Interview with Registered Dietitian Assignment

Alexandra Larson MS, RD, LD

651-328-3386
Sports Nutrition
606 55th Street NE
Rochester, MN 55906

Wendy Barth

Due: November 12, 2014

 I chose to interview Alexandra Larson for the assignment of interviewing a registered

dietitian. She is young but has worked in the field of sports nutrition. She has earned the titles of

MS, RD and, LD, which I feel is a great achievement already. In my Interview with Mrs. Larson,

I asked questions pertaining to her education, career history, impacts from dietetics in her daily

life, how she got into sports nutrition, and much more.

Education of the Dietitian

Alexandra received a Bachelors of Science degree from the University Wisconsin-Stout.

She then went on to get her MS in professional development from Winona State University. She

completed that while working for a company called Hy-Vee as they covered some of her tuition

for school.

Is an Advanced Degree Needed?

Alexandra said that it will soon be required for RDs to have an advanced degree and

recommends looking for one that really interests me not just because I need it.

Career History from Graduation to Present

Alex started off working for Hy-Vee as a supermarket dietitian in Winona, Minnesota

from 2010 to 2014. Now she works as a health and wellness program manager for the Midwest

Dairy Council. She has also wrote blogs and articles of food and nutrition for websites and news

articles which you can find online. Off to the side she has worked in non-profit and government

organizations.
Present Position

Alex does not presently worked in sports nutrition but has had a great deal of experience

with it. She currently is working for the Midwest Dairy Council. In this job she promotes dairy

and travels to different conferences to do so.

Her View of the Interrelationships of Dietitians and Other Members of the Health Care Team

Alexandra said she has worked with many different kind of people and have always

enjoyed it and the different roles she has played. If she ever ran into any problems she said she

would work it out and fix it right away.

Area of Dietetics she Believe Provides the Greatest Potential for Job Opportunities in the Future

Alex believes that clinical always has different openings and would be a great future job,

but also working with communities and promoting healthy choice food is growing and is a great

future opportunity.

Her View on Competitiveness the Field of Dietetics

She believes that in the sports dietetics field it is very competitive because the jobs are

not plentiful and you would have to be willing to move and work where it is needed.
Most Frustrating Part of Her Job

Alex says as a dietitian it is a constant struggle dealing with people who hear or read

misinformation about food, diets and agriculture. Food is a complex issue where people will base

their information on fear not research based facts.

How Her Education and Experience in the Dietetics Field Influences Her Daily Life

Alex eats healthier and exercises often. She likes to partake in Triathlons and designs

meal plans and snacks that will help her perform her best.

What Got Her into Sports Nutrition

My dietitian has done many things that got her into sports nutrition. She has worked as an

assistant football coach working in the nutrition field. She worked with a cross country team and

planed out meals to help with stamina and energy for long distance running. She helped these

teams by being a sports nutrition counselor.

Most Common Questions/ Misconceptions of Sports Nutrition Asked

The most common question asked by athletes were what snacks to eat to help them

preform to their highest potential. Misconceptions she saw were that athletes think they need to

eat a lot of protein or take protein powder when in reality they really dont and can get the energy

they need from common foods like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Her View on Important Qualities to have as a Person Working in Sports Nutrition

Alexandra believes that some important qualities to have are be willing to work with

anyone, have good people skills, be passionate about sports nutrition, and be creative.

Foods that Athletes Should Include in their Diets

CHOCOLATE MILK She cant emphasize this enough she says. Its fantastic for

recovery and has the right amount of carbs protein, and electrolytes and also hydrates the body.

She also says for endurance athletes to eat potatoes. She says that when she is doing her

triathlons she brings pre-cooked potatoes which she puts in a pouch and eats while in the biking

segment of her race. She even told me how she cooks them but doesnt know how to make them

a little more salty. They have great benefits to endurance athletes because of their carbohydrates,

vitamins, and minerals.

Advice She Would Give a Student Interested in a Career in Sports Nutrition

Advice she gave me for going into a career in sports dietetics was to do my research.

Look to colleges and fitness clubs for they would be my best bet on getting a job. She also said

work towards getting your sports nutrition certification and get my hours in. Alex also told me to

take into account that there is not as big of a need for sports dietitians and to be flexible.
Reference List:
http://www.eatright.org/search.aspx?search=sports%20nutrition

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/chocolate-milk-after-

workout/

Witerfeldt, Esther, Margaret Bogle, and Lea Ebro. Dietetics Practice and Future Trends. Third

ed. Sudbury, Massacusetts: Jones and Bartlett, 2011. 148-149. Print.

http://www.winonadailynews.com/search/?

l=50&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&byline=Alexandra%20Economy%0AFor%20the

%20Love%20of%20Food%20and%20Health
11/12/14

Wendy Barth
1105 3rd St. East
Menomonie, WI 54751

Alexandra Larson
606 55th Street NE
Rochester, MN 55906

Dear Mrs. Larson,

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule to answer my questions.

I greatly appreciate it and really enjoyed learning a little more in depth about sports nutrition.

It is really cool that you apply your knowledge of sports nutrition to your triathlons. I also

thought it was great learning that you are a stout graduate and you started at the same place as I

am and became very successful. Thanks again for allowing me to interview you, you are a great

role model to all of us pursuing a career in dietetics.

Sincerely,

Wendy Barth
 Rubric for the Interview with Registered Dietitian Assignment

This assignment should include the following:

Requirements Possi Your

ble
Score
Points
Report Total
40
Length 3-4 Pages 5
Format 5
Information in Report: 25

Education of Dietitian
Route to ADA Registration
Career History
Dietitians Present Position
Interrelationships to Health Care Team
Other Comments
Plus the

4 research questions
Spelling/Grammar 5
Thank You Letter Content/spelling and 5
grammar
Final Assignment Cover Sheet 5
Turned in by Due Date (Loss of 5 points/day(s)
late)
Attach this Form to Assignment 5
55
TOTAL: