For years I actually wanted to be a Home Economics teacher. Then in transition year I did 2 weeks work experience in a local pharmacy and from there I started to think maybe I wanted to do something in healthcare.
So I started to look through what sort of healthcare jobs existed. By the time I came to fill in the CAO for college my top 3 choices were:
- Pharmacy (there were only 2 courses in Ireland back then)
- Dietetics (there was only 1 course with a maximum intake of approx. 23 people)
- Home Economics & Biology teaching
Roll on to leaving cert results day – back then you were brought into the principle’s office & handed your results. The principle asked me what my first & second choice on the CAO was and what points I needed for them – when I told him he responded ‘well you’ll have your second choice anyway’.
So I didn’t actually get my first choice but….if I got my first choice I wouldn’t be The Ordinary Dietitian now. And as my husband once said to me if I had got my first choice maybe our paths would never have crossed and we wouldn’t have the family we have now. So I’m a firm believer in ‘what’s meant for you won’t pass you by’.
Off I went to Dublin in September 2002 to start Human Nutrition and Dietetics which was based between Dublin Institute of Technology & Trinity College Dublin.
Back then the course took 4 & ½ years to complete. I stayed in digs for my first year were they didn’t supply meals but we could use the fridge for small bits and had use of the microwave.
My diet then was far from ideal but, given the circumstances, in hindsight I didn’t do to bad. My main vice was probably my intake of fizzy drinks, in particular cola.
I had gone from being a child who only occasionally drank fizzy drinks to developing a big liking for them in my teenage years!
But during that first year of college I realised if I was going to be a dietitian I needed to a least practice some of what I would preach!
So I started with cutting out the cola – I am not going to lie it was hard. I had a 2 litre bottle in my wardrobe ‘just in case’ and I actually got up one night and drank a few mouthfuls out of it to kill the craving I was having!
But, with time, I got used to not having it and replaced it with water – it did take time but I did succeed. Another change I made was starting to drink milk.
As a child I had got turned off milk because the milk carton’s we got in school put ‘a smell on my hands’, so I completely stopped drinking milk with the exception of having it in cereal (thankfully I always loved cheese and yogurts and used them to make up for the lack of milk).
Anyway, I decided I would make myself start drinking milk. Again it was hard, at the beginning I used to gag when I would try to swallow it but, slowly but surely, I started to actually like it and then it became the norm to have a glass with a meal or snack.
I tell you this because I feel people think that dietitians are people who have always ate healthy and that is definitely not the case. We are human & just like everyone else have to work at making sure our food intake is balanced.
So how did I manage with just a microwave to have any sort of deceit food? Well on Monday’s I got dinner in college, then made a boiled egg in the kettle in my bedroom for tea-time, which I’d have with some soda bread.
Tuesdays, I mastered making ‘stir-fry’ from frozen veg in the microwave which I’d have with microwavable rice. Wednesday I’d have dinner in college and bought a toasted sandwich maker for my room so that would be tea.
Then on Thursdays I’d ‘treat’ myself to a small takeaway pizza. On Friday I would practically run home to Roscommon for a weekend of home cooked meals!
Thankfully my subsequent accommodation had more options for cooking and I tried to always cook a dinner in the evenings after college.
I finally finished college in December 2006 with a plan to stay in Dublin for a few years. But my first job took me to Sligo & once I moved back ‘west of the Shannon’ I never looked back….
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Disclaimer:
The information provided in this blog/newsletter is intended for healthy adults seeking general guidance on nutrition and healthy eating habits. It is important to note that the advice and recommendations provided are not a substitute for personalized, one-to-one advice from a qualified healthcare professional, such as a registered dietitian or physician. It is essential to consider your individual circumstances, preferences, and any specific dietary restrictions or allergies you may have when applying the information provided. We do not assume any liability for the use of the information provided in this newsletter. By accessing and utilizing this information, you acknowledge and agree that you are doing so at your own risk.
