Name: Tejaswini Podila
Academic Qualification: B.Sc. Home Science from Government College for Women's Affiliated Acharya Nagarjuna University, Andhra Pradesh, India (2015)
Msc Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics from Sri Padmavathi Mahila Vishwa Visvavidyalayam, Andhra Pradesh, India (2018)
1. Why did you choose this profession?
Working in the medical field has always been my dream. Knowing different medical conditions, working with a holistic approach, helping people make healthy food choices and achieve their health goals, and being part of it seems like the perfect fit.
2. How can one become a dietitian in India?
Completing a Bachelors's or Master's in clinical nutrition or dietetics or a diploma in clinical Nutrition and dietetics with hospital experience.
3. What guidance would you provide a person thinking about this career?
Being a part of someone's health journey can be more satisfying. Due to the current lifestyle changes, the incidence of comorbidities is increasing. Dieticians can help with lifestyle modification and lead people on a healthy path.
4. What do you want people to understand right now about a dietitian's job?
A dietician is not just someone who will give you a meal plan and make you lose weight. They help you maintain overall health and reduce lifestyle disorders.
5. What is the most satisfying thing about your profession?
Happiness and smiles in the faces of the patients you counsel when they achieve their health goals make your heart smile and keep you motivated to counsel more and seek more happiness.
6. What does a regular work week look like in your profession?
Well, it depends on the type of work you choose, whether it is a hospital with the usual OPD timing or personal clinical; it completely depends on you.
7. What part of your job is the most difficult?
Some people think we are witches who, with a spell or some magic potion, can make them lose weight. 😀 Sometimes it's tricky to explain to the patient to be consistent and patient to see the best results; changing their behavior towards quick fixes cannot work long in healthy living.
8. We have heard that taking vacations during a patient-centered operation can be a little challenging. What are your views on it?
Some may require special care or attention, which may sometimes compromise our time, mainly on weekends as binge eating or cheat days occur, so here they remember they have a dietitian to consult, or mainly hospital sector patients require regular monitoring, but the rapport with the patient and understanding skills can help in maintaining specific timing.
9. What is your opinion about the RD exam? Is it necessary to qualify for this exam to practice as a dietician in India, or is it just one choice?
It can be a choice, as RD is not mandatory yet, but becoming RD means mastering your own profession, which is more clinical-based, which can be a perk in your career ladder
10. Debunking Myths: Is this true?
You always eat healthy:
Typically, NO! Eating something that doesn't harm your body much, like potatoes, french fries, baked fries, sometimes your body also needs cheat meals. Knowing the portions and how to eat them is the work of a dietician, and with this, suggesting healthy and tasty meals is also part of the profile.
You never skip your workout:
No, even though I am not perfect and do not expect my patience to be either, even if my body requires some lazy days, all we need is consistency.
You are always well-maintained in your work and personal life:
Doing it all is a myth, but knowing what to do perfectly and what to just complete in time gives harmony to life (prioritizing), and it comes with practice. If it is a personal clinic, maintaining time can be a perk.
Healthy meals can never be tasty:
Any food becomes unhealthy only when you are eating a food high in fat and sugar on a daily basis and changes in the method of cooking, so eating healthy can always be tasty. It's just the perspective of thinking 🤔 to change.
11. What kind of diet did you eat while you were growing up? You always used to eat well, right?
Balanced meals have always been easy for me, as I am from a typical South Indian family, Well, maybe I can say more about carbs also, I remember every food group being added at least 2 or 3 days a week, I've not been much of a foodie since childhood, just a taster, so maintaining portions for me was easy.
12. Do your friends and family members think you're comparing what they eat when you go out? Do they ask you for guidance or suggestions?
Well, sometimes not every time; sometimes it just becomes a lecture to your family.
13. Do you feel burned out when surrounded by patients or clients most of the time?
It depends on the day, not exactly because every patient is different, so it's like communicating with new people every time with a specific topic to discuss, but we also need to set a boundary for counseling a certain number of people that helps to maintain our energy and also makes work more effective.
14. Would you suggest this career to someone else if their main goal is to make money in it?
Not really, As good as work satisfaction can be, the pay scale can be disappointing. The growth and worth of dieticians are still questionable in India, mostly in South India, when working in the hospital sector.
15. With so many slimming products or supplements coming up in the market or people opting for crash diets over a balanced diet, do you feel like your industry is becoming more commercialized?
Absolutely! It is undeniable that certain companies are attempting to deceive people with false promises. However, there are also companies that genuinely offer beneficial products, such as nutrient supplements. In today's fast-paced world, it has become crucial to ensure we obtain the necessary nutrients through both our diet and essential supplements like Vitamin B12 and D, among others, which can be difficult to fulfill solely through food.
16. What should one be aware of before entering this profession?
The expectation of payslip can sometimes be disappointing, and it's a continuing process of new learning based on cultural practices.
17. Lastly, what message would you like to give future aspirants and the general audience?
Becoming a Dietitian can be a lifelong perk in personal and professional life, as food is survival, knowing what you eat makes you king of your body, and ultimately, what you eat reflects you.
18. What else would you like to tell about yourself?
I'm not a perfect dietician, but I've been trying to make people healthy for 2–3 years now.
(Nutriscope/GS)
