Scenario: Pulling up to KFC, the Dietitian says, “Hi, I’d like to order a single serving portion of green beans, and a single serving portion of corn.” Blah, ugh, barf, boring.
It can get pretty darn boring to people (and myself) just writing about how many fruits and veggies you need in a day and thinking about portion size 24/7. Lately, I have been struggling with how to punch up the life in my blog. Here are my tips for other RDs or dietetic interns/students who are presenting a lot of “boring” information.
I have found the best way to write about nutrition information is to listen to what the readers want. I pay attention to tweets, blogs, and nutrition news to know what people want to hear about most. For example, a lot of people have talking about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. Well, I am not going to repeat what everyone has been talking about, but I am going to go one step further and talk about specific healthy ideas for schools. No one wants to read something they have already read about; they want to know the next piece of information in that category of nutrition information.
Another way I try to keep my blog entertaining is to write about new foods that I have tried that not many people eat on a day-to-day basis. For example, I mentioned the strange, healthy, black algae spirulina (which I intend to expand on when I learn even more about it myself). I am sure some people know about it, but most have no idea what the heck this black tar-looking paste is (though it is really a green powder when you buy it; it turns black when mixed with a more viscous substance like honey or water or oil).
Most important, I add a personal touch to these posts. I may start out by explaining my day, and include little anecdotes. I don’t just list foods I’ve eaten, I explain why and how I came to trying the new or interesting food or health idea. I try to stay away from the topics that health and nutrition blogs always cover and info you can find everywhere else on the web (like basic nutrition facts, and “how to drop 10 pounds fast” claims).
Good RDs or dietetic interns/students stress the importance of variety in the diet. We are always encouraging people to try new foods, new cooking methods, and new restaurants because we want people to have a healthy relationship with food. And without exploring new options, you can’t really enjoy your food without getting bored. I mean, some of us are going to live past 90 years old with these healthy diets we have; we have to change it up! So, one of my main objectives in blogging is to help people enjoy food and try new things that are delicious and tasty. And I help myself this way by pushing myself to cook new dishes and get inspiration from other creative health blogs (or sometimes I leave that to my boyfriend because he can be more creative than me).
Alright, bloggies… I must get back to being a creative blogger, and not go eat two large bowls of raisin bran because last time I did that my intestines were raging war on my insides.
What other tips do you have for making dry information more entertaining to write about and read about? What have you found works or that your readers respond to best??
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Such a good post and a good topic for everyone to be thinking about!
As someone who writes a lot about would-be boring nutrition news and info, I’ve found the best way to spice it up is to make it really relatable and service-y. People want news they can use — like, as soon as they step away from the computer! For example, when I write about the nutrients in, say, artichokes, I make sure to also list plenty of good recipes that I’ve created or found, as well as cooking and storage tips.
But Nicole’s totally right when she says you have to make it personal. A bunch of service-y info is useless without some kind of personal touch (“Personally, I love eating artichokes this way…”). If people just wanted info, they could find it on any news site. They want the news/info filtered through YOUR lens… And that’s why blogs are so great!
.-= Leah (Nutritionista)´s last blog ..Work It: Bringing You More Jackie =-.
I totally agree with you both! It’s all about how you present it, and using your own voice to do it. I don’t do many “info posts” on the health tip, but I’ve done a couple of sewing how-tos and feel much better about putting them out once I can say it in my style and with my voice/experiences built in.
.-= Laura Georgina´s last blog ..Working From Home: In Which Your Girl Is Grateful For Her Good Fortune =-.
Great advice. I am in school to become a holistic health counselor and plan to write more nutrition based articles in the coming months but I certainly don’t want to be boring!
.-= Christie {Honoring Health}´s last blog ..Why Are You Overweight? =-.
Pictures help. I love reading blogs and seeing pictures of their life or part of the world. Seeing their city makes me feel like I’ve traveled there. I also love pictures of pets.
My goodness, awesome post! I can relate to it so much because that’s what I try to incorporate into mine. I don’t eat like many do (primal) and people are always curious as to what I eat and why I eat it, so I also don’t just list foods, I explain how I came about it, why I tried it and if it was good or not.
I agree with Leah, hit it right on with the part about giving it your own personal touch, don’t want to feel like a robot wrote a post!
Great post!
.-= Johana – My Quirky Life´s last blog ..Downsides of this Adventure =-.
Great post!
I feel like you need to have a balance of the facts with a personal touch. I think that’s what the best blogs do.
I’m also glad to know that my constant want to try new recipes isn’t hurting me. I always make a recipe, proclaim how amazing it it, and I haven’t made it since :/
.-= Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter´s last blog ..Goal Keeping =-.
The blog I write for is mostly about facts and research, so I do my best to infuse my writing with personal stories and experiences. Otherwise you’re just throwing a bunch of facts at them that they will forget as soon as they read it. If you can make people to relate to you somehow, even if it’s because they know someone else who can benefit from the information, then you are more likely to get their attention. I wrote a post about folate recently, and I put myself out there by telling everyone that I have baby fever. Scared the hell out of my bf, but I know it made me relatable to other readers!
.-= Eunice´s last blog ..Evolution of (My) Diet – The Quick Fixes =-.
I love the points you made about personalizing it and concentrating on new, less common foods. the more someone talks about the benefits of oatmeal and whole wheat bread, the more likely I am go stop reading. I try not to dwell on my common foods but pay more attention to new ones, and this will definitely be a good “guideline” for how I approach nutrition. since I’m pretty nutritionally stupid, I don’t talk about it a lot but now I’ll feel better about it when I do
great post, nicole!
.-= Meredith´s last blog ..procrastinating =-.