Build Up Book Mark - 1/16/23

Quitting Twitter, AI and Images of RDs, Spotlight on Julianne Steenkamer, Dietitian for Meals on Wheels, #IdentifyTheFood (Don't yuck someone else's yum) and a Podcast Pick about celiac disease.

😢Don’t Look for Us on Twitter/”X” Any More

Like many others, we’re “bailing” on Twitter/”X” due to the negativity, bots ….and the fact that some of our favorite @’s have moved on to other platforms. You can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Threads (but just a little) and of course on our website: Build Up Dietitians

🤔What’s AI Doing to RDs?

Thanks to our friend Sophie Medlin aka @sophiedietitian (Sophie was a moderator for Build Up Dietitians a while ago!) for sharing some of the whacky images of dietitians that AI comes up with.

look at the ‘hands” and eyes!

Which prompted us to look for ourselves…

How about this one (above)? Apparently, a clinical dietitian in a hospital on a ward, sporting the ubiquitous stethoscope you see in all stock images, and posing with a tray of whole fruit. Be sure and notice her different shaped eyes, and oddly long fingers - both hall marks of AI. Does this RD plan to hand out whole carrots and pineapples to patients? There was virtually no ethnic or body size diversity in any of the AI generated images for the term “dietitian”.

How do we combat this? As dietitian Pam Charney points out, “…This shows a need for us to change our narrative. AI images are generated from huge amounts of text and photos already out there. There is a known bias in AI. But if most of what we post is images of RDs with food, that’s what you get!”

So it’s up to US to change the narrative and post photos of RDs doing different aspects of our jobs that aren’t just in hospitals and aren’t just with food.

But that’s still better than this Shutterstock image posted by Natalie A. (be sure and note the caption!)

👋RD Spotlight: Meet Juliane Steenkamer, MS, RDN

Nutrition Coordinator of Meals on Wheels

What you do for Meals on Wheels and why is your background as a dietitian important in this role?

I work for the hunger relief organization, Feed More based in Richmond, VA (feedmore.org) as their Nutrition Coordinator for Meals on Wheels. I develop the menu/recipes for medically tailored meals delivered to our homebound seniors. We contract with senior agencies in Virginia to provide these meals and they need to meet Older American Act nutritional guidelines. My expertise as a dietitian is critical to making sure every meal is as nutrient packed, colorful, and tasty as possible and meets their therapeutic dietary needs.

What would you want fellow dietitians to know about Meals on Wheels?

MOW is more than just a meal- they advocate for our homebound seniors at the policy level (learn more at mealsonwheelsamerrica.org) and the daily meal delivery, safety check and social interaction is critical to helping our seniors live independently in their home.

(This month’s subscription/donation recipient is Meals on Wheels. If you become an annual subscriber (for less than $1/week) we’ll donate $5 to Meals on Wheels.)

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