Nadine makes mention of the need for strong branding for Canadian dietitians, and I'm happy to be a part of the leadership team working on that with Dietitians of Canada! Through her role, Nadine helps to advocate for dietitians, which is always great to see in the profession. She also brings up the importance of our relationship with food, which I love.

Why did you become a RD?

I chose the dietetics field because of my passion for health and cooking. I had a strong science background and always enjoyed helping others. I never knew how stimulating and perfect the role was for my personality and skills until I grew into the profession.

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

I work in a private outpatient health and wellness company and my areas of dietetic practice include managing a team of RDs, advocating for the profession through support for RD services, ongoing training and education, development of nutrition products and services and client counseling and coaching.

How would you explain what you do? 

I am now clinic manager, nutrition services in a private health and wellness company. I also provide one on one outpatient nutrition counseling and coaching to individuals and families within a multitude of health concerns namely metabolic syndrome, digestive conditions, child and youth nutrition and sports nutrition.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? 

I ensure RD coverage is available and suitable for clinic needs by updating schedules and communicating with RDs and clinic teams, I communicate resources that may be helpful for the RD team and clinic multidisciplinary team, I attend leadership meetings to develop strategic positioning for nutrition products, I counsel clients and families on an ongoing basis to help them reach their health goals using evidence and practice based guidelines and recommendations, I ensure team performance metrics and indicators are in line with RD capacity and business objectives.

What has been your career path? 

I started my career as a dietitian in a juvenile diabetes summer camp and then went into private practice, long term and chronic care. From there, I provided coverage in various hospital units namely renal, burns, medicine, mental health and acute care. Following completion of my Master’s, I chose to switch back to private outpatient care where I now manage a team of 12 RDs within a multidisciplinary wellness company.

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

I completed a Master’s in Nutrition Communications at Ryerson University following 10 years of practice in dietetics. This program helped shape my interest in advocating for the profession, develop partnerships with a multitude of profession related stakeholders and fine tune communication skills targeting different audiences using different media. Through experience in my role as clinic manager nutrition services at Medcan clinic, I learned how to choose the right staff, advocate for RD services and develop thriving nutrition programs. I have certificates in behaviour modification and digestive health strategies and am working on an integrative and functional nutrition certificate.

In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now?

The industry will have some struggles to position itself as the leader in nutrition knowledge provision for the next few years due to a multitude of overlap between other professions. I think RDs need to distinguish themselves not only as evidence-based practitioners but also as credible and flexible health and nutrition providers which will have to include lifestyle and fitness coaching, recipe development, meal planning and cooking skills. I foresee the creation of a governing body that will facilitate specializations within chosen fields of practice beyond hospital specialties. I also think that in 5 years RD services will be covered by provincial health insurance plans or at least by most private health insurance plans (wishful thinking…)

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?

Many confuse RDs with nutritionists and many think RDs only work with people for weight loss or only use Canada’s food guide or support the dairy farmers because of the financial support they provide etc. We need a strong marketing and branding campaign to clear many confusions related to misconceived perceptions.

What would you like people to know about RDs? 

Just like any profession, there are different types of RDs. I think it's important for clients to do their due diligence when looking for an RD to support their health goals. I would like people to avoid generalizing when judging RDs services. Some fits will be better than others.

What is your favourite meal? 

My favourite meal is one that I’ve had time to create myself with local, fresh ingredients while listening to jazz music and sipping a glass of Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.

What tip(s) would you give to our readers? 

A relationship with food is a lifelong journey without the option of separation or divorce. Reach out to a professional that you connect with to help you develop a pleasure for nourishing your body and soul with healthy fare.

More about Nadine:

Email: nadnutrition@gmail.com

LinkedIn: Nadine Khoury MHSc RD | LinkedIn

Twitter: @Nadastic

Thanks Nadine!