Hello hello hellooo guys!

Today, I’m bringing on Winnie Liong from @winniesbalance_. She is a #RD2Be ( Registered Dietitian to be ) who just finished her dietetic internship ( DI ) at Cal Poly Pomona! She kicked ass in her DI while also creating content for brands, developing bomb recipes for her 76k IG followers, and spending quality time with her fiancé. SOOO, naturally I had ask her to share all of her tips and tricks for balancing it all during the dietetic internship!!

Make sure to take notes, she shares SOOOO many good tips!!

♡

Give us a little background on yourself!

My name is Winnie and I went to Cal Poly Pomona for my B.S. in Nutrition Dietetics! After graduating in 2016, I took two years off to work in an eating disorder treatment center which drove my passion to work with eating disorders. I personally struggled with disordered eating habits in the past so this was something that was dear to my heart. I desire to help others eat intuitively and connect with their own bodies to find it’s own personal needs. After two years of working, I started my dietetic internship in 2018 at Cal Poly Pomona and graduated this past May 2019. Currently, I’m studying for my exam while balancing my work with Instagram! After passing, I do want to continue on Instagram because I find so much joy in sharing recipes, about nutrition and encouraging others to develop a healthy relationship with food. Also, I do plan to get a part-time RD job in outpatient counseling/eating disorders!

Tell us about your dietetic internship program and your experience applying!

My dietetic internship was through Cal Poly Pomona. My experience applying was a whirlwind! First of all, DICAS is a lot of work. You need to research on all the programs you want to apply to and send extra supplemental materials if required. You need to get your transcripts in ASAP. I ran into some troubles where I had to call DICAS but I had it all solved in time. In addition, I was working 4 times a week at an eating disorder treatment center so I had to learn a lot of good time management techniques. Keep in mind, programs only accept a small number of interns so it’s EXTREMELY competitive. I had to keep convincing myself to stay positive, keep working hard and things will fall into place exactly where it needed to be.

What was your favorite rotation? Least favorite?

My favorite rotation was community college counseling! I love counseling in general because I value the extra time I do get with clients. I enjoy spending more time getting to know my patient and tailoring the counseling/education session to meet their needs. My least favorite was my food service rotation.

What was the biggest challenge you experienced during the dietetic internship?

The biggest challenge I experienced was to overcome my fear of not knowing everything. Before every rotation, I’d review all I think I needed to know. After my rotation days, I’d go home to review the notes but I’d still run into situations where I don’t know the answer to. I was asked many questions I did not know the answer to and I constantly put myself down for it. I was very critical of myself. I had to overcome this through telling myself that as much as I can prepare for each rotation, it’s all a learning process, just like many things in life. We can prepare as much as we can but we can’t expect ourselves to perfect everything without practice/exposure to difficult situations.

What do you wish you knew before you started your dietetic internship?

I wish I knew that it’s always important to speak up. You’re given a lot of tasks and projects but the RDs you work with also have a lot to learn from you. You bring new things to the table and thats the amazing thing about being part of a team. Don’t be afraid to share ideas or change up some tasks by first bringing it to the RD. If they don’t accept it, no worries! This shows initiative, leadership and creative thinking!

During your internship, you also ran your Instagram account, @winniesbalance. Do you have any tips for someone entering their dietetic internship while also working on their side hustle? How did you manage your time?

This was a very difficult thing to balance! I was unable to take photos of any of my breakfasts/lunches when I was in my rotations. I did a lot of meal prep on the weekends or the Mondays I had off and shot photos of all my meals for the week. I then planned and drafted them to post on weekdays! It required a LOT of planning, scheduling when my shooting days would be and making sure i had all the ingredients I need for all my recipes. I also worked with many brands at this time so there were a lot of content deadlines which I was very stressed about often since I didn’t have many days off to allow for shooting content. Overall, making sure you don’t overload yourself and understand your own capabilities is super important! Take on what you can and step back when you know you need mental/emotional rest.

What are your top 3 pieces of advice for someone just starting their dietetic internship?

1. Always have a notebook and pen on you. You will be required to jot down notes often or random things that your preceptor/RD tells you. This will help prevent them repeating the same thing to you!

2. Flexibility is key. You may be thrown everywhere according to what area needs help during your rotation and you need to accept it. Sometimes, the tasks may make you question how it benefits you as a future RD, but dietetic interns are sometimes just given those tasks.

3. All RDs work different so just because the RD you worked with today charts/words things a certain way, don’t expect it to be the same when you work with a different RD the next day. Always do what you’re taught and check in with the RD. Write down notes on how each RD charts so you can find what works for you!

Rapid Questions:

What are three pantry and fridge staples?

Pantry staples are definitely oatmeal, granola and nut butter! My fridge staples are almond milk, eggs and kombucha!

What kitchen gadgets and utensils could you never live without?

I can’t live without my toaster or blender! I love making smoothies so a blender is a necessity for me. I use a toaster everyday because I have some form of bread (sliced, bagel, english muffin,etc) everyday, I like it EXTRA toasty and a toaster does that effortlessly!

You can’t leave your house without…

a big bottle of water, my phone, a snack (either chips, nuts) and my chapstick!

How do you like your coffee? We love specifics!;)

My order is always an americano with a splash of almond milk or a cold brew with a splash of almond/oat milk! I love the coffee taste itself!

Fave LA restaurants or coffee shops?

Favorite LA restaurants are True Food Kitchen, Panini Cafe, Cava Grill, Gracias Madre, Lemonade, Sugarfish! My favorite coffee shops are Philz Coffee, Copa Vida, Intelligentsia, Document Coffee Bar and Love Coffee!

If we were to start with one Winnies Balance recipe, which one should we make?

Definitely the easy cheesy tahini sauce! 🙂

Where can we find you?

You can always find my in my kitchen cooking up some meals or out with friends enjoying a delicious brunch or making a coffee/ice cream run 🙂

♡

Thank you so much Winnie!!

You can find Winnie on Instagram ( @winniesbalance_ ) and her blog, winniesbalance.com.

Let me know your thoughts on this interview on my latest Instagram post!

xx hails