary and medical and nutrition needs.
[00:22:35] Libby: Yeah, that's that's really helpful. Tactical feedback for the listeners. [00:22:40] I would just add to that. If you're feeling scared about technology, you might want to give yourself some time to learn the tool or just practice filtering what that looks like before you meet with the client or you can be facing session.
[00:22:50] Libby: And for those of you that are scared and intimidated, which is only understandable if you're not super savvy, it just takes a little bit of practice to get more comfortable, but it's really [00:23:00] going to help you help your clients more. So on that note, I was wondering, how can we make meal planning more affordable?
[00:23:05] Libby: And I guess it's efficient because we're using these tools and maybe there's other tips for efficiency, but really affordability since that lends to inclusivity.
[00:23:14] Evita: Yeah, affordability. So the first step is keeping that ingredient list [00:23:20] minimal and accessible for your meal plan. So choosing recipes, few affordable ingredients, use ingredients your client already has or can easily access, and use similar ingredients or modify recipes to use the same ingredients.
[00:23:31] Evita: So for example, when you create a meal plan using Vaclean Life, the grocery list is automatically generated. By keeping that grocery list short with affordable ingredients that you know your [00:23:40] client likes and has access to, it's already purchased, you reduce the amount of time your client has To spend shopping, potential food waste and even their grocery bill.
[00:23:48] Evita: Then you want to factor in that preparation and cooking time. So include options like one pan meals, slow cooker meals that your client, you know, specific cooking limits to make meal prep easy for them. The third using leftovers and [00:24:00] providing guidance on food storage. So your clients, you know, they don't want to spend hours in the kitchen.
[00:24:05] Evita: It's also. economically, poor to keep making you meals every day, because you want to make sure you use up all the ingredients that you can. So giving your clients a new recipe for every meal, this can be overwhelming. Instead, you can cook something that they can eat many times leftovers, also [00:24:20] help with compliance and making the nutrition plan more affordable by allowing your client to buy certain ingredients in bulk or use up any ingredients that they purchased for the week in your nutrition plan or meal plan.
[00:24:30] Evita: You can add recipes that create the right number of servings to account for leftovers, and then you can give them a prep guide to tell them how to store their leftovers [00:24:40] properly. So again, storing leftovers properly reduces food waste and makes it more affordable and saves them money in the long run. I mentioned a prep guide.
[00:24:46] Evita: So what a prep guide is, is it lays out the exact steps. steps your client should take to put their nutrition plan to use. It breaks your client's week down day by day so they know exactly when to cook, what to make and what to do with leftovers and making, providing a prep [00:25:00] guide with your meal plan also helps your client get the best results by ensuring that they never feel overwhelmed when it comes to preparing and packaging their meal.
[00:25:08] Libby: Thank you for sharing. Those are great tips. I would ask our listeners to take a moment and reflect. Are you thinking of these questions or having these conversations with their clients in practice? Does your tool ask questions such as, [00:25:20] are you making use of leftovers?
[00:25:22] Evita: And so I was just going to add to when you submit your plan or your meal plan to practice better to, and you send that to your clients within a certain amount of time to the, the software asks those questions.
[00:25:31] Evita: a client for feedback on, you know, did they follow the plan? Did they use the leftovers? How many meals did they make? Did they enjoy the meals? So again, that feedback will dictate how it's because not every [00:25:40] client even likes leftovers. So you make sure you want to make sure you ask your clients that I will also add when we're talking about inclusivity that leftovers is actually a big pain point for folks with food trauma.
[00:25:52] Evita: So food trauma can happen often in childhood when a client isn't taught how to prepare. prepare food safely, or if the parent is overly focused on food [00:26:00] safety. So, into adulthood, the client develops a fear of how long food takes to cook and how to store leftovers safely. So, I know a lot of our intuitive eating members are really appreciative of Daffodil Life's recipes, which clearly outline the directions of how to cook the recipe, the notes for how long leftovers can be stored safely, and the ingredient swaps if they don't have certain items.
[00:26:19] Evita: So, you want to [00:26:20] just, a small notice to take into consideration that piece of that leftovers.
[00:26:23] Libby: And when you say that clean life and practice better, you're talking about the assessment that populates when you log into practice better. And it's just an option that you can use. I forget what it's called the tool.
[00:26:34] Libby: What, how do you describe that?
[00:26:36] Evita: So that clean life is a nutrition planning software. And [00:26:40] then practice better is your all in one modern EHR. So that clean life and practice better are fully integrated. So if you have something Subscriptions to both. You can do all of your nutrition planning and meal planning right inside practice better.
[00:26:53] Evita: If you don't have practice better, you can just use that clean life for that. You can use them together or you can use them separately depending on, you know, [00:27:00] what types of tools that you need in your practice.
[00:27:02] Libby: So in order to use these tools we've been discussing, you would need practice better and that clean life.
[00:27:07] Libby: You wouldn't be able
[00:27:08] Evita: to.
[00:27:10] Libby: What is it called in practice better when you, I'm blinking. When you go, you create an assessment
[00:27:15] Evita: tool. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:27:17] Libby: So, so they have like that clean life as an option? Yes. [00:27:20] So is that a populated, like a questionnaire? Yes. That's not exactly,
[00:27:23] Evita: it's a template questionnaire to, for, to ask questionnaire to ask your clients.
[00:27:27] Evita: Yeah. So you can autopopulate that, but if you don't have practice better and you still wanna, you know, ask clients these questions, you can just download the assessment tool right through that clean life. Great,
[00:27:36] Libby: great. Yeah, that's, that's helpful for our listeners if they wanna get Yeah. 'cause
[00:27:39] Evita: [00:27:40] may, maybe you have a different EHR and you're not getting ready to switch over, then you can just use that clean
[00:27:44] Libby: life.
[00:27:45] Libby: So my last question to be done this conversation would be what questions are we as practitioners as registered dietitians not asking to better support our clients?
[00:27:56] Evita: That's it. That's a really good question. I think just like bridging the gap [00:28:00] between your recommendations and your client takes a client taking action requires the resources and support.
[00:28:07] Evita: And so when you provide the right tools, like a nutrition plan based on your client's unique needs, and you teach them how to eat well with affordable and accessible food. meals, they're empowered to reach their goals. So in terms of the right questions, [00:28:20] it really depends on your community. So I highly recommend everybody to to go back and look at like what their community needs are, what their patients are really struggling with, things that they might have missed, and doing some unlearning.
[00:28:31] Evita: So again, like we might go back to, you know, to help you discover what practicing in an inclusive way looks like, and it's really thinking about like what [00:28:40] broader systems of oppression are shaping our experiences and our relationships, with food. Thinking about things like identity, community, culture, and race as dietitians, we really have the privilege and opportunity to connect with people over food and learn about experiences within the food system.
[00:28:56] Evita: For example, talking about food opens up conversations about [00:29:00] migration or a newcomer experience. And then we'll discuss questions that might come up in the next couple of weeks. Questions about experience about cooking on a budget, which would lead to conversation about food and security and experience of poverty.
[00:29:05] Evita: So every community, every dietician practices in a different way. And I highly recommend people to really practice that active listening, and then you'll discover what questions you really need to be asking your client. So not, not a straightforward answer for you. Because I think every community is so [00:29:20] different that dietitians, practitioners really need to, to do some, some thinking back into what they may have missed in past conversations and switching their style.
[00:29:30] Evita: practice to really, you know, make the, make that initial intake session a little bit longer. Really think about your assessment tool of how you want to make it clearer and how you're asking [00:29:40] questions throughout your time with the client in order to figure out what inclusivity pieces you might be missing and how you can improve your practice.
[00:29:48] Libby: Yeah, really, really helpful. So I love that reflection. So I would just leave with giving some specific tactical feedback for the listeners on what you just said. Let me know if you agree with me here. For me, what I would suggest is to [00:30:00] ask yourself in your last few sessions, have you brought up budget?
[00:30:04] Libby: Have you brought up, let's say leftovers and you have you asked or honored questions about cultural preferences and maybe an open ended way and not just breeze through it. So that folks don't feel like you care. Or again, it goes back to the active listening. So, I would say those 3 questions if you haven't asked [00:30:20] 1 or 2, or even all 3 of those.
[00:30:22] Libby: topics that might be a good place to start. Would you agree with that, Aveda, or did I miss anything? Yeah,
[00:30:26] Evita: I totally agree that even like asking them about like what they what they grew up eating, what what their favorite meals are. I think like clients come to practitioner sessions, you know, a little bit of feeling like nervous, judged, like you said, like guilty of [00:30:40] the foods that they eat.
[00:30:41] Evita: And then We need to embrace everything that our clients are eating and ensure that we're including all of their foods where we're, we're not, you know, having that judgmental lens on of our nutrition hack where nutrition experts, but instead like we are appreciating that our clients are experts in their lives and [00:31:00] we're incorporating all of their favorite items and all of their cultural foods and all of their traditions, especially understanding with culture and tradition.
[00:31:06] Evita: What festivities might be happening in the year. So maybe it's Ramadan and they're fasting and maybe you don't believe in a fast, but you need to take a step back, learn about that culture, learn about the tradition and how you can best support your client through the type of [00:31:20] experience that they're going through.
[00:31:21] Evita: And as well as whatever stage of life they're in.
[00:31:24] Libby: Yeah, really helpful example. Thank you for that specific example. So I know a lot of listeners are like that tactical feedback, but very specific. So thank you for that. As we wrap up here today, it was an absolute pleasure to talk to you and to share your experiences and your examples and some practical tips listeners [00:31:40] can take away and implement right away or reflect on.
[00:31:42] Libby: Is there any final thought or words you want to share before we wrap up today?
[00:31:46] Evita: No, I think. Thank you so much again for giving me the space to chat about this. And like I mentioned, with increasing, increasing inclusivity in nutrition and dietetics, I think it really starts with our profession. So, we know a diverse workforce is [00:32:00] essential to improving the care of diverse patient population.
[00:32:02] Evita: So, if anybody would like to reach out to me to, I love offering mentorship with emerging diverse professionals who may have been historically shut out of conversations with gatekeepers or any way that I can assist people to enter this space. field or if they wanted to chat about nutrition and health technology, happy to do that too.
[00:32:18] Libby: Awesome. So that's [00:32:20] really helpful. I appreciate that. And it was, it was a pleasure having you. Looking for support to grow your dietician business or even get started. I invite you to join the library, our monthly affordable membership that shows you exactly what to do every step of the way so that you can create the business of your dreams.
[00:32:38] Libby: Not sure if it's the right [00:32:40] time, the membership gives you an option to Go at your own pace. We have modules, a roadmap to show you exactly what to do and monthly live calls, as well as new content that we release every single month based on requests. Inside of the library, we have four stages of business.
[00:32:56] Libby: So, whether you come in getting started, or you want to enter the membership [00:33:00] and grow or scale your business, we have the appropriate resources for you and our team, including myself. Available to answer your questions. Head on over to dietitianboss.com and check out the library today. We'd love to see you there.
