1. Stay Active

Whether you are enjoying your vacations someplace far away, or you are staying in for the season, look for ways to be more active. Explore around your city, take on excursions that require walking or simply hit up the gym for at least 30 minutes a day.

2. Eat with Mindfulness

Establish that deep connection with your body to know when you are completely satisfied with the food you are eating, instead of mindlessly overeating.

3. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

You can enjoy any type of food during this time, but when you are filling up your plate, try to keep half of it filled with vegetables and fruits. They are high in fiber and help keep you feeling fuller for a longer period of time.

4. Stay Hydrated

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water! Try to limit sugary carbonated drinks and opt for drinking water instead. If you have the urge to drink something with flavor, try fruit-infused carbonated waters.

5. Have Fun

Try to establish a fun routine for the summer that involves physical activity, meal prepping and other adventurous ideas to stay active while having fun.

Thank your support system

It is important to remember that along the way, we always had people rooting for us to achieve our dreams. Whether it is family, friends, a few professors or boss, tell them about the news and thank them for the support throughout the years.

Look for scholarships or financial aid

The dietetic internship is a time when your main focus should be on learning and getting the job done. Mostly everyone recommends not to have a job while going through the internship, therefore it is important to financially prepare for the year to come. Some dietetic internships pay their interns and others do not. Look for scholarships through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and ask your dietetic internship director about financial aid.

Ask current or previous dietetic interns about what to expect

Not every dietetic internship is the same, therefore you need to do your research. Don’t be afraid to reach out to previous interns.  Knowing what to expect beforehand is essential in preparing yourself for your internship and at the same time will help you feel relaxed and prepared for the upcoming year.

Stay informed

Nutrition is an evidenced-based science, and science is constantly changing. Therefore, if you want to be knowledgeable about the current trends, it is important to be informed during the internship. If you are a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, check your emails for the Nutrition and Dietetics SmartBrief — they include recent articles and research regarding health and nutrition.

Relax

It is as simple as that. You worked hard these past years, and all the hard work finally paid off. You deserve a break to mentally prepare for what’s to come. Your dietetic internship will be hard, but it will be worth it. If you think about it, there is no need to be nervous or scared, in fact, it is a time to celebrate and prepare yourself. The best is yet to come.

About two weeks after the hurricane, I was able to go to Puerto Rico’s capitol, San Juan, where I finally got cell reception, paid my FNCE registration and confirmed that our flight to Chicago was possible. It was a breath of fresh air. The day we left, I was sad knowing I was leaving my family behind on a completely devastated island, but I was comforted by the fact that I was one step closer to reaching a dream: attend FNCE and network with future professionals.

FNCE was a dream come true and the recognition that we got by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics was pure and greatly appreciated. The students who represented the University of Puerto Rico received an acknowledgment by the president of the Academy, Donna S. Martin. I met a lot of nutrition and dietetics professionals who encouraged me to keep going, expressed their sympathy regarding my island’s trouble, and motivated me to keep applying to internships and master’s programs.

There have been a lot of natural disasters this past year all over the continental U.S., as well as in the Caribbean. It is a time when we feel lost and confused. But the Hurricane Maria experience was the impulse I needed to keep going and to fight even harder for my dream of becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist.  Times get hard and it may seem like there’s no end to this agony, but there is. When we find ourselves in these difficult moments, we are not alone, and that is exactly how the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic board members made us feel last October. And for that, we express our most sincere gratitude.

Below are four ways for those considering going vegetarian to adjust to their new diet and be successful at it: 

Pinpoint Your Reasons

You can use the reasons you want to change your diet as your core motivation to stick with your new lifestyle.

Choose the Vegetarian Diet That is Best for You

Whether you want to try a full vegan diet or take it one step at a time with a lacto-ovo or pescatarian approach, I recommend starting slow with one recipe a week, substituting until you are ready to embrace a full vegetarian diet.

Find Reliable Resources

Look up additional information and fun recipes. Search trusted websites ending in .net, .org or .gov and read blogs of current vegetarians for information and resources. The Academy’s Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice group has a website full of resources and recipes for consumers. Also, check out the December 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position paper on vegetarian diets.

Don’t Shame Yourself

Changing your lifestyle is a process and won’t happen overnight. The importing thing is that you are trying. Don’t worry about slip-ups and continue moving forward toward your goals.