Denine Marie Stracker, MPH, RDN

HEALTH OUT OF HABIT

for something nutrishus

I came across Denine on Instagram and wanted to share her story as an American dietitian in Spain (fellow expat!). Her travel experiences in college and recently, have helped shape her passion for nutrition and dietetics, with culture and tradition woven in.

Why did you become a RD?

When I was in college—back in the 90s—I had the opportunity to live with a French family while studying abroad for a semester in Aix-en-Provence, France. Being totally immersed in the culture, language, community, and rhythms of daily life, it afforded me the perspective to compare the local habits with the familiar ones back home in the U.S. Each interaction—whether it was shopping the local farmers’ market, sharing two-hour lunches, volunteering at a local bakery, or forging new friendships—brought into question my cultural beliefs about food, lifestyle and our entire approach to life and health.

The game-changing moment for me, which shifted my career trajectory, was recognizing how eating in Provence was so different from what I was accustomed to back home. The locals shared an understanding of how joy, flavor, pleasure, and conviviality intersected with food, and how essential this was to the way of life. We enjoyed flaky croissants, rich cheeses, crusty baguettes, thick sauces, intense espressos—all without a hint of guilt, excuses or over-thinking. This experience of mealtime satisfaction was a contrast to the American low-fat, calorie-counting trends of the time, which had captured the focus of the nation and drained the flavor from our foods.

Just as my taste buds were awakened—from the years of food fads and cardboard snacks—so was my curiosity.  I craved learning more about how food, eating habits, tradition, satisfaction, and lifestyle intersected and influenced health, longevity and happiness.  

What area of dietetics do you work in?

Higher education, public health nutrition, and private practice.

How would you explain what you do?

Currently, I live in Barcelona and work as a grant writer and consultant for public health initiatives driven by the European Commission Horizon 2020 vision for research and innovation.  As part of the University of Barcelona Biomarkers and Nutritional & Food Metabolomics group, we earned EIT (European Institute of Innovation & Technology) Health funding for three consecutive years to co-create the INnovating the JOY of Eating for Healthy Aging (INJOY) Summer School. These innovative, multinational trainings are designed to bridge the gap between nutrition science and business as a way of driving health-based business models aimed at promoting dietary and lifestyle changes for healthy aging.

Additionally, I teach online undergraduate nutrition courses for a university. This is often the first touchpoint with nutrition science—other than social media— for many college students, so it presents an opportunity to disrupt the fake news and fads while empowering students to critically assess nutrition science, reset their approach to health, and cultivate a positive relationship with food.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

Each week I shuffle between tasks like writing, teaching, course design, content creation and coaching. I like to work on the creative aspects of the projects in the morning, and then my meetings and correspondence in the afternoons. At least once a week I schedule a day to work outside my office at a co-working space or cafe as a way of stimulating creativity, clearing my mind and absorbing inspiration from the city.

What has been your career path?

I’m a second-career dietitian having worked in event planning for a decade after undergrad. After my study abroad awakening during my junior year of college, it was another 10 years before I could get back to school to pursue my dietetic work at New York University, and complete my internship at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center. In 2013, I completed a Masters in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

Masters of Public Health

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

● More culturally inclusive, more diverse, more compassionate, and more outside-the-box thinking in terms of how we view health and how we effectively help our clients, patients and students pursue health.

● Less weight-centric models in public health, less weight bias and stigmatizing language in nutrition research and public health initiatives.

Ultimately, what I would love to see is a shift to patient-centered care through compassionate, non-diet, weight-inclusive approaches to health, while prioritizing the value of cultural food traditions, sustainable food systems, personal preferences, and increased access to healthcare. 

More about Denine: 

Instagram: @healthoutofhabit

Twitter: @deninestracker

LinkedIn: Denine Stracker, MPH, RDN

Website: healthoutofhabit.com

Thanks Denine!