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Student Corner Interview
Jeremy Johnson,
BS
Public Health Nutritionist
Jeremy - tell us about yourself, your
background and education, and your recent dietetic
internship. I'm from the small town
of Baxley in rural southeast Georgia.
I began college majoring in architecture.
Having taken drafting classes throughout high
school, I thought architecture was the direction
I wanted to go. However, it wasn't long
before I became bored and started looking for
a new direction. Nutrition had always
interested me. Growing up in the deep-south,
with the fried foods and down-home cooking we
are known for, I became overweight as a child
and early teen. Also, as a child I had
many food allergies and couldn't eat the same
foods as my friends. As I grew older,
I began to see there was some truth in the saying,
"You are what you eat!" In high school
I bought my first bodybuilding magazine and
marveled at the development these people made
with their bodies. I was ready for a change
and started paying attention to the foods I
ate, began working out, and read every shred
of information on nutrition I could find, taking
every word to heart without questioning the
validity of the source. Later, I found
that magazines aren't always an appropriate
source for accurate nutrition information.
Additionally, I wrestled in high school and
discovered that nutrition played a key role
in making your weight class and maintaining
the energy needed to go the three periods.
The desire to improve my own body and to help
others separate fact from fiction led me to
a major in nutrition.
 I graduated from Georgia Southern
University with a BS degree, majoring in Nutrition
and Food Science (with a dietetic emphasis),
in December 2000, and have been working as a
public health nutritionist since January 1,
2001. I recently completed a dietetic
internship through the Georgia Department of
Human Resources. The internship was a
great learning experience that helped develop
my clinical skills and strengthen my weaker
areas. It also opened my eyes to what
a wide field nutrition really is.
What spurred you interest in sports nutrition?
How were you able to incorporate this interest
into a learning experience in your dietetic
internship? I guess my interest in sports
nutrition began as an overweight child who wanted
to change his physical appearance. Through
wrestling and recreational softball, I noticed
better fueling my body made me last longer and
helped my performance. As I got more into
bodybuilding, nutrition became more of a necessity,
especially as I was dieting for competition
and trying to lose the fat while keeping as
much muscle as possible. These experiences
drove me to learn more about the science behind
how the body uses food for fuel and how different
foods affect the body, especially in strength
and power sports performance.
Prior to my internship, I took the online class
"Nutrition for Fitness and Performance" through
Montana State University. This is how
I met my instructor, Patti Steinmuller, MS,
RD. The class was a big help in answering
many of the questions I had. Patti also
directed me to SCAN as a resource and encouraged
membership and active involvement.
During my internship, one of the planned experiences
was to interview a sports nutritionist.
While attending the Georgia Dietetic Association's
annual conference, I met Diane King, MS, RD,
ATC, Sports Dietitian for the Atlanta Falcons.
A few months later I met Bryan Scott, Falcon
safety, and Jimmy Farris, Washington Redskin
and former Falcon wide receiver, at a social
event in Columbus, GA. We began what ended
in a 3-hour conversation about exercise and
nutrition. After that, I contacted Diane
for an interview and was able to pick her brain
about many aspects of a career in sports nutrition.
 Another experience was to
initiate a community intervention within my
area. Through a grant within my district,
I was able to attend the Arthritis Foundation's
PACE (People with Arthritis Can Exercise) trainer
program to become a certified PACE instructor.
PACE is an 8-week program of 16 sessions that
educates people with arthritis on exercise and
nutrition to help manage their symptoms.
I was able to conduct the trainings in one of
the local gyms and had great results.
During each class I would lead the participants
in exercises, discuss the importance of physical
activity and its relevance to their conditions,
encourage proper nutrition, and end the session
with relaxation techniques. All of the
participants reported improvements in their
energy levels and range of motion at the end
of the program.
What were your personal goals for the
internship? Were they achieved? My
overall goal during the internship was to explore
how different areas of nutrition relate to people
with various medical conditions and to examine
ways to improve physical performance and overall
health. The year definitely provided a
lot of exposure to different diagnoses.
Each person was unique and had to be approached
as an individual. This really helped to
strengthen my counseling skills.
Did your internship experience lead to other
opportunities in sports nutrition? I was
given the opportunity to give a sports nutrition
presentation to the Charlton County High School
Football Team during their summer camp this
past year. Diane King offered some tips
for my presentation. The team and coaches
seemed very receptive. They went on to
become Class AA State Champions for the 2005
season. Since then, I have been contacted
to talk about nutrition for physical activity
to members of other school systems' athletic
programs. This experience has been invaluable.
I have also helped friends refine their diets
for marathons, triathlons and one Ironman race.
This has been great practice and helped me learn
more about the endurance side of sports nutrition.
What were your most satisfying sports
nutrition experiences? Did anything
occur beyond your expectations? While
it has been great to actually put what I learn
into personal practice with weightlifting and
bodybuilding, I was most honored being asked
to speak to the Charlton County Indians football
team. They are a champion team with outstanding
leadership and a proven record. I hope
to gain more experience working with different
athletic programs in the future. I'm fortunate
that my health district promotes community involvement
and allows me time to conduct presentations.
Have these experiences affected your
career goals? If so, how? These experiences
have confirmed my passion for sports nutrition.
My goal is to continue learning to specialize
in this area. I am also working on attaining
the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning
Specialist) through the National Strength and
Conditioning Association. Currently, I
am planning to take the RD exam in March and
continue studying for the CSCS exam. I
am also looking forward to earning the CSSD
(Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) credential
currently being developed by the Commission
of Dietetic Registration. After becoming
a Registered Dietitian, I would really like
to expand my current job to include counseling
as a sports dietitian and further my knowledge
in this area.
Would you recommend experiences such
yours to other dietetics students? If yes, why?
I would definitely recommend Public
Health for graduating dietetic students.
Public Health has really helped me to improve
my nutrition counseling skills and presentation
skills. I remember in college when I was
assigned my first 10-minute presentation---I
thought there was NO WAY to fill that much time.
With my job, I speak to community organizations
frequently. This has made me much more
comfortable speaking to the public. I
was also asked to present at Georgia Public
Health Association's annual meeting last year.
This was a great honor. Public Health
offers a variety of experiences, networking
opportunities, and educational opportunities
that aren't available in most jobs.
Is there anything else about this experience
that you would like to share with other students?
Find out how you can mold your internship
to suit your goals. Don't hesitate to
ask about something you want to do. The
internship is a time for learning and developing
the skills that will enhance our careers.
The DHR-Public Health internship is a great
program that provided me the flexibility to
incorporate the experiences I wanted to have
into those that were required. 2/06
 Jeremy, bodybuilder competitor
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