We were lucky to catch up with Lauren Klein recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?
Internships now seem to be a requirement but more than that, it is a great opportunity to explore a career without having to go through years of school just to try it out.
During undergrad, I needed an internship in order to graduate. I had no clue what career I wanted to do once I graduated so I didn’t know where to look. So, I went to my favorite website-Yelp. I typed ‘Nutrition’ in the search bar and I got lucky. A local private practice dietitian came up: Crossroads Nutrition. I sent her an email asking if she would have me and she agreed! Her practice specializes in working with those who have an eating disorder. This area was not something I learned anything about in my public health classes! This is statistics or food science!?
She taught me so much and answered all of my questions! From this internship I determined that I wanted to be a dietitian. This meant navigating the twisted path of dietetics but also the year requirements changed!
Lauren , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a dietitian that works with clients virtually 1:1 dealing with disordered eating, looking to learn more about nutrition, meal prepping, and those that just need some accountability!
I also am a recipe developer and food photographer. I create my own recipes and photograph them for my blog. I believe all foods can fit in a balanced diet. That means you won’t just find salads on my website, but rather foods that I find delicious! That is because if you aren’t eating the foods you love, you aren’t living!
In addition, I write articles from nutrition basics to niche trending health topics!
My hope is that themichigandietitian.com can be a trusted source for nutrition education, recipes, and if needed, a place you can reach out to me to work on your specific needs!
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
In addition to my formal schooling, keeping a grasp on what is trending aids me in being successful in my field! This can be a bit difficult because arbitrary fad diets are always coming and going.
A client (or a dm!) may ask me my thoughts on a certain fad. It is my responsibility to thoroughly dive into what this diet is, its goal, and its mechanisms. From there, I have to speak to this client in a reasonable and kind way to guide them away from attempting it yet guiding them towards a sustainable solution they are actually hoping for!
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
If I could go back, I would still choose dietetics. This is a unique profession that incorporates both science and the human. You have to utilize your knowledge and needs of the person to find realistic solutions. This is something I enjoy and is not always possible in other careers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://themichigandietitian.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.michigan.dietitian/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.michigan.dietitian/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenklein12/
