So as some of you might recall, I did another segment on Good Morning America in mid- August. What I thought was very harmless information, and very basic for many of my colleagues, turned out to be a huge deal with Registered Dieticians! For the first time in my life, I actually got hate mail. Yes, hate mail! Well, with millions of people watching the show, the chances of people not agreeing with you are a given. But I had probably 20 or so RDs write me emails, which ranged from “you are misinformed and only RDs should be telling people about nutrition” to “you are an idiot, shut up, you are not an RD!”
Wow!! Well like yoga teaches, every experience is something that should be embraced as a lesson, everyone that comes into your path is a teacher. I wish some of my “teachers” didn’t have to be so aggressive though. :) And I can only imagine what my celebrity clients go through! Still, it really thickened my skin, and made me stronger. It also pushed me to finally finish my official CCN degree (Certified Clinical Nutritionist), which is the most “official” title a nutritionist can have, of which I am completing this week! I am also already a Certified Nutrition Specialist.
My blog has grown to thousands more readers a day since the segment, the unspoken ones of you that I know support my intentions and perspective on health :). And more than anything, it was like, “Oh crap, I’m not in Kansas anymore!” As in, my prior readers were those interested in eating for beauty, natural eating, healing the body with food, etc. I realize that when I was exposed to the mainstream, not everyone is so receptive to those messages. And many are quite threatened by them, if they do not support what they have learned in their own degrees and training. My audience just got a whole lot bigger.
The segments are also very short, and you don’t have time to explain too much. For instance, one of the “controversial” parts of my segment was to tell people not to eat fruit for dessert. I didn’t say don’t eat fruit, I said don’t eat fruit after dinner, which is comprised of cooked food for the average American. Fruit leaves the stomach in 20 minutes and passes into the rest of the digestive tract. If there is heavier food that takes longer for the food to digest that is “blocking” the way for the fruit to go through, the fruit will start to ferment and acidify. This causes bloating, gassiness, and increases the chance for the food to turn into a toxin, since it is baking at 98 degrees inside your body. There has been research on food combining- for instance Dr. Herbert Shelton ran a clinic studying food combining in Texas from 1928-1981. Dr. Ann Wigmore, founder of the Ann Wigmore Natural Healing Institute, and whose work inspired the Hippocrates Institute in FL, researched nutrition for over 35 years and was a huge advocate of food combining. The issue is that these theories and doctors are not considered mainstream, and are not widely studied in traditional training programs (including even the CCN course I just completed!) or talked about. It doesn’t mean that these theories are not valid.
And so on and so on…I could go on for a whole show’s worth on each part of that segment! But that is not our topic today.
In the midst of the “me as nutritionist vs. the RDs” controversy, which I certainly never foresaw, I found the blog of a young RD (in training) that wrote about my segment in a surprisingly open and insightful way. We have since started a dialogue, and she is great! It is nice to know that in all fields of health and nutrition, there are open-minded practitioners that are open to learning new things.
Emily is one of them. Please read my interview with her, below, to hear her perspective on health:
First: please provide your background, what hospital you work at, blog address, etc. I am an intern at St. Louis University, so I’m not a full-fledged dietitian yet. I have a BS in Dietetics with a chemistry minor and just graduated from The Ohio State University with a MS in Nutrition Science. My blog is called The Health Nut. I blog because I’m fortunate to have learned so much about nutrition and hope that someone, somewhere will be able to benefit from the information I share. I became interested in nutrition as a result of my dad’s health problems, which led to a liver transplant and many subsequent dietary changes. My dad explored different forms of alternative medicine (he sees a naturopathic doctor) when Western medicine had no more solutions to offer.
1. So, tell us about what nutrition work you do at the hospitals. As an intern, I rotate through various hospitals and complete 1200 hours of clinical, food service, and community work. Right now I’m in the clinical setting, which involves studying physiology and the pathology of different disease states and using that information to make dietary recommendations for patients I see in the hospital. My focus is pediatric nutrition, so I have quite a few rotations at pediatric hospitals in the St. Louis area.
2. What issues, if any, do you find in the way the mainstream Western medical community disseminates info. on nutrition? I fully support the American Dietetic Association’s use of evidence-based research to guide their recommendations; however, sometimes research for alternative medicine treatments doesn’t exist, but these treatments still have potential benefits for certain populations. I think diet manuals are helpful tools, but I don’t like putting cookie cutter treatments on people. Each person is unique, and his or her dietary treatment should be customized. In clinical dietetics, this becomes difficult when you must see many patients in a day, but using your clinical judgment and knowledge of the pathophysiology of disease is key to being a great dietitian. There are many different views of appropriate “nutrition,” and I would like to see the mainstream Western medical community become more open to the avenues of alternative medicine.
3. What would you change about the way nutrition is handled in the Western community? How would you propose to change it? I think doctors need to use nutrition care professionals as integral components of the care team. Although they have taken some nutrition courses, we have received extensive training and deserve recognition as nutrition experts. I definitely think that alternative medicine needs to be a part of nutrition curriculum because of its potential to play an important role in treatment. I sincerely wish that more schools would offer advanced degrees in nutrition with an alternative medicine focus (this would definitely be motivation to seek a PhD after I finish my internship)!
4. What are some nutrition recommendations you have made to your patients that have made the biggest difference? Nutrition recommendations are only recommendations. The patient must ultimately make the choice to take action and implement anything I may encourage him or her to do. Recommendations vary depending on disease state (lower sodium for patients with hypertension, lower saturated fat for patients with heart disease, etc), but I think the most effective recommendations are those that encourage healthy lifestyle changes. A favorite word when counseling patients is moderation. I think this is the key to being balanced and to truly living.
5. Please give us three great tips.
– Use foods that increase metabolism: what you put into your body makes a difference
-Get some kind of exercise every day: take a walk, enjoy the outdoors, play soccer with your friends…be active for your mental and physical health.
–Manage stress: research is showing that chronic stress contributes to disease development. Make you sure you take some relaxation time for yourself and find a positive outlet for stress relief (music, running, yoga, reading, etc).
6. Are you in interested in alternative, rather than strictly allopathic, treatments? If so, which ones? I’m interested in both. I recently joined the ADA’s Nutrition in Complementary Care practice group, which is for dietetics professionals interested in the study of alternative and complementary therapies. I think there is so much I need to learn about alternative medicine, and I’m always trying to find ways to integrate it into my current knowledge of nutrition.
7. What differentiates you from other RDs? (And certainly some of the ones I have encountered!). My education has been from the traditional medicine side of dietetics, but I’m also very interested in alternative medicine. I’ve learned that some remedies, while not necessarily extensively researched, can be effective in certain cases. My dad’s health problems and exploration of alternative medicine have made me grateful for the innovative approach to treatment that it provides. I think some dietitians just haven’t been exposed to alternative medicine, so they tend to shun it, which is unfortunate.
8. What are some of your personal career goals? I love clinical dietetics, but I’m also very interested in research. I’m always asking “why,” and I want to be a part of establishing new dietary treatment protocols for diseases. I’d love to have a career that fuses research and clinical practice and most definitely incorporates alternative medicine.
9. Anything else you’d like to share? I saw Food, Inc. this summer and became very interested in eating local and seasonal foods. As a nutritionist, the source of the food I’m eating is just as important as (and directly affects) the nutrients in the food itself. Sustainability has become very important to me, and I’m really passionate about spreading the word to others. SLU Nutrition and Dietetics does a lot to promote local farmers and food, including running a cafeteria that uses mostly local food and running a garden education program in area schools, which is incredible.
Thanks Em! Be sure to check out her blog when you get a chance: The Health Nut.
Have a great latter half of your week!
With love and warm regards,
Kimberly
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So sorry to hear about what happened to you… unfortunately people can be rude. I have encountered numerous of them. I hope that with each new day more people start to be open-minded about “not so mainstream medicine” and look outside the box. What is so hard about that? I think you do a great job in spreading the word about nutrition and overall health. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Twins!!
That is really sweet of you guys to reach out. I hope that people become more open-minded also… It is hard but I try to send those that are not the nicest to me love anyway! Hope all is going great with you guys and your diet!
Love, Kimberly
Kim, I have learned over the years, there are people who will try and knock your spirits because they are jealous of your success. Let their negativity be an inspiration to you to continue to teach us what you have learned. I have found your teachings easier to understand and more sincere then any dietian I have encountered. Stay positive and full of that beautiful spirit you have inside and out.
Love Mia
Hi Mia,
Thanks so much for your kind words!!! It is hard for me to be exposed to that sometimes, because I really go into this with the intention of sharing and trying to help people get healthier.
It really is a fraction of one percentage of people that are outwardly mean to me, so I have to always remember that! And thanks for reminding me of the support network I do have. :)
Lots of love, Kim
Kim – I believe in you and your research. You have science to back up your facts, recipes and skincare. Unfortunately some seem to have misinterpreted your message. This blog is the first I go to everyday! I love nutritition and every angle on nutrition (I still eat meat sometimes..shhh ;-) ) but I don’t appreciate their twisting of words! –Sharon
Hi Sharon! Thanks for reaching out, I really appreciate it!!
That is okay you still eat meat, just be sure to balance it out by eating some salad first and lots of other greens!! :)
xx Kimberly
I’m studying to become a M.D. and even though I really believe in western medicine in treating diseases, I also truly believe in the raw food “philosophy” in preventing them. I think you give great advice to people. The diet recommendations in western countries are based too often on research payed by the dairy and meat industries. Also, people don’t want to hear that in order to get healthy they really have to give up ALL the bad stuff. “Everything in moderation” doesn’t help to prevent heart disease or cancer.
Thanks for your input Pia!! I’m glad that people like you are going to join the MD forces. We need more open-minded physicians that understand who is paying for what and who is lobbying for what! xx Kimberly
I myself am currently on track to graduate with my degree in nutrition and dietetics and am applying for internships soon. My choice to go the path of becoming an R.D. is less about the ADA philosophy (although there are many good things to that piece) and more about the strict licensing/practicing laws in my state. You cannot practice here as a nutritionist if you are not an R.D.
I don’t like how parts of our training connect back to USDA recommendations, but I’ve been lucky to have excellent professors who have also made sure to educate us on how to evaluate research, think scientifically while keeping an open mind, treat people holistically, and understand the dangers inherent in our food supply and the practices of the food industry as a whole.
Although I’m going the R.D. route, I definitely plan to think for myself and always do what I think is best for the people I will be educating or counseling.
That’s good to hear. Too many people get blinders about their own school of thinking- and don’t see that there are other systems of measurement and thinking. You might also enjoy my other blogs, “Seeing Past the Numbers….” and “No ONE holds the Monopoly of Truth on Nutrition.”
I just stumbled across your site and although I’ve not got time to see what all the hullabaloo re TV critics is about, I just want to say….. do not be discouraged by the rabid ignorant. Perhaps some psychiatrist could figure it out but it sure seems that the more rigid people turn out to be the most aggressive in attacking other thought.
You are doing good work! RD’s do not seem to receive real nutrition training — if they did we would not see the dead, tasteless, disease-causing food that they serve in hospitals and nursing homes.
I’ll be checking back when I have more time…
Hi Hopalongchick,
Wow, cool screen name. :) Thank you so much for reaching out and emailing me. When I started this blog, this company and talking about nutritional information I did so with honest intentions to help people, and I did not think about the fact that as my audience grew, harsh critics would also appear. It is a good learning experience!
RDs do receive extensive training- just with a different focus and perspective than my own. And there are some very good ones that are open-minded and wanting to help people, like Emily featured here!
Hope that you come visit me again soon!
xx Kimberly
Hi Everyone! I’m really glad Kim and I were able to do this great blog exchange. It’s been very interesting for me to read your comments. I won’t try to make excuses or explain away your personal negative experiences with RDs, but I do want to encourage you to be open to RDs, just as you are open to the alternative nutrition Kim presents. We want to encourage open dialogue among nutritionists and dietitians, and slapping labels on either party only makes both close-minded.
Not all RDs are opposed to alternative medicine. The ADA has a practice group for dietitians interested in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and they are trying to explore some of the non-allopathic treatments that Kim supports. It is unfortunate that some dietitians responded in a mean-spirited way to Kim’s segment, but I’d encourage you not to judge all RDs by the rude behavior of a few.
RDs do receive excellent training, but the way they apply this training does differ. When you are in an internship (or any form of education), your effort directly determines how much you learn. I know that not all RDs are fantastic RDs…but the same could be said about nutritionists. Just know that there are good RDs out there who do truly want to help people improve their lives for the better (I’m going to school with 33 of them right now!).
Thanks again for your feedback!
Emily
Hi Em,
Thanks for chiming in.
I reread some of the comments, and noticed one that said that RDs don’t get real training- which I accidentally overlooked.
So guys- yes, the purpose of this blog was to show that there ARE open-minded, progressive RDs that are great. We’ve heard of some others before- but that there is not a single category of health practitioners that are all great or all bad. I’ve been great and not so great MDs, NDs, and yes, nutritionists!!
Thanks again Em, for your participation. I encourage everyone to check out her blog for more great info!!
xx Kimberly
Hi, Kimberly,
Just wanted to say I love your site & I support what you are doing here. Great info.
After a life of overeating the SAD diet, stressful job, neglecting my health, I had a health scare in May, ended up diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol & diabetic. I was put on 4 kinds of meds, which I didn’t react well to & wanted to reduce/get off as soon as possible.
I started changing my lifestyle after that, which helped, but what really helped was when I saw you on GMA in July. I had never heard of Green Smoothies, but I saw you looking so vibrant & healthy & thought Hmmm I could try this.
I checked out your website, got the Smoothie recipe & have been drinking them since then & using some of your other recipes.
I have lost 20 lbs since then, my hair & nails are growing like crazy & I feel 500% better than I have in years.
I am still a work in progress, but I have been able to cut back on my meds & feel this is something I can do for the rest of my life.
I grew up on a meat & potatoes diet & have never liked vegetables. It is amazing to me, that you can pack so much nutrition in something so simple that tastes great!
I feel blessed that I happened to see you on GMA. That isn’t something I usually watch, I was channel surfing & I really hit the jackpot seeing you!
Sorry this is so long, but I have been lurking on your site for several months now, I felt I needed to let you know what an impact you have had on my life.
Keep up the good work, I’ll be following!
Debbie
Hi Deborah!
Wow, that is so great!! I am so happy to hear about all your great progress!!! That is wonderful about the green smoothies and the weight loss.
I feel like I hit the jackpot by finding you too. :) I love hearing from people like you, and that is why I’m doing this.
So thank you so much for sharing, and please keep in touch with me!
Love,
Kimberly
Hi Kim,
I really appreciated your comments; it has been a real pleasure to be your student in yoga and it is great to know that you are so interested and commited to health through food. I enjoy reading your blog, although I do not do it as often as I would like to. I always find something interesting there.
GRACIAS!!!
Hi Claudia!!
It is MY pleasure to have you as my yoga student. :) You are a bright light!!
Love, Kim :)
Sorry that you got nasty notes from a few insecure individuals.
I am working on a Masters in Exercise Physiology. I have completed all course work and am working on a thesis about the neurobiological basis of eating disorders. I chose this topic because it was clear to me that much of the advice that is out there is based not on science but on libertarian and far right philosophy.
For example, it is very common for personal trainers and dietitians to blame all failure on the individual client by saying things like the person was noncompliant or had no will power or was lazy or had an external locus of control or was not accountable. None of those statements have any scientific rationale – they are all based on right wing philosophies. The fact of the matter is that the environmental conditions along with the persons upbringing and genetics determine 100% of the persons success or failure. None of those things can be blamed on the individual. Blaming the victim, which is very common in the fitness field, only results in guilt and resentment on the part of the client. And leads to further failure. This fact has been studied extensively – guilt and shame and punishment typically lead to failure (for those reading this that want to give an example of how shame and guilt and punishment have worked in the past please realize that there are always exceptions that really are statistical flukes).
Of course, one can always learn better ways to interact with the environment so that we benefit all living beings, including ourselves – that is truly what our goal should be. That is, we teach people that the environmental conditions effect us, but, there are behaviors that we can learn that will increase our probability of success and at the same time will make the world a better place. And if we fail, we forget it and try again. Without the guilt. And don’t forget that the teacher is part of the process – if the client fails then there is the possibility that it was the teacher that was not doing the best job.
Adopting the no blame, freedom from guilt philosophy can help to reduce stress and it can also help to eliminate the vindictiveness that seems to be so pervasive in society. We were all someones baby at some point and we will all leave this earth some day. It’s time that we all start giving us all (including ourselves) a break.
Hi Bob,
Thanks for your insight. I agree with you about not inducing guilt or blaming the individual. I also believe that we can all overcome our upbringing, and our lifestyle can greatly help us overcome genetic predispositions.
Take care, and good luck with helping all your clients!!
xx Kimberly
To be honest Kimberley I think that the hate mail you received were from those nutritionists/health experts who felt threatened by how healthy you look. I know that might sound a bit crazy….
but let’s face it…when someone can look as glowingly healthy as you do, and give recommendations on how we all can be healthier…that is a threat to alot of other “health experts” egos! So of course some who couldnt control their own egos felt the need to send you hate mail.
Well I’m tired of taking health & nutrition advice from people who look sick, who are overweight or who just dont have that glow! I want to take advice from someone who is walking the walk in addition to talking the talk! Don’t change and I’m glad to see that you let their negativity spur you on in the direction of solidifying your own credentials!!
Good Job!
Tracey :0)
Thanks Tracey! Since then I have finished my CCN degree. I COMPLETELY agree with you- I would never take advice from anyone, in any field, that wasn’t getting the results that I wanted. To me it is crazy!! Why take advice from a broke financial counselor, a doctor that smokes, or an overweight nutritionist?? People need to practice what they preach! :)
All my very best,
Kimberly
I was wondering is nutritional yeast ok for heart patients . I am very new to this and want learn how to make meals for vegetarian and a meat eater so than everyone is happy .
I haven’t heard of it being a problem for that condition but you should check with your doctor to make sure!
xx Kimberly
Kimberly! I think you’re amazing – I’m sorry this happened to you. I am obsessed with your book and blog. I am interested in learning more! Thanks!! xo
I am so sorry that you had to go through that and I feel that RD’s are often threatened by nutritionists. I myself graduated with a degree in nutrition but did not agree with clinical nutrition and there were no other options then, so I chose not to get the RD certification. I did get my masters in social work, a health coach certification, and am now getting my masters in human nutrition because I think that mind and body are important…not so much clinical stuff. I would choose a CCN or CNS any day over an RD and I think many RDs are starting to realize that people are looking for more than just clinical, scientific facts, unfortunately RDs are not trained to be able to do much more than just that. I LOVE your book and blog and want to thank you for inspiring people like me everyday!
No dietitians are not threatened by nutritionists. And dietitians are trained in holistic ways not just clinical.You have to understand the clinical in order to help the holistic- you can’t just tell people to eat fruit on an empty stomach but not understand the cellular and biochemical aspects of digestion.
Nutritionists can’t even practice in so many states because they have poor qualifications. So get you ccn or other certificate- you won’t be able to practice anywhere.
Hi Kim,
Stay strong chica! I feel your pain.
So many people have been taught their entire lives that eating animal protein and taking medicine is not only normal, but a necessity. And when you say something that goes against what a person has been brainwashed since they were a kid, it can cause a lot of drama. We live in a world where people get outcasted for being healthy and aware of how food works-it’s ridiculous!
I want to tell you that I have been singing your praises since the minute I finished your book. And after a month of sludge cleaning, I FEEL AMAZING! I never used to be a morning person, and now I wake up with goals to accomplish. I used to walk with my head down depressed and lazy, and now I’m bouncing off the walls with energy to burn and a huge smile of my face! I was skeptical at first because I felt so tired and gross and thought I was doing it all wrong, but then, out of nowhere, the energy came flowing in.
You are a genius, Kim. It’s like you pointed out the obvious I had been missing my entire life. And you are definitely not alone; your followers (including me!) are having to deal with critics everyday. Keep doing what you’re doing!!!
Namaste,
Karla
sorry you went through that experience yet it opened a new and helpful door for you! i was wondering if you’d recommend the online program offered by Institute for Integrative Nutrition. i am currently a vegan, body worker/reiki healer and want to add nutrition to my repertoire :) keep smiling. namaste
Hi Kim,
I LOVE your book and have been making a slow transition to employing some of your practices. I love how you explain what food is doing in our bodies at a cellular level. However, I am having trouble defending your “eat fruit on an empty stomach” theory. Many people have asked me how it is possible for fruit to “rot and ferment in the stomach.” What are your thoughts?
Hi Kimberly,
I love your philosophy about healthy eating! I’ve started to incorporate green smoothies into my diet and I really like the way my skin looks and how I feel! I was just wondering about your education and how you got started in your career. I am really interested in starting a career in Clinical Nutrition, but I’m not interested in going the RD path or learning about conventional USDA food pyramid way of eating. What do you think about programs such as Bauman College or Institute for Integrative Nutrition?
I think she has a degree in communications and a certification in nutrition but not an actual degree.
Hi Kimberly – I know this is an old article but I’m doing my research on how to switch my career to become a certified nutritionist. Which is the best school and what are all the options. It’s overwhelming as I don’t know folks in my circle who do this. Would love your advice / insight. I hope this message reaches you. thanks!
Hi Divya – I know how overwhelming it can be to find the right school that will fit your needs. It really comes down to what you’re ultimate goal is, in the end. Doing lots of research and word of mouth is a great start. Ask yourself if you want to physically attend a school or do something virtual/online. Do you want to focus on a specific area or complete nutrition. Once you’ve narrowed it down, then you can start researching the schools, giving them a call and seeing if it’s a good fit for you. I actually attended and completed a three-year Ayurvedic Practitioner program at the American University of Complementary Medicine, in addition to my three-year solo journey (spanning over 50 countries) which added to my knowledge of health and nutrition. I also finished my official CCN degree (Certified Clinical Nutritionist) and did studies on Dr. Ann Wigmore, founder of the Ann Wigmore Natural Healing Institute, to broaden my knowledge on food combining (which you read in this blog post). Here is a link to her site: https://bit.ly/2L6zIMO. My suggestion is to write down your goals, how you would like to teach and/or grow your own business and then start researching which schools will best fit your needs and schedule. I’m constantly learning and growing since new topics and diets are always popping up, and it’s good to keep up with what’s happening. In the end, I fully trust in the principles that my Beauty Detox lifestyle incorporates. This is a start and I hope it helps. Best of luck and lots of love to you! ;)