Dietitian Alexa Schmidt joins SOSCuisine

Emilie Zaoré November 10, 2021 Dietitian, Our Team

There’s a new face in our Nutrition team: Alexa Schmidt, a nutritionist-dietitian, who joined SOSCuisine this fall. She accompanies our VIP members who need personalized support. Being passionate about the health and cooking fields, Alexa has also chosen the dietitian profession for the positive impact it can have in people’s lives.

How did you discover your interest in nutrition?

I have always loved the health field. My mother worked in the field, and I thought to myself that I’d like to make it my career as well. In addition, since I was a young child, I have loved to cook! I’d watch cooking shows on TV, buy lots of cookbooks, and then try to adapt the dishes into healthier versions. As the profession of a dietitian combines both cooking and health, I knew very quickly that it was perfect for me.

So I decided to go and study nutrition at Moncton University. In New Brunswick, there is no CEGEP, so I was able to start my university program faster.  In the very last year, I completed exciting and diverse internships in the hospital environment. That’s where I really discovered what interested me most in the field of nutrition.

First of all, I did an internship in bariatrics, so with people who have had surgery for weight loss. They need a dietitian to accompany them, and I found it very interesting to guide them. I also completed an internship with people who were living with eating disorders, which required a completely different approach. It was very rewarding. I really felt that I could see a positive impact in people’s lives.

How did you end up in the SOSCuisine team?

I saw the job offer pass through my network of dietitian colleagues, but I already knew about SOSCuisine.  I had already read some blog articles and the scientific articles had helped me in my practice. I tried my best to land the job, and now I’m lucky to be a part of the team too!

What is your role at SOSCuisine?

At SOSCuisine, I mainly take care of clinical support for VIP clients. In fact, I really like private consultations. You can really take the time to get to know people well and better advise them. Just doing an evaluation of someone’s nutritional habits can take a lot of time! Sometimes, in a hospital setting, we have just a few minutes with each patient. This is not always the ideal context for giving recommendations. In private consultation, we can take the time to explain and teach the concepts well. In addition, client questions push me to stay up to date in the field of nutrition and do additional research.

Coming up next, I will be writing articles for the blog as well. SOSCuisine likes to stay on top of trends and news, which is something that I care about too. I think it’s important to be interested in topics that affect the public. 

What is the main challenge you face as a dietitian?

In nutrition, there is a lot of talk about prevention. If we think, for example, of hypertension, diabetes or cholesterol, we are aiming for long-term effects. Not everyone can see that the dietary changes we make today will be beneficial later. With the exception of some gastrointestinal problems such as celiac disease or IBS, we do not always see the immediate impacts. So, there are people who are more reluctant or less motivated to change their eating habits.

Alexa in the kitchen

If I were a food, I would be… maple syrup! It represents Quebec well and it is very versatile.

My culinary specialty is…poke bowls. I find them fresh and colorful. Once again, they are versatile: you can add any vegetables you want and come up with different versions.

In my kitchen, I avoid… sugary drinks such as carbonated drinks.

My preferred SOSCuisine recipe… Black Beans Brownies. I really like desserts with a healthy twist.

Black Beans Brownies

Author

Emilie Zaoré

A graduate of UQAM and the University of Montreal, Émilie has been a freelance communications expert since 2012. A foodie and passionate about new technologies, she's always on the lookout for trends and loves to share fascinating tidbits on social media.