January 15, 2018
Now introducing this month's Featured Student Member, Flannery Nielsen, a Master’s student and 2018 Dietetic Internship candidate at Bastyr University. Flannery is pursuing her Master’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. Her professional interests include women’s health, hormone balance, autoimmune disorders, community education and intuitive eating. She also loves yoga, cooking for friends and family and traveling.
Who or what inspired you to become interested in integrative and functional nutrition?
I first became interested in integrative and functional nutrition about 5 years ago when I started working with a Naturopathic Doctor to resolve some personal health issues. She helped me discover multiple food allergies and intolerances and opened my eyes to a different way of approaching medicine. Changing the way I ate really revolutionized the way I felt both physically and emotionally. It was around the same time that I started practicing yoga which introduced me to the idea of the mind-body connection. This practice really resonated with me and complemented the new lifestyle I was creating for myself. What started as a personal health journey quickly became a desire to learn more and help others improve their health and learn to thrive in their own bodies, too. When I discovered the DIFM practice group after starting my Master’s degree, I knew right away that this was the type of practice and community that I had been seeking and that I wanted to be a part of.
What area of practice do you plan to go into and how do you plan to secure a job that utilizes integrative and functional nutrition?
There are so many areas that interest me right now that it’s hard for me visualize where exactly I will end up after my internship! I would like to eventually work in private practice, but I also love to do nutrition and culinary education. So I would like to do public health or community work, as well. It seems that securing a job that utilizes integrative and functional medicine is often about creating your own opportunities. Whether it is working in private practice, writing a blog or introducing integrative ideas in a more traditional setting I think it’s most important be willing to trail blaze a bit when necessary.
What education or training in integrative and functional nutrition have you completed or what education or training in integrative and functional nutrition do you plan to complete in the future?
I am very lucky because my program at Bastyr University incorporates integrative and functional nutrition into a lot of my courses. The past DIFM chair, Kelly Morrow, is one of my professors and she is such a wealth of knowledge when it comes integrative and functional therapies. I also attended the DIFM symposium at FNCE® this past October which was an amazing presentation and got me very excited to learn more about genetics and nutrition. I am looking forward to completing the Certificate of Training in Integrative and Functional Nutrition through the Academy Center for Lifelong Learning, as well. I haven’t started yet, but I would love to have that foundation before starting an internship (hopefully!) in the Fall.
What advice would you give other students interested in learning more about integrative and functional nutrition?
I would encourage them to find integrative and functional RDNs practicing in their area and ask if they can work or volunteer with them. I’ve worked for a local RDN here in Seattle for the past 2.5 years while I’ve been in school and it’s been a great way to get exposed to the both new research and the ideas and philosophies that make up the foundation of an integrative and functional nutrition practice.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Flannery!