USING YOUR TALENTS

"Where will I find a skilled dietitian?" I asked earnestly of my counselor.

Her answer surprised me when she replied that she believed I already have the skills to correct my eating disorder.

And, of course, I do!

I spent my entire life, sixty years, preparing satisfying and nutritious meals. From age six, I worked under the direction of my grandmother to prepare infant formula, toddler meals, homemade bread and entrees for the evening meal. By age twelve, my sister and I had full charge of the cooking and housekeeping for a family of eight. And at fifteen, I left home to make my way in the world relying on the skill I knew best - preparing healthily meals.

I worked first on a tourist farm in Prince Edward Island and then for a fly-in fishing camp in northern Ontario. After that, I took a position as first cook for the James Bay General Hospital in the Attawapiskat village where I developed menus utilizing wild game provided by the families of the First Nations patients, and more tame fare for the hospital cafeteria which served not only the nursing staff, but also any visitors to the community.

From there, looking for a less demanding role, I began working as a gang cook for Canadian National Railway. Accommodating to the challenges of procuring food while on the move from community to community, I cooked for 8-32 men while traveling the rails of northern Ontario and Manitoba.

Before leaving the workplace to marry and raise a family, I worked for a brief time as Chief Petty Officer on the icebreaker, Alexander Henry, keeping a crew of 32 fed as they picked up buoys at freeze-up on Lake Superior.

When my children were small, I ran my own catering business, specializing in fancy baked goods and diets tailored to client's medical conditions. Once I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I taught classes in my home to assist parents in cooking gluten-free meals for their children. As my own health declined, I adapted a 1000 calorie diet based on the diabetic guidelines and continued to eat by those rules for the next twenty years.

Having said all the above, is it any wonder my counselor considered me well equipped to know what to eat and when to eat it!