It’s that time of year again. As we get ready to ring in the new year, have you started to reflect on how your year went and what’d you like to accomplish in 2019? As much as on the surface, life seems to be the “same same”, 2018 is a milestone year for myself.

As I sit down to reflect, it’s been 10 years since I graduated from university. This coming year (2019) will mark my tenth year as a practicing Registered Dietitian. Over the past 10 years, there have been so many changes and I can’t wait to see what 2019 will bring.

I’ve been married for 6 of the 10 years since graduation. Marriage has been wonderful. We’re really savouring every moment of each other’s company before others come into the picture. 2019 will bring new challenges as we both get ready to welcome a mini golden doodle at the end of January 2019. We’re ready to test our parenting skills. Wish us luck! 😉

Over the years, as a Registered Dietitian, I’ve been able to interact with vastly different demographics.  Completing my internship at St. Michael’s Hospital opened my eyes to counseling individuals with NKA (no known addresses) and/or individuals in orange jumpsuits. 😉  Having worked in a diabetes education centre for 2 years allowed me to see firsthand how the diabetes epidemic is real. It’s interesting to see how the diagnosis of diabetes can really motivate some individuals to make lifestyle changes whereas the diagnosis of diabetes can cause depression and denial for others.

Living in a multicultural city like Toronto has allowed me an opportunity to work in a long term care home catered for Chinese Canadians. I personally find elders to be quite cute but this opportunity allows me to be in touch with my own heritage. In today’s aging population, it’s not only important to take care of the elders but also of the caregivers. When another organization who caters to the Chinese Canadians asked me to give talks to caregivers, I happily obliged. Although I am a Canadian Born Chinese (CBC), I am proud to say I am fluent in three languages (Mandarin, Cantonese and English). It’s funny to think that individuals only began to realize I could speak other languages since becoming part of the workforce.

Being a retail dietitian for almost 8 years has allowed me to gather invaluable consumer insight and stay on top of food product trends. The retail dietitian position has allowed me to truly translate nutrition into practical terms  (i.e. provide simple, healthy and delicious recipes for both meals and snacks). The retail dietitian position has also allowed me to gain a solid product knowledge base; this skill comes in handy for individuals living with food sensitivities and/or allergies. Consumers may say they know how to eat healthy; however, how many individuals are doing “healthy eating” correctly?

Throughout my career as a Registered Dietitian thus far, I have been blessed with many media  opportunities be it newspaper, magazine, radio and/or TV. I think back to my segments done in the earlier days and I can personally see how much I have grown and developed not only as a Registered Dietitian but also as a person. As scary as live TV and/or radio may be, I enjoy the challenges these types of segments present as these experiences can help further enhance my flexibility, adaptability and ability to think quick on my feet.

Being an individual who is relatively open to suggestions and giving individuals recommendations, this is how Rowena Recommends was born. I’ve been thinking about creating a personal blog for some time now; however, in April 2018, I finally took the leap of faith and started blogging twice per week. I’ve gained a new level of respect for bloggers. Blogger life is not easy! 🙂

Be it in personal and/or professional life, I love mentoring individuals. It is so rewarding to see others succeed at what they want to do. Having said that, I have always been a strong advocate for mentoring nutrition students, interns and newly graduated dietitians. As much as individuals learn from me, the nutrition students, interns and newly graduated dietitians also teach me a lot as well. I truly am grateful for all the nutrition students, interns and newly graduated dietitians I have met and/or mentored. I would be not be the person I am today without you all.

In an earlier post, I hinted at the fact that I was not always comfortable in the kitchen. Since November 2017, I have been diligently attending culinary courses through George Brown College to sharpen my skills. In 2018, I completed Rustic French, Northern Italy, Mexican, Sushi and Knife Skills. I’m registered for BBQ next.

In 2018, my husband and I went to France for vacation. Because I have not spoken French for ~15 years, I decided to take some private tutor classes to brush up on this language. I am by no means fluent; however, I was very proud of myself to be able to make conversation with Parisians while in France. In today’s society, the focus and/or goal is to be a global citizen. Knowing one more language fluently will position you better. Knowing I have a good base in French, it makes me really want to better my French language skill.

Over the past year, my husband and I also have talked about buying a piano. We have not made the purchase yet. For someone who has completed level 10 in piano, I am shocked at myself as I have not touched the piano for at least 20 years. Although my fingers have some muscle memory, I have lost so much of the technical skills. Piano is a skill I’d like to rebuild as I now realize how lucky I was to have become so accomplished at an instrument at an early age.

In 2018, I finally feel like I achieved a good work life balance. I don’t know what 2019 will bring but I look forward to 365 new days. 🙂

Wishing you the very best in 2019!!!!!!

Food For Thought: What are your takeaways from 2018?

In today’s day and age, the philosophy is “if you don’t document it and post it on some form of social media, it did not happen”. When does this philosophy become toxic? In a world where communication has gotten so easy, why are there more and more people who claim to be lonely?  We must all remember that social media is not always reflective of real life. Social media is used by individuals to portray a certain angle of his/her life.

In the past, I’ve definitely been guilty of wanting to take pictures of my food; I may have also been guilty of answering phone calls and/or messages during gatherings. As I grow older, I really strive to put away the phone and be present during all gatherings so that I am able to hear and see everything that is going on. Yes- this does mean that all events are not documented in my life; however, the best memories live on in your head forever.

Personally, I believe I take on the role of the listener more often than the talker. I’m happy to share details of my life with individuals but I am happier and/or more comfortable listening to others. During counselling sessions and/or during undergraduate studies, active listening is a skill that is taught and learned.

What is Active Listening?

Active listening is not just hearing what the other person is saying but also seeing the complete message (i.e. incorporating the non-verbal cues). The goal of active listening is to help nurture relationships, build trust, avoid misunderstandings and creating an authentic & genuine connection.

Why is active listening so hard to master? Think about all those times when you’ve tuned out and/or mentally checked out of a conversation. Ask yourselves these questions:

1. Were you not interested in having a conversation with the other individual?
2. Was your mind somewhere else during the conversation?
3. Were there physical distractions during the conversation (i.e. lots of noise, a cute guy/girl walked by, a store display you really wanted to check out, etc.)?
4. Did certain words in the conversation trigger you to tune out and/or check out?
5. Did a certain tone of voice cause you to tune out?

Being aware of your own barriers to active listening can help you learn to overcome these barriers. In the end, you will have more effective active listening skills.

If you are practicing active listening, you’ll be able to retain more of what others tell you. Are you pleasantly surprised at what some individuals can remember what you’ve told them in the past? Being able to retain the small details is often a positive outcome of active listening. By remembering the small details from a conversation can show an individual you really do care.

Food For Thought: Now that Christmas is over, you may be thinking of New Year’s Resolutions and/or Goals for 2019. Would you like to develop more nurturing, authentic and genuine relationships? Would you like to avoid misunderstandings? Practice active listening. If you feel like you are not a very good active listener, identify what your barriers are. Learn to become aware of these barriers and how to overcome these challenges. Once you have mastered the skill of active listening, your relationships can really be strengthened in a positive way. Let’s start to have more REAL conversations. 😉

With less than one week to go, Christmas will officially be here. As a family, December is always a special time of year because my sister and I are both December babies. I may be biased but I really do enjoy the holidays and the time leading up to the holidays. Not only does the city light up with beautiful decorations but it’s truly a time of year where you get together with loved ones and spend much needed quality time. Toronto still has a

In the past, I’ve definitely enjoyed the process of drawing up a list of what gifts to buy for whom. There is a certain element of excitement and happiness when you know you’ve bought the perfect gift for someone; however, as the years go by, I realize it’s not the things you buy for someone but it’s the time you spend with someone that matters.

This time of year can be quite stressful for many individuals not only from the dilemma of not knowing what to buy for whom but also from a financial perspective and also from a time management perspective. There just never seems to be enough time to do everything on your “To Do List”.

To help improve and/or maintain your mental health status, here are some suggestions:

1. If gift giving is causing you unneeded financial stress, would you be able to cut back?
2. If you have received many holiday party invitations and are overwhelmed, who are the individuals with whom you’d like to spend time with the most? It’s okay to be “choosy”. Your time is precious too!
3. In the spirit of giving, have you given back? Giving back does not always mean making a monetary donation to your favourite charity but it also could mean donating your time with an organization that is meaningful to you.

Food For Thought: In the midst of the hustle & bustle, have you spent enough quality time with loved ones over this period of time?