Brooke was interested in sharing more on her work as a dietitian in media/writing/counseling and cannabis. Her newest venture has her curious about the future of dietetics and what we may be taught in school - it’s a niche we’re starting to see more dietitians working in.

Why did you become a RD?

I was working in the magazine industry and was passed up for a promotion again. At this time I had been seeing a dietitian for my stomach issues and something clicked. Since I had been out of college for 3 years, I was worried about going back to school - I had to do all the DPDs (Didactic Programs in Dietetics) first. So while working full time, I started with one evening class to see if I could be a student again. After two classes while working, I made the choice to go back to school full time and never looked back! I think being in a place of limbo professionally allowed me to question what direction I wanted my career to go in and it all made total sense when I went back to school. But I'm so grateful for not getting that promotion because I don't know if I would have been willing to open my mind to another trajectory for myself.

What area of dietetics do you work in?

I’ve had my private practice, B Nutritious for 12 years. I started out just doing one-on-one counseling and then moved towards media work, books and consulting. In the last year, I became certified as a cannabis practitioner and from there have launched my own CBD (Cannabidiol) supplement company called Daily Habit.

How would you explain what you do?

Is multi-tasker an appropriate answer here? I wear a lot of hats. On a given work day I can see clients in my private practice, submit work to a brand I consult for and write for or manage Daily Habit. My airplane answer is that I’m a dietitian with a private practice.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks?

I aim for Mondays to be the “meal prep” of my week. When I have that hour on Monday morning, I take a look at everything that needs to be accomplished and map it out for each day. It’s the only way I can manage what I’ve been doing. Ironically I’m terrible at real meal prep. Every day is a bit different but each day normally involves a client session, a press response (quotes for media), bills (lots of bills;) and billing (lots of billing), checking in on my team and managing my office. 

What has been your career path?

When I first graduated from college, I went right to work in the magazine industry. I started at VOGUE and then moved to help launch Teen Vogue. It was while I was at Teen Vogue and passed over for a promotion that I took a look at what I really wanted to do. That’s when I applied to go back to school.

The whole time during my DPD (Didactic Program in Dietetics), masters and my internship, I had a vision of a private practice and that’s what I started right after passing my RD exam. As I grew my practice, more opportunities arose and that’s when I started doing some TV, got my first book deal and expanded into consulting for brands. I started researching cannabis, especially a few years ago when we had run out of some options for my chronically ill husband. That not only helped him, but it became another career path for me.

What advanced education or special training do you have?

I have my masters in science and am a certified holistic cannabis practitioner

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

Honestly, I hope we’re kinder to each other, number one. Science and research is constantly changing, so I’d like to see more dietitians evolving with the science that is coming out. I’d also like to see cannabis and CBD being part of our education as dietitians.

More about Brooke:

Instagram: @bnutritious

Instagram: @dailyhabitcbd

Facebook: B Nutritious by Brooke Alpert

Facebook: Daily Habit CBD

Thanks Brooke!