Steph Langdon, RD

SOMETHING NUTRISHUS & WHAT RDS DO

hosted by Brooke Bulloch

Update: Now that the series is 4 years old with 200+ interviews, I decided I needed to update my own responses as my career has changed over the last few years.

What RDs Do Interview Series – TAKEOVER!

Hey, hey! It’s Brooke Bulloch here from Food to Fit in Saskatoon! I had the pleasure of being highlighted as part of the What RDs Do Interview Series back in October 2015. Today I’m taking over Stephanie Langdon’s What RDs Do! With Stephanie celebrating 7 years in business this week AND her 100th What RDs Do interview coming up in August, I thought it was an opportune time to take over and interview the very creator of the What RDs Do Interview Series!

Stephanie is a fellow Saskatoon-based Dietitian and entrepreneur who is doing incredible work for the profession. As founder of the What RDs Do blog and as part of Dietitians of Canada's Brand Ambassador team, Stephanie’s efforts to educate the public and promote the invaluable and diverse work of Dietitians is admirable. As someone who inspires me, I wanted to give the spotlight to her today!

Thank you, Stephanie, for all you do and for this incredible blog series. Happy 7-year anniversary!

Why did you become a RD?

I was pursuing a science degree, perhaps headed towards Physiology, but unsure what I’d do with it. I took an introductory nutrition course and loved the practicality of what I learned, so I decided to apply to the College of Nutrition. I was an athlete at the time, so I saw the obvious connections to performance and thought sport nutrition might be an end goal for me.

What area of dietetics do you work in? (*updated September 9, 2019)

I previously operated a private practice in Canada with a focus on consulting and communications. While I still own the business, I have not been working as a dietitian, I currently reside in the USA and have been focused on my mom role and advocacy through this series (so still mainly in social media/communications).

How would you explain what you do? (*updated September 9, 2019)

I curate/run this blog series. I am also a stay-at-home-mom for my two young children.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? (*updated September 9, 2019)

My day/week as a dietitian might consist of formatting blog posts, creating/scheduling social media posts, reaching out to dietitians for future features, creating a monthly update newsletter and continuing education activities to maintain my credential. The rest of my time is spent on various tasks related to motherhood :)

What has been your career path? (*updated September 9, 2019)

I have worked in private practice since I finished my internship. I initially planned to work in sport nutrition, and in Canada that was the path that made sense – self-employment. Prior to that I was an elite athlete (Team Canada and pro volleyball) and worked at Lululemon while finishing up my degree. Since then it has just been the evolution of my practice as different things have interested me, I’ve learned to say NO to things I’m not passionate about or weren’t a good fit, and I became a mom.

My recent work included consulting for agriculture/commodity/industry groups helping with presentations, resource development, event attendance, media, social media and strategy while I balanced being a work-at-home-mom. I was also on Dietitians of Canada’s Brand Leadership Team as the SK/MB (Saskatchewan/Manitoba) Team Captain.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

I have my BSc. Nutrition as well as various certifications/courses/conferences/webinars etc. that I constantly take part in as continued learning in the various areas I’m interested in.

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

As someone who advocates for the profession, I hope that people come to know what dietitians do (which is varied) and who dietitians are, as well as the difference from nutritionists. I hope that health insurance plans cover dietitian services so that they’re more accessible. I am also intrigued by how the environment shapes our behaviours so I hope to see health promoting spaces and places so that healthy choices can be the default choices. With the strong influence of social media I also hope we move away from unrealistic ‘ideals’, can live authentically off-line and stop judging/shaming others, as there are many ways to be healthy.

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up?

We don’t just make meal plans and take away your favourite food(s).

What would you like people to know about RDs?

We work in a variety of settings, not just in hospitals and we’re here to help with various nutrition/eating/food topics, whether that’s dealing with a chronic illness, a picky eater, preventative health care, policy creation, brand messaging, recipe development, or helping sort through all the misinformation out there. The list goes on and on (as you’ve seen in this series!).

What are challenges you encounter as a RD? (*updated September 9, 2019)

The ‘personal opinion/celebrity’ type information that can mislead people and perhaps even be dangerous. It’s great that people are talking about nutrition, but there are so many promises of quick fixes and an obesogenic environment that we have our work cut out for us in years ahead.

I also find it challenging that people judge what I’m eating or want me to discuss their latest diet with them when I’m at a social event. Yes, it’s food, yes nutrition is my area of expertise (or as my daughter says, the thing I know about), but I’m not up on all the current diets as I’m not working in that space and if you want to talk about it with an expert, make an appointment with a dietitian, don’t just try to get free tips at a party.

What do people think that you do for a living? (*updated September 9, 2019)

I’m not sure, as being a mom isn’t making me a living and I don’t currently have a traditional job.

What are you passionate about in dietetics? (*updated September 9, 2019)

Habits and prevention. We live in the moment and think about immediate enjoyment, not always the long-term consequences, we also have ingrained ways of doing things. I’d like to help people create healthy habits and be able to make informed decisions about food – whether that is choosing to have the ice cream or blueberries, there’s room for it all and there isn’t a single ‘correct’ way to be or eat healthy. I’m currently interested in living a simplified and satisfied life and how that relates to a space that is easier to be healthy in (aka making the healthy choices the easy choices), not just an organized or decluttered home/life, but one that’s good for you too.

More about Steph:

Website: What RDs Do

Twitter: @StephLangdonRD

Instagram: @stephlangdonrd

LinkedIn: Stephanie (Wheler) Langdon, BSc. RD

Pinterest: @NutrishusRD