National dietitian’s day is a great time to think and reflect about our role in helping and supporting people with food related queries. Food can be a quite complex topic; everybody needs it, but what should we be having? When should we be having it? Do we stick with the basics, or lash out on that next, upcoming super food? These are common questions that the population has, but imagine if your normal has been turned upside down? Your go-to choices are not options anymore? Have your insides changed?

These are challenges I help patients work around on a daily basis as a bariatric Dietitian working at WeightLoss Solutions Australia. One of the most fulfilling parts of my role is not only watching patients recover, and helping them through their texture modification diets, but it is watching their lifestyles do a complete 180. Watching patients who had sore feet, backs and knees, convert to purchasing bikes and venture out to bike ride with their kids in the afternoon. Many patients, who never had the energy or motivation to cook, suddenly get excited about new foods and new recipes to try. It is rewarding to hear patients recounting their return to sports that they haven’t been able to participate in for years because their weight has been holding them back.

These are the little things that make my job fulfilling. Yes, to some people food is just something they need in order to stay alive, but for others, food brings them back to life.

Maddie