Hi! I’m Natalie Baum. I’m a Registered Dietitian based out of New York City but currently living in Michigan where I grew up. I went to the University of Michigan for undergrad, moved to New York City to work for a little, and then went back to school at NYU to get my Master’s in Clinical Nutrition. I completed my Dietetic Internship at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and got my first job as a clinical dietitian working at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
How did you get into the field of nutrition?
The first time I remember becoming interested in nutrition happened when I was around 10 years old at my friend’s house. Her dad made me a concoction of lemon and ginger to treat my oncoming cold (so ahead of his time!) and I was amazed at the ideas of food being used to help make people feel better. instead of always running to the medicine cabinet. From then on, I had a growing interest for food and nutrition and started paying more attention to the meals my mom was cooking.
Flash forward 10 years when I was living on my own in college, ordering takeout every night, and starting to really feel like crap. I missed my home cooked meals and wanted to understand how I could use food to make me feel better. I started experimenting with cooking. From there, my love and desire to learn more about nutrition started.
Unfortunately, at the time Michigan did not have a dietetics program and transferring to another school to become a dietitian was not in the cards for me. Instead, I moved to New York after graduation and worked the front desk at a nutrition private practice for a year and a half. It was there that I realized how badly I wanted to understand the science of nutrition so that I could educate clients and help them feel their best. I knew that I had to go back to school, do the hard work, and become a dietitian.
Tell us about your experience so far as a dietitian.
When I was at another nutrition private practice doing administrative work, I was able to see firsthand how a private practice was run and followed people’s journeys, including success and setbacks.
After starting grad school, I volunteered at many different places to see how nutrition could impact people. I started out at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell in the oncology department where I would assist a dietitian during her cooking demos. During her classes, we would make different snacks and smoothies catered specifically to patients undergoing chemotherapy. We would also talk to family members about how to provide adequate nutrition for patients along with ways to manage common symptoms with food. I also volunteered at God’s Love We Deliver, which helps provide healthy, medically catered meals for the sick and underprivileged families of New York City. Both of these proved to be incredibly meaningful experiences.
During my Dietetic Internship, I spent a week at NYU’s dental school counseling children and their family members on the importance of a healthy, balanced diet for growing children and easy, affordable snack options. I also spent a month at Yeled V’Yalda Early Childhood Center in Brooklyn where I would assess and reassess children in the community at nutritional risk and spoke to new mothers about proper nutrition during exercise and breastfeeding.
After completing my Dietetic Internship and graduating NYU, I landed my first job as a clinical dietitian at Mount Sinai Hospital. I briefly saw patients after spinal surgery who moved to acute rehab, and eventually changed to a general medicine floor that primarily served patients as a step down from the ICU. While my patients were often very sick, I was able to work closely with the interdisciplinary team everyday which included attending physicians, residents, nurses, nurse managers, and social workers. This teamwork allowed me to really see the importance of interdisciplinary care and treatment for patients, plus, I was able to educate the team about the importance of nutrition, which I also loved.
What I loved most about all these experiences was being able to educate people on the simple, important concepts about nutrition. I learned that even one small change can go a long way. While I didn’t always have the most time to provide education to patients in the hospital setting, I spent a lot of time educating my floors interdisciplinary team and it’s truly what I enjoyed the most.
In a few sentences, what’s your nutrition philosophy?
I believe that the “secret” to understanding a healthy diet is really that there is no secret at all. There’s no magic diet or special food combination, so stop looking J Nutrition is so much easier than it’s often made out to be. The truth is that we all need to eat a variety of foods from different food groups, which includes knowing that all foods can fit. Once you are able to understand why we need to eat all different types of foods, you will be able to develop a healthy, balanced diet and a positive relationship with food.
Favorite food(s)?
Grilled cheese, sushi, and cereal – can’t live without them!
Least favorite food(s)?
Not so much food, but I can’t stand ketchup and have always disliked it since I was a child.
Favorite meal to cook?
Taco Tuesdays!
Fun fact?
I’m sort of an adrenaline junkie and LOVE rollercoasters and amusement parks. I also collect magnets from every place I travel.
When I’m not working, you can find me:
Playing with my new son Charlie, spending quality time with my husband, and going on long nature trail walks with my family.
Natalie just joined the team at Sammi Brondo Nutrition this May 2020 and will start seeing clients for individual nutrition counseling in June (make sure you’re signed up for the waitlist here to book an appointment with her!). Read more about her here and follow her on Instagram @nataliebaumrd.
