Check out my FaceBook page!

Facebook pages can be a great way to get information out to a large amount of people. It is quick and easy to post information which can be accessed by everyone. That's why I have started a FaceBook page!

Image on page from: http://www.themagazine.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/apples-ca.jpg

The purpose of this page is to provide a space where ALES 204 students can find reliable nutrition information and ask questions. On my FaceBook page you will find current and possibly controversial nutrition topics discussed. You will also be able to ask questions and can expect a valid and truthful answer. Be warned though, some questions will not have a solid, concrete answers! Many aspects of nutrition are not black and white. There can be a lot of in-betweens, exceptions, grey area, and long-winded answers to simple questions that you may have thought would get a yes or no answer. All of the information posted on the page will be accurate and from reliable sources. I will do my best to answer all questions to the best of my ability. Check out my page here and like page and share it with your friends. To find other FaceBook pages that might be useful look at Jen's blog and Erika's blog as they are also creating FaceBook pages.

FaceBook pages such as ones similar to mine can be a great way to advance careers and businesses. Not only is it free advertising, but it's a good way for prospective clients to get some information about services you have to offer and areas of specialization or expertise. For me personally, I hope that one day I will be able to use FaceBook as part of a private practice in nutrition to gain new clients and disperse reliable nutrition information. It can be a place for people to ask quick questions if they don't have time to have a full appointment; it can also be a place for people to post their questions they wish to be addressed in an appointment. Others may have the same questions that have already been asked so it can also be a way to find reliable information about specific topics. Relevant links and articles will also be posted in the page so that people can research further into topics of their interests. See more about how FaceBook can be used for businesses here.

Introduction

I'm currently in my 4th year in the Nutrition major program with a goal of becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD). Dietitians are nutrition professionals that are registered under a provincial regulatory board. Dietitians can work in a variety of settings including but not limited to clinical, private practice, food service management and policy development. To learn more about the role of a dietitian or how to become a dietitian check out the Dietitians of Canada website.

Communication plays a very important role in nutrition and nutrition education. Nutrition information can be found every from the news, commercials on the radio and TV, magazines, from friends and family, and from health care practitioners to name a few. A major problem today is mixed messaging. The classic example is butter vs. margarine.

Image from http://blogs.canoe.ca/healthierhappierwiser/health/guest-blogger-butter-vs-margarine/

It seems like one day people are told that butter is better than margarine and the next they are being told the opposite. This leads to people not listening to nutrition information and just choosing whatever they like best. Furthermore anyone can give nutrition information and when people are receiving it they need to decide whether it is coming form a credible source or not. 

A possible was to combat these 2 issues are health care professionals using social media to deliver consistent messaging. Since social media is so popular it has the potential to deliver reliable information from a credible to source to a large amount of the population. Currently there are quite a few blogs written by RD's about health and nutrition. Take a look at a few: A Girl and Her Carrot, A Bite of Wellness Wisdom, Healthy and Happy Hour. 

Looking forward to a fun semester of blogging! Check you another nutrition students blog here!