Social Impact Authors: Why & How Bonnie Taub-Dix of ‘Nutrition Consultants’ Decided To Help Change Our World
My audience knows that I am transparent, genuine and sincere and that I try to provide them with sensational messages…not messages built upon sensationalism.
One of the most important lessons that I teach when I do media training is to encourage my clients to speak in the language of their audience. I practice what I preach. Although the stories I write and the interviews I give are based upon science, I try to convey this information in a fun, relatable, more ‘digestible’ fashion. I love sharing my personal thoughts and feelings including tips on how I eat, how I guide my children to love food, how I create delicious recipes and how I make it easy to live healthfully.
As an example, I consider myself to be a recipe rebel: although I have hundreds of cookbooks, I rarely follow a recipe exactly.
As part of my series about leaders who are using their platform to make a significant social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA,RDN,CDN, an award-winning author of, Read It Before You Eat It — Taking You from Label to Table, and creator of the website and blog, BetterThanDieting.com. Bonnie is a media personality, media coach/trainer for RDs and wellness professionals, spokesperson, motivational speaker, journalist, and corporate and brand consultant whose messages are laced with her culinary passion, her credible guidance as an advisor and her wit and wisdom as a mom.
Bonnie is Director and Owner of BTD Nutrition Consultants, LLC, with offices on Long Island and in New York City.
Bonnie is a Health & Wellness Contributor for TODAY.com and US News & World Report, she is an Expert Reviewer for Livestrong.com and Greatist and her quotes and interviews have appeared in thousands of stories in all forms of media comprised of television, radio and podcast shows and print and online platforms. She is an advisor to global corporations, food companies, and media outlets, through her stories, media/social media campaigns, Twitter chats, Facebook LIVES, Instagram takeovers, wellness programs, and workshops for health professionals and consumers.
Bonnie is a past spokesperson for The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the recipient of their prestigious Media Excellence Award.
Her favorite pastime is cooking in the kitchen with her family. Even more important than some subjects you learn in school…Bonnie has set an example when setting her table by teaching that nutritious and delicious can exist on the same plate. On a personal note, Bonnie is grateful to be able to do what she loves every day and she takes pride in being referred to as, “genuine,” “sincere,” “reliable,” “authentic,” and “professional.” She is married and has three sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren…all of whom appreciate creating and eating food they love.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I’ve always tried to set an example when I set my table — especially for my children. And now, whether we call it ‘payback’ or ‘pay it forward’… my kids have actually become inspirations for me. It’s true that I was the one who drove their car pools, made their meals, read them books, and did all those things parents do, but at this point, the tables have turned. My three boys are now grown and have become the best business advisors I could have wished for! Whether it’s photos for my website, tips on course creation, marketing strategies or recommendations on what not to say on social media, my kids can be counted on for providing honest, heartfelt advice.
Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?
Early on in my career when I was being called upon to give expert media interviews, I would never turn down a call — even if it was not necessarily the best time to talk! Although I’ve never revealed this — I’ll share some of my most precarious places in which I conducted interviews: while getting my legs waxed, while getting a haircut, while nursing my baby, while food shopping and while in the dressing room of a store! And now, 30-plus years later, I’m still doing interviews every week for top tier media, but these days, I’m a little more selective about when and where I respond!
As an influencer, you have been blessed with great success in a career path that many have attempted, but eventually gave up on. In fact perhaps most people who tried to follow a career path like yours did not succeed. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but know that their dreams might be dashed?
My mother always said, “When a door closes a window opens.” Although she’s no longer with me, I still live by her sage advice today. Unknowingly, I have been blessed with a career path where rejection on one road lead to a different direction that turned out to be even better than the first.
Although I’m know for having a tendency to be overly optimistic, I am also realistic. Instead of letting rejection or criticism derail you from your goals, you should look at rejection as feedback; a message to learn from for the next time. Not every pitch you submit will be accepted and not every opinion of yours will be the views of others, but we are each entitled to our opinions. It’s how you use that feedback that will set you apart from others and help you grow, professionally and personally.
Can you share with our readers some of your strategies you’ve used to build an engaged, loyal, and large online community?
My audience knows that I am transparent, genuine and sincere and that I try to provide them with sensational messages…not messages built upon sensationalism.
One of the most important lessons that I teach when I do media training is to encourage my clients to speak in the language of their audience. I practice what I preach. Although the stories I write and the interviews I give are based upon science, I try to convey this information in a fun, relatable, more ‘digestible’ fashion. I love sharing my personal thoughts and feelings including tips on how I eat, how I guide my children to love food, how I create delicious recipes and how I make it easy to live healthfully.
As an example, I consider myself to be a recipe rebel: although I have hundreds of cookbooks, I rarely follow a recipe exactly. All of the recipes on my website BetterThanDieting.com can be modified to include your own favorite ingredients. You can make any of my recipes your own signature dish, just by adding a side of imagination — they don’t have to be followed exactly. Check out her Instagram @bonnietaubdix and you’ll see for yourself!
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview. In my work, I focus on how one can thrive and care for oneself in three areas: body, mind, and heart. You are a busy person with a demanding schedule, can you share with our readers two self care routines, practices or treatments that help your body thrive? (Kindly share a story or an example for each.)
I love to walk — an activity that nurtures my body, helps my heart and fuels my mind. The first two mentions are obvious, and when it comes to my mind, a walk while listening to an inspiring podcast or just listening to the sound of nature or the voice of a friend joining me brings joy in so many ways.
I love to lighting candles. I find the warm glow of the light to be soothing when I’m cooking, when I’m reading or when I just want to aroma of a soothing scent to fill the room. I prefer citrus as a base — and not those sweet types of candles. If I was looking for a sweet aroma — I’d prefer to bake a cake!
Can you share with us two routines that you use to help your mind or heart to thrive? (Kindly share a story or example for each.)
I love cooking with others…especially with my children and grandchildren. Connecting in the kitchen, the heart of my home, is where everyone gathers to share more than a meal. Food provides more than nutrition; cooking together helps you share your creativity, share your love of good food and show your appreciation for the benefits of passing along healthy eating habits for generations.
I love to escape through painting. There aren’t many other activities I do that help me to become absorbed so deeply as does the power of making a blank canvas come alive with color and expression. My paintings are hanging all over my home. Yet funny — when my work hung in a gallery and someone offered to buy a painting, I didn’t sell it to them! It was a painting of my dog and I couldn’t part with it!
Can you share 3 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Yoga. Helps me connect with my body and helps me to take a break, not rush and appreciate how important it is to breath deeply. Whether it’s day or night, yoga is a regular part of my routine.
Moisturize. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve been applying moisturizer twice a day…especially to my face and eyes. People say I look younger than my age, so moisturizing could have been a factor, and it also feels so good to have soft, supple skin.
Drink tea. To me, sipping on tea is like getting a hug from a mug. So many of us walk around feeling listless and irritable when we could just simply be dehydrated. A steamy mug of tea can help soothe you while healthfully hydrating you and benefiting your skin at the same time. Certain herbal teas may help you sleep, feel energized, have better digestion, or provide valuable antioxidants and they can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Is there a particular resource, a practitioner, expert, book, or podcast that made a significant impact on you and helped you to thrive? Can you share a story about that with us?
I was once on a business trip, far away from home, stuck in an airport for 2 days because of snow storms. I took advantage of the book store there and bought every version of Life’s Little Instruction Book by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. I laughed, I cried, I read and re-read those pages and since then I have bought multiple copies of these books for so many friends and relatives. The sayings within touched my heart at a time when I needed some comforting. The original version of this book was written as a gift for his son who was leaving for college. My children were young at the time I read them, but these books inspired me to write similar notes to my own kids (even if it was just a love note in a lunchbox!)
Do you have a story about the strangest, most bizarre or funniest wellness treatment that you’ve ever experienced?
I once got a massage at a spa that involved wearing special oils and lotions and then being wrapped in foil! As someone who loves to cook — now I know what my veggies feel like! 😉
As an influencer, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Food label literacy.
I am one of those people that loves to go to the supermarket. My clients kept telling me, “I wish I could take you food shopping with me,” so I wrote my book, Read It Before You Eat It — Taking You from Label to Table, to make it easier to pick the healthiest foods in the store without feeling confused.
For many people reading food labels is overwhelming. We spend more time thinking about what goes on our bodies (clothing), then in them (food) so it’s important to know how to decode a label to meet your particular needs. It’s not just about reading labels — it’ about understanding which lines on the label should talk to you the loudest. If you have high blood pressure, perhaps sodium should stand out, or if you have diabetes, sugar should grab your attention.
The supermarket is a giant classroom for adults and children where we can learn lessons even more important than those we learned in school. So don’t be afraid to flip that package over to see what you’re really getting!
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you’d like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. 🙂
As I mentioned in our last interview, my invitation still stands to hope to enjoy any meal (or even a snack!) with Oprah. But as someone who works in media, I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with CBS’s Norah O’Donell and Gayle King or ABC’s Deborah Roberts or NBC’s Hoda Kotb. As a media trainer/coach myself — I have tremendous admiration for these powerful women. I applaud their professionalism, their composure, their keen sense of how to ask relevant questions and report clearly and honestly. I appreciate their ability to spontaneously and seamlessly shift the direction of their interviews as needed. Without knowing it, they have been my role models, and I would love the opportunity to tell them so.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
Website & Blog: www.BetterThanDieting.com
Instagram: @Bonnietaubdix + @BTDMedia;
Twitter: @eatsmartbd
Facebook: BonnieTaubDix.RDN
Pinterest: @bonnietaubdix
Weekly News Digest: https://bit.ly/BTDsubscribe and Media Makers News Digest for Media Training: https://bit.ly/BTDmedia
Social Impact Authors: Why & How Bonnie Taub-Dix of ‘Nutrition Consultants’ Decided To Help Change… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.