CL’s Interview with SELF’s Eat Like Me blogger, Sarah-Jane Bedwell

Sarah-Jane Bedwell, a registered dietician from Nashville, Tennessee, is Self Magazine’s new Eat Like Me blogger. She posts what she eats every day, as well as easy recipes and nutrition news. College Lifestyles spoke with her to find out about her college experience, her plans for Eat Like Me and her easy recipes perfect for classy co-eds!

College Lifestyles: Have you always been interested in health? How did you choose nutrition as a career path?

Sarah-Jane Bedwell: I’ve always been interested in health and the human body. When I  was in high school and in college, I ran cross country competitively. I started out as an exercise science major, and I was doing well with my running but when I was a sophomore I really started to have problems running that I’d never had before. I just couldn’t figure it out. I couldn’t run very far anymore and I was often short of breath. I went to doctors and physical therapists, and I really thought there was something wrong with my muscles but it turned out that I was actually anemic because I had been restrictive in terms of eating. I didn’t eat red meat and other foods because I thought it would make me a better runner, but it turned out I wasn’t getting enough iron. The doctor referred me to dietician, and I realized I knew a lot about exercise but not much about nutrition. She was very inspiring to me and I decided I wanted to change my major to nutrition.

CL: What was your college experience like? Is there any advice you’d give to co-eds?

SJB: Overall it was a great experience. I wasn’t too far from home, only about 3.5 hours away, so I could go home occasionally on weekends. One thing that got me into trouble is that I would go too far to extremes and try to take on too much with running, classes and extracurriculars. Really, I’ve learned that having balance is important even if that means saying no to a few things. You’ll end up doing things better than if you try to take on too much at once. And you also need to have time for yourself!  In order to feel the best and the healthiest, it really is important to take the time to maintain balance.

CL: How long have you been blogging about nutrition?

SJB: I’ve been blogging for three or four years now. I had a personal blog through my website where I did the same type of thing [as Eat Like Me]. I gave nutrition advice and shared my travels and eating experiences and recipes. It’s funny because blogs were’t even around when I was in high school, and now they’re a big part of my career!

CL: How did you feel when you were chosen to be Self’s ELM blogger, and what has your experience been like so far?

SJB: I was so excited and honored. The other dieticians I was up against were all incredible in terms of their knowledge and they were all great candidates. I’ve had a great experience so far and it’s really fun to get feedback from readers and write about something I love. One thing I want to do more of is video posts. They’re a lot easier to do now and they’re a fun way to connect to readers more personally. I’m definitely planning on keeping the things like the recipes and the latest findings in nutrition news.

Sarah-Jane's Apple Crisp Breakfast

CL: What health goals do you set for yourself?

SJB: My motto is all things in moderation. Rather than having specific guidelines, I try to focus on listening to my body and usually if I do that I’ll eat things to make me feel good and exercise to make myself feel good, so I end up making good choices and getting exercise in. When I don’t pay attention to my body, that’s when it’s the hardest. But I definitely include dessert now and then, and there really are no foods I never eat.

SJB: I made up my apple crisp breakfast when I was in college. You take a quarter cup of  granola with raisins, half a cup bran flakes, and mix that with natural unsweetened apple sauce and cinnamon. It’s a really nutritious breakfast because it’s packed with vitamins and minerals, and I usually have glass skim milk with it for protein. Once in college, I was out of milk and I made this concoction up using the applesauce rather than milk, and now I eat it a lot. Never be afraid to try things!

Visit Self’s Eat Like Me blog to find more of Sarah-Jane’s simple, healthy recipes, and follow her on twitter at @SarahJaneRD

Libby is a junior studying Global Health at the University of Southern California. She is also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and loves spinning classes, pesto and the San Francisco Giants.