Jordan’s unique work as a wine consultant caught my attention, but it’s always interesting to learn more about people’s day jobs, such as hers in long term care. The social media profiles you see may not tell the full story. Dietitians are passionate about food, caring for/helping others, and continuing to learn and/or advance their expertise throughout their careers.

Why did you become a RD?

I have always been into learning and practicing wellness, physical activity and food, and I absolutely love helping people!  So what better way than to combine these by going to school to learn the nitty-gritty about nutrition, the physiology of the body and how the body processes specific food and nutrients. 

What area of dietetics do you work in?

I work as a clinical dietitian in a long term care facility. I initially started working with the elderly as I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the older population as they are just as vulnerable as children; all they truly want is someone to talk to and someone to listen. 

How would you explain what you do? 

On a daily basis I monitor the kitchen (staff), calculate tube feedings, meet with families and residents/patients to go over their care plans during their stay, nutrition consults, meal planning, wound care, weight loss and weight gain notes and interventions, monitor supplements, working closely with our speech-language pathologist in relation to resident’s swallowing/chewing issues all while trying to come up with ways to make the facility and all its residents healthier. However, each day brings completely different interactions and to-do lists, which makes my job more exciting and always keeps me busy.  

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? 

Each morning I attend our morning meeting with the interdisciplinary team to discuss any occurrences, new admissions and necessary information from the previous 24-hours. From here, I will then address any issues that need to be followed up with from the morning meeting and then complete all the assessments including looking at resident’s labs, lookback period, intake, supplement use, wound/weight changes and their progress notes from the MD. Once I complete all this, I will complete assessment follow-ups, handle any kitchen and/or family/resident issues/concerns & review and make interventions for significant weekly weight and wound changes.

What has been your career path?

I spent four years at East Carolina University completing the didactic program where I then earned my way into a 9-month dietetic internship program through Lenoir-Rhyne University. Following this, I moved in with my fiance at Spartanburg, SC while he was completing chiropractic school. This is where I began my long term care career traveling to four facilities each week. I am happy to say we are back in Charlotte and I now work at one facility and am able to better care for and get to know my residents and patients.

About 6 months ago I also became a Scout & Cellar wine consultant, where I promote and educate on the importance of clean-crafted wine! Did you know the typical mass-produced bottle of wine has up to 350 ppm added sulfites, 16 grams of added sugar, and 250 pesticides/chemicals...ours have zero.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

Continuing education is on-going and I am currently working on the integrative and functional nutrition certification through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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

Functional and holistic. Doctors will stop prescribing medications and actually take the time to listen to patients’ problems and refer them to other practitioners such as dietitians, physical therapists, etc. The world will hopefully understand that meeting with a dietitian and using the food first approach along with managing stress is much more beneficial than medicine/drug use. Obviously, there is a time and place for doctors and prescribed medicines; however, it is so vital we learn about our bodies and how we can better our overall health before running to drugs to cure our aches and pains.  

What would you like people to know about RDs?

I can promise you we are not judging what you are eating or drinking when we go out. Also, most all RDs I know are the friendliest and most knowledgable people you will meet. 

What are the challenges you encounter as a RD?

The biggest challenge is social media health and wellness ambassadors/coaches claiming they know everything about nutrition or are trying to sell people products that will “cure” them when in reality they know nothing about dietetics and are solely trying to make money off of you. Another big one is the media/news, in general, sharing a black and white outlook on any journal article that has been released without looking at the limitations of the article. People tend to almost always believe everything they hear without doing the research themselves...

What do people think that you do for a living?

Put people on diets, restrict what they can eat and create meal plans. 

What are you passionate about in dietetics?

Functional and holistic nutrition where I continuously learn about the physiology of the body and how food and nutrients work with and against the body. 

What makes RDs unique/different from other nutrition/wellness professionals?

To become a registered dietitian, one has to get accepted into a dietetic internship, pass and then pass the registered dietitian National Board Exam. We have to have 75 hours of on-going education every five years. We have the knowledge, we have the training, we know how to read labs and labels, and we know the truth. 

What is your favourite meal?  

Oh my gosh, I don’t even know where to begin with this. Honestly, I just enjoy eating healthy foods that make me feel amazing and provides me with energy. I enjoy eating vegetables and eggs, meats and fish (pasture-raised/organic and/grass-fed/wild-caught) that make me feel phenomenal; however, if I had to choose, a good wild-caught salmon with quinoa, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts or wild-caught shrimp scampi with Ancient Harvest or Banza spaghetti noodles and a side of Scout and Cellar wine have been on my menu a lot recently. 

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

Be an advocate for your health. Many doctors will prescribe pills to make a problem go away only to introduce many further complications/side effects.  If you know in your heart something is wrong and no one is giving you the answers, it’s time to look into a dietitian. 

More about Jordan:

Instagram: @beautifullprofit_dietitian 

Facebook: Beautifull Profit

Website: www.beautifullprofit.com 

Shop Clean Crafted Wine: www.scoutandcellar.com/jordanhostetler 

Thanks Jordan!