Mitzi Dulan, RD
Getting to Know……..Mitzi Dulan, RD
Erick: What three pieces of healthy lifestyle advice would you give to other parents who, like you, are busy with kids, family?
Mitzi: I would tell busy parents to remember that they are models for their children in many ways including eating habits. If you eat at a dining room table together and fix a variety of foods including fruits and vegetables your kids will do the same. You also need to plan ahead and make sure you have healthy options on hand for snacks and meals. I know things can get crazy depending upon the age when once they have practices and are running out the door but whenever possible it's great to sit down and have family meals.
Erick: It’s obvious that your love of food and healthy eating have driven you to be the successful person you are today. Are there ever any days when you are weary of cooking or talking about food and if so, what do you do to “carry on”?
Mitzi: There are days I will say that get crazy, but I cooking in my kitchen brings me great joy! That's literally how you know I started my food company. I wasn't planning to start a food company, but I had made this recipe for my protein balls from just being in my kitchen and experimenting with recipes! A year ago, our youngest daughter went away to college so it's just me and my husband. We both work long hours, so it has definitely been different, but actually easier to kind of just do my own thing and he does his thing.
Erick: When acting as a team nutritionist for a professional sports team such as the Kansas City Royals or Kansas City Chiefs, what were two of the biggest obstacles you had to deal with when it came to consulting players on their diets, eating habits or meal plans?
Mitzi: One of the biggest challenges are the young players who just rely on their talent and don’t realize they need to focus on what they are eating to have peak performance. Another is players who are weight challenged. They do well and follow advice in-season and then off-season, they go home and eat whatever and come back with major weight gain. Another example is players’ schedules. In baseball there is lots of travel, late night games, early morning travel deadlines and sleeping away from home. All of these issues can lead to poor nutrition choices. Keeping these players on track can be frustrating.
Erick: Your “simplyFUEL” protein balls are delicious….and a huge success…now in our local Costcos in southern California. What two tips can you provide early career dietitians who also dream of having a successful business such as yours?
Mitzi: This may be surprising for I am a person that encourages others, but I will honestly say that I would not recommend starting a food company. I've been an entrepreneur since I was 25. I've owned my own business. I've written a couple of books. I've done lots of great things but starting a food company is not for the faint of heart! I bootstrapped (this is a method of founding and running a company with little or no outside capital, using personal finances or operating revenue) my company for all of these years but it's definitely highly stressful. I'm the CEO, CFO, COO, which is why my company stayed afloat! The biggest piece of advice I can give someone who would want to start a food company is that you have to make sure that people (not just your friends and family) want and will buy your product. Fortunately for me the demand for my protein balls was higher than my supply. One of my mentors and good friends when I lived in the Bay Area as a young dietitian was Maye Musk. She shared a couple of great advice nuggets, and one was related to nutrition services. She said, “if your demand is higher than your supply you must raise your prices”. I started out with my price higher than other products, and this helped me keep the business afloat. My passion, persistence and perseverance are what has led to my success. Because of my belief in my superior product, Costco is now carrying my simplyFUEL protein balls!
Erick: Currently nutrition misinformation spreads like wildfire. How do you stay up to date on scientific research and data?
Mitzi: Needless to say, I keep up with the latest scientific research via PubMed. I also, like everyone else, keep my eye on what the media is saying about nutrition and health. It’s important that we meet people where they're at which means knowing what is being said in the media. For example, I have found that some dietitians don’t care for the buzz word “clean eating”. I'm a personal fan of clean eating and use the term often. So what I guess what I'm saying is there are times where my colleagues say “nope, we can't say clean eating” but you've also got to also realize that’s what the public is hearing and you will resonant if you speak their language. Bottom-line: you must stay up to date on the latest scientific research, current trends and be able to speak to them.
Learn more about Mitzi:
https://simplyfuel.com/pages/our-story
@simplyfuel