Ep. 098 - How to Be A Certified Food Scientist Without Being a Food Scientist with David Despain, Director of Science Communications at Isagenix International

Dec 25, 2017

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Hey everyone, just a quick note before the episode begins. We have a survey up for My Food Job Rocks that will help us plan for 2018. We need your input on how we’re doing so far, and we also have some really cool ideas we want you to approve in 2018. For your efforts completing this monster 40 question survey, we will be offering a chance to win an Amazon Echo. I just got one, they make your life a lot easier. Just go to myfoodjobrocks.com/survey

I met David before joining Isagenix during my first meeting in Cactus IFT, the Arizona section of IFT.

When I interviewed at Isagenix about a year later, I said “wait, I know you”

Over time, David and I have become best coworkers and we talk about food, travel, IFT leadership stuff, and developing cool products for Isagenix.

David is passionate about many things. Nutrition, exercise science, traveling, nature and of course, food science. He is a writer, or rather, a writer who manages other writers. However, as an avid learner, David decided to get his Certified Food Scientist certification after being heavily involved in IFT.

Whether you’re interested in the CFS certification or not, we talk about the whole process and what it takes to become one including some insider and candid tips for success.

Since David is a science writer, we also talk about how to write well, and where to find information to write about. For example, some websites and organizations have more credibility than others, and the source that not many people know about, happens to be nutrition conferences!

About David

David Despain, MS, CFS, is a science and health writer, a nutritionist, and a budding Certified Food Scientist who is based in Gilbert, Arizona. David has had over a decade of experience being involved in the world of food and nutrition yet he only recently earned his CFS credential from the Institute of Food Technologists in August 2017. He’s currently the Director of Science Communications within the Research and Development Department at Isagenix, a health-and-wellness company. Previously, David has also written for various publications about food and nutrition including Food Technology magazine, American Society for Nutrition’s Nutrition Notes Daily, Outside Online, and Scientific American Online.

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Key Takeaways

How David became a part-time stock broker
The best place to find quality nutrition news
How David started to develop a passion for science writing from an English Professor

Question Summary

Cal Poly Professors: Dr. Amy Lammert and Dr. Robert Kravets Prep course IFT2017 When someone asks what you do for a living: I’m a nutritionist who works for R+D and head a team of nutritionists that educate the consumer Best Thing about Your Job: To learn something new every day Nutrition Conferences Exercise Science Conferences Describe the path that got to where you are today: I studied Biology. Got a MS in Nutrition Science. Found out how Nutrition Science had a lot of conflicting views. Got interested in Nutrition Science first, then Exercise Science, then Food Science! How did David get involved in Food Science?: Chair of the Cactus IFT person asked David to create the newsletter. Then David was hired on as a writer in IFT

Notes on the CFS Course Was a 2 year process I attended 2 CFS short courses I read all of the textbooks, and I had a challenge with Food Engineering The test was a lot harder than I thought, but I passed I argued with Adam about the questions I memorized a whole lot of equations and the test didn’t have many equations Most questions had to do with problem solving. You had to know what you knew and solve a problem Some questions all sound correct but one was “most correct” Questions on the practice test were not the same! However, they were useful to getting me to practice. The organizers said to read the questions but not memorize the answers

If you were to tell someone who was about to take the test some advice, what would you tell them?: I came from a nutrition background, so it’d be helpful to be in a food science background. Also, a lot of people overthink the test Was it worth it?: Yes! CFS resources: One is always in IFT, there is an online CFS course On writing well: Writing is a learning experience. If you find stuff online, write about it. Even in podcasting, you have to research more When assigning something, ask to write 10 things about a subject Where do you recommend to get more valuable information?: Food Science and Technology. Nielson, Mintel. Scientific American, Outside Magazine As a writer in Nutrition, it’s important to understand that Nutrition is a process My Food Job Rocks: I get to learn every single day Food Technology: Sports Nutrition and segmenting nutritional plans based on activity, Nutrient Timing, New ways of finding ways of having people eat their vegetables in burgers of bars Taking kale and using it in different applications What’s one thing about the food industry you’d like to know more about?: I want to look more into what I read studying for the CFS exam. Also brewery, and dairy Dr. Michael Kolgan Generalist vs Specialist Innovation: combining 2 different topics Favorite Quote: Richard Dawkins: Science writers are the soldiers against Ignorance Best meal you ever ate: I just spent 3 weeks in Argentina. They cook stew in a plow disc. It’s the best feeling in the winter. Lamb Stew on a Disc. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to get into the health and wellness industry?: A degree in Food Science or Nutrition is helpful, but you can also get it from the Marketing end and the Manufacturing end. David Despain is mostly on twitter: @daviddespain