Dining with the Dietitians!

Just returned from a lovely vacation back home in the UK... I took a complete break from work, Twitter,  blogging and so on to really relax and focus on my family and friends.

Actually I didn't take a complete break from work as I took the opportunity to catch up with some UK dietitians! 

One of whom I actually met through social media on Twitter! Emma Carder and I appear to be living parallel lives.  We are both from Scotland.  We both qualified as dietitians in the same year and as she initially wanted to attend Glasgow Caledonian University we were very nearly classmates!  Plus, we have both made the decision to leave hospital dietetics and set up our own private practices.

It is wonderful to have made contact with Emma as we have been supporting each other 'virtually' via Twitter but have now created a stronger bond and will continue to exchange ideas and information to grow our businesses and assist our clients.

Everyone can benefit from support in all aspects of life.  As dietitians we work to provide support for our clients whether they are trying to lose weight, achieve healthier eating or managing a medical condition such as diabetes or celiac disease through their diet.  It is also important that dietitians, especially those not working within a department, find help and support to continually improve their knowledge & skills and I'm grateful to Emma for this.

I also met up with my very good friend Helen Davidson who is currently enjoying her role as Chairman of the British Dietetic Association We have known each other for many years and although we've kept in touch we haven't seen each other for a few years - but it was as if we'd never been apart! 

Catching up with friends is a great way to relax and take time out from our busy, often stressful, lives and doing this over a delicious lunch was even better!

Helen chose an iconic restaurant for our lunch The Ubiquitous Chip in the West End of Glasgow.  The Chip (as it's affectionately known) is celebrating it's 40th year and is renowned for it's 'regional Scottish dishes'. 

 We were so busy talking and catching up (our lunch lasted 3 hours!!) I didn't take a photograph of the delicious Scottish Salmon entree but here are the wonderful appetizer & dessert:

Vegetarian Haggis, mashed potato with strips of roast turnip

Scottish Strawberries with meringue

Haggis is Scotland's national dish made with onion, oatmeal, spices and meat (vegetarian option contains beans, pulses, vegetables) and is traditionally served with turnip and mashed potato. 

Scottish strawberries are famous for their flavor and juiciness - helped on by the Scottish rain! The dessert was just the right portion  to let you enjoy without overindulging!

Apparently I've been in America too long as Helen laughed when I asked for 'the check' instead of 'the bill'!

I'm a great believer that food should be enjoyed!  Just keep in mind the amount you are eating, include fruit & vegetables with each meal and eat slowly giving yourself time to enjoy the flavors which in turn will help you feel satisfied with smaller portions!