Guest Post: The Word on Nutrition

By Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D., C.D.E.

One thing we dietitians love to do is spread the word on nutrition. We enthusiastically share information with our patients and clients and at speaking engagements and whenever we meet someone who then asks “What do you?” The size of our audience varies depending on our setting. Teaching classes and speaking to groups is one way to get your message out to a large group of people, but your largest audience may be for the written word. If you want to share your enthusiasm for the power of good nutrition with the masses, consider writing for magazines and websites. Consumers crave health and fitness information and scour websites and magazines for the latest news and best tips. A lot of that information is wrong or misleading and sometimes even harmful. As a nutrition expert and writer, you can give the consumer accurate, useful information.

Not every nutrition guru, however, is an effective writer. Knowing your subject doesn’t mean you can write about it in a clear, interesting and meaningful way – or in a way that editors want. You need nearly perfect grammar skills (fortunately editors pick up and fix tiny mistakes), writing skills, creativity and organization. If you have some of these but not all of them, find a mentor, take a class at the community college or online and visit the library for books on writing and grammar.

Ask yourself how writing fits into your business plan. Do you want to increase your name recognition in your local area to build your private practice? If so, write for local publications. They may not pay much, but your pay will come in the form of a byline. Writing for dietetics and nutrition trade magazines will help you get your name and expertise out in front of other dietitians. If you want to position yourself as an expert on a grander scale, aim for national consumer magazines and websites. Study them for content, style, length and format before you approach editors. Most editors will ask for writing samples. If you don’t already have clips, contact your local and regional newspapers, parenting magazines, business magazines and other local publications. They are usually easier to break into. Not only will you start to build a portfolio, you will learn something along the way. Pick your publications carefully. There are plenty of online sites that will take your articles for free or for a few dollars, but are these the types of sites that you want to associate your name? Some will be, but others can look very bad to editors of respected publications. Just like with food, quality counts more than quantity.

Bio

Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D., C.D.E speaks, writes and cooks up all things nutrition and diabetes. Her work has appeared in Diabetic Living, Environmental Nutrition, EatingWell, My Weight Loss, Today’s Dietitian and other national publications. For two years, she was Contributing Nutrition Editor for Her Sports + Fitness magazine. Jill is currently working on a weight loss book for people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association is the publisher. Look for it in Spring 2012. Jill earned both a communication’s degree and a master’s of science degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida. When she’s not writing health articles, creating something in the kitchen, consulting to businesses or counseling patients to make reasonable and sustainable lifestyle changes, she’s out enjoying mountain biking with her family or somewhere relaxing with a teeny tiny bite of chocolate (or two). Find her at www.allthatsnutrition.com and follow her on Twitter: @nutritionjill.