Potato Beet Latkes

Makes 12 to 15 latkes

Ingredients

• 3 cups peeled, shredded potatoes
• 2 cups shredded beets
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Place potatoes and beets in a bowl. Squeeze out excess water with a cheese cloth or kitchen towel.
2. In another bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl and add to bowl with flour.
3. Add beet and potato mixture to bowl. Stir all ingredients well.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drop mixture into the pan using a spoon or ice cream scoop — the mixture will be very wet. Form latkes into rounder shapes once in the pan, using the sides of the spoon or scoop. Cook latkes until brown, about 3 to 4 minutes each side.
5. To warm latkes after cooking, place in oven on 350°F for 10 minutes.

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Inspire Healthy Living

One of the biggest reasons it seems so many professionals choose to post on social media is to inspire and reach others. Fortunately for dietitians, food photography and healthy living continue to increase in popularity, and are easy to portray on social media. This presents a great opportunity to make social media a forum to share meal ideas and promote healthy living in general. Think about how many times you’ve scrolled past an appetizing meal on Instagram or Facebook and been enticed to make it. As dietitians, social media is the perfect chance for us to inspire healthy living effectively and instantaneously, simply through photos and short captions.

Spread Correct Information

Nutrition is personal; not all dietitians follow the same playbook. Some support a vegan lifestyle, some believe in calorie counting, and others believe clients should never step on the scale. The different beliefs that RDNs hold are OK because they’re all evidence-based and supported by research. Yet social media growth and interest in healthy living has come with a negative consequence — more false information spread by non-nutrition professionals. It’s up to us as nutrition experts to put out as much accurate information as possible to make sure that anyone simply browsing for nutrition advice receives correct information and is properly educated.

Broaden Your Reach

In spreading correct information, social media provides the perfect platform to educate the broad public. Not everyone can afford to see a dietitian in private practice and some people simply might rather search for information online. For this reason, we’re incredibly fortunate to be able to have a say in the information that people search for. The more people we’re able to reach means the more people we’re able to guide to better overall health.

Engage with Clients

Finally, although self-disclosure can be a bit tricky when it comes to the client-dietitian relationship, engaging with current or potential clients is one of the fun perks of social media. Many of my own clients have found me through Instagram, and enjoy the ability to engage with me directly on the app. Clients have told me that they enjoy seeing meals photos to get recipe ideas, and that interaction with a dietitian on social media makes the RDN much more relatable to them. With so many clients on social media, showing our personalities and viewpoints on the forum often helps build our rapport with clients, even before our initial sessions with them.

As nutrition experts and professionals, most of us recognize the genuine importance of spreading proper nutrition education to prevent disease and promote an overall healthy lifestyle. Social media allows us to reach clients outside of normal business hours, as well as the general public looking for nutrition advice. Through social media, we’re granted the perfect forum to make our (evidence-based) voices heard — it’s critical that we take advantage of that opportunity.

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Zucchini Latkes 

Makes 16 latkes

Ingredients 

• 1 cup shredded zucchini 
• 4 eggs 
• ¼ cup whole-wheat flour 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil  

Instructions

1. Shred zucchini using the large holes of a cheese grater. Squeeze out excess moisture using a cheese cloth or paper towel. 
2. In a bowl, combine zucchini, eggs, flour and garlic powder and stir well. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Drop batter in by the spoonful and cook each side until golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes per side. 

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What Makes RDNs and RDs So Awesome?

If nutrition professionals were placed along a continuum, RDNs and RDs would be at the top of the chain. They are the nutrition experts. To become an RDN or RD, one must study the sciences as they pertain to food, diseases and the body. An RDN or RD has extensive background in the chemical makeup of food, the way each macro- and micronutrient works in the body, and how different diseases are both prevented and alleviated by proper nutrition. A nutritionist, on the other hand, is not a credentialed title. One does not need any specific education or certification exams to become one. Technically, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. A teacher once told me her cat could be called a nutritionist!

The specific and intensive nutrition knowledge held by an RDN or RD is one of the most important reasons to see one for your own health concerns. You can find plenty of people and websites willing to promote fad diets or health claims. Have you ever wondered why fads diets seem to come and go so quickly? The reason is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Each individual has very specific nutrition needs. In fact, if one specific food or diet was the magic answer for everyone, we would all have started doing it a long time ago.

I saw a client recently — let's call him Michael. As a well-educated and fit young adult in his 20s, Michael exercised regularly, researched nutrition information from various sources and ate what he believed to be a healthy diet. That diet consisted of many vegetables, some fruit, quite a bit of "bulletproof coffee" (coffee served with MCT oil and grass-fed butter), a lot of grass-fed beef and even more grass-fed butter. Despite being in seemingly excellent shape and of a healthy weight, Michael's cholesterol levels were almost scarily high. Given his serious efforts to eat what he thought were the healthiest foods, he had no idea why his cholesterol was so high.

In short, Michael's cholesterol was high from the excessive amount of saturated fat he was consuming. This type of unhealthy fat is commonly found in foods such as butter and fatty meats — both of which Michael was consuming in large quantities. In fact, in a 2,000-calorie daily diet, the 8 to 16 grams of saturated fat in one cup of bulletproof coffee is nearly as much saturated fat as the Dietary Guidelines recommend for an entire day. Despite the buzz around "grass-fed" beef and butter, these foods still contain high amounts of unhealthy saturated fat.

It's crucial to understand that no single food will have super powers to speed metabolism, or increase fat burn or promote weight loss. These concepts are often promoted to coincide with the latest trends. Yet, just because something is a trend, does not mean it is healthy. Before trying foods or diets you've seen online, consult an RDN or RD — a real food and nutrition expert — to get a trusted opinion and a customized, balanced and varied diet to best meet your own unique needs.

All sources that motivate health in general are great, but be careful following nutrition advice from those not credentialed to give it or trying fads that promote exorbitant claims. To find the best foods, diet and overall lifestyle plan that will help you meet your goals, consult a registered dietitian nutritionist.

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Here are five tips to maintain a healthy plan without giving up the party.

Pick Your Vice

Decide ahead of time on the one item you really want. Dessert? A sweet cocktail? That fancy appetizer you had last year and have been dreaming about ever since? While keeping the rest of the night on the healthier side, allow yourself to have a satisfying amount of that one food you're really craving. Then, eat it slowly and savor it.

Nosh Up Before the Night

Have a small snack about one hour before party time to curb excessive hunger. When we are overly hungry, it can be difficult to control portions and make good food choices. Try a snack that contains both protein and fiber, such as a tablespoon of peanut butter on whole-wheat toast or a small bowl of cereal and milk.

Lead the Way

The best thing about potluck meals is that you can bring your own healthy dish — allowing yourself the power to control what you eat. Everyone appreciates a dish that's a little lighter in the midst of the all the dense, high-calorie items.

If your party is at a restaurant, no problem! Try to order first so that you're not influenced by others' less healthy choices. Plus, if your order helps other guests follow suit and eat more healthfully, they'll luck out, too.

Sip That H₂O

As simple as it sounds, drink water! Thirst often feels like hunger, which can lead to unnecessary overeating. Make sure to drink plenty of water both during and after the meal. If you think you might be hungry once you've finished eating, try drinking water first to determine if you're truly hungry for that extra serving.

Enjoy and Get Back on Track

The holidays aren't a time to sit around munching on lettuce, but also aren't fun when feeling too full. Strive for somewhere in between. Remember, holidays are about so much more than food. Enjoy the time with family and friends without making food the focus of the event. If you feel like your diet slips, don't get down. Instead, make a mental note of what happened so you can easily get back on track the next time.

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