Future community-focused dietitian.
Hola, I’m
Laura Banderas-Avalos
About Me
Hola! I’m Laura, a current Nutritional Science graduate student and teaching assistant at California State University Los Angeles.
After decades of whipping up cakes and pastries, at a retail cake shop, I hung up my apron and picked up a lab coat to pursue my passion for helping others.
I joke with my clients that I am trying to undo the damage I caused by feeding people sugar and butter for the past 20 years.
The conversations always switch to how they want to get healthy but don’t know where to start. I want to keep these conversations going and so here I am continuing on my journey to becoming a Registered Dietitian.
Food brings people together
Growing up I wanted to be a teacher, a lawyer, a fashion designer, and an event planner. I think each of these professions entails the traits that makeup who I am and whom I strive to be.
I enjoy teaching others and sharing my knowledge, I feel compelled to advocate for those who need a voice, and I am creative and love bringing people together. Food and nutrition share the same traits as I do as well.
Food brings people together, preparing a meal allows for creativity, and teaching others about proper nutrition empowers them to take control of their health. From the start of my journey, my heart has been in community nutrition. I feel strongly that the future of Dietetics lies not solely in treating diet-related diseases but in prevention.
As a first-generation Mexican-American, I want to build relationships with my patients and their families and turn the tide of health in this community and in others as well.
Volunteer Work
For the past four years I have been volunteering with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank distributing commodities to senior citizens at several local parks. I have been a lead volunteer for over a year and have received an award for service excellence in my community. I also helped set up a local food bank at The Plaza Community Center in Boyle Heights, during the height of the pandemic. Most recently I began working for Common Threads a non-profit organization that provides nutrition education for students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Work Experience
I spent over 20 years working in our family bakery. For ten years I managed every aspect of the business from, purchasing, inventory, hiring, training, payroll, customer service, advertising, social media, baking, prepping, decorating, delivery, and set up.
Most recently I have gained experience in numerous hospital settings from the community, psychiatric, and rehabilitation hospitals. My duties have progressed from dishwasher and tray server to dietary clerk assisting patients with their meal selections while ensuring compliance with their dietary orders and specifications.
I have also worked as a teaching assistant helping students set up and perform experiments for a first-year food science class. I also have experience as a peer nutrition coach as part of the Golden Eagle Nutrition Education program at Cal State University Los Angeles.
Dietetic Experience:
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center May 2022- Present
As a dietary clerk at Rancho Los Amigos, I have expanded my knowledge of the progression patients make in their dietary orders from the moment they are admitted to the time they are discharged. It’s extremely satisfying to see a patient make the physical improvements that allow them to progress from a puree diet to mechanical soft, chopped, and finally regular textures. Although all interaction with patients is done over the phone, talking to them is definitely my favorite part of my job.
Del Amo Behavioral Health System November 2021-April 2022
At Del Amo Behavioral health system I was a dietary aide and was privileged to work with a wide range of patients some as young as six years old to our seniors 65+. While the safety of our patients as well as my own was my top priority I quickly learned how to avoid dangerous situations with some of our most volatile patients. Attention to detail and the surroundings were key in this job. Showing patience, compassion, and kindness while being strong, assertive and always on alert were the strongest skills I developed while working at Del Amo. I can say there was never a dull moment working at this hospital and I hope to once again be able to work with this community in the future.
California State University Los Angeles January 2021-May 2021 and September 2022-December 2022
As part of my Advanced Nutrition Counseling class which I took as an elective as an undergrad and a requirement in graduate school, I was a Peer Nutrition Coach. During both semesters I met with over 20 clients and held a minimum of three half-hour sessions with each of them. During these sessions, I was able to develop my skills in building rapport with clients which allowed me to help them set SMART goals and provide them with useful evidence-based resources. I took detailed notes during each of my sessions and assisted my clients with scheduling sessions as well as sent reminders and follow-up emails all in a timely manner. My time as a Peer Nutrition Coach developed my skills in time management and organization by being able to handle numerous clients and sessions on a daily basis.
Community Hospital of Huntington Park September 2018-February 2019
It was during my short time at this community hospital that I fell in love with patient care and nutrition. It was my first introduction to the different types of diets, and dietary restrictions. While the majority of my duties were very physically demanding, consisting of dishwashing, scrubbing mats, cleaning the large appliances, and disposing of trash I felt it was a wonderful learning experience and I met some amazing people who encouraged me to continue my studies until I reached my goal.
While my return to school after an almost 20-year hiatus was not easy, my ability to juggle school, work, and family life became easier with each semester.
Back To School
My grades and quality of work improved with each passing semester and I am proud to say that currently, my GPA in graduate school stands at a 4.0. I was also on the Dean’s list during the 2021 school year.
Some of my most rewarding assignments were those I was able to present to class. Public speaking is a skill I am actively trying to improve and therefore do enjoy presenting to others.
The following project was presented in my Advanced Problems and Topics in Nutritional Science. My focus was on the emerging research of Food Prescriptions and Culinary Medicine.
School Projects
Food Prescriptions and Culinary Medicine.
This next presentation was the culminating project for my Research Concept and Methodology in Nutritional Science class. It was a research proposal that focused on how nutritional education paired with hand on cooking classes during regular school hours would improve the consumption of fruits and vegetables among middle school students.
Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption with Cooking Efficacy Among Los Angeles County Middle Schoolers
My Professional Interaction and Writing Skills had a short and fun listicle assignment, aimed to get useful information across to the reader on a specific nutritional topic.
Lastly, during my Community Nutrition class, we were asked to write a letter to a legislator about the Medical Nutrition Act introduced to Congress in May 2021. The following was my letter to representative Nanette Barragan.
This assignment brought to my attention the need for more Registered Dietitians to share their expertise with elected officials in order to ensure that new laws and policies improve the nutritional treatment of patients as well as compensation for their providers.
During my time at Cal State University Los Angeles I have not only been a student but was also fortunate enough to be a teaching assistant and lead my own food science lab.
Below is a picture of my students and myself during a field trip I facilitated with Tampico Spice Company. Not only did we get to learn more about where some of the most widely used spices come from but also had a behind-the-scenes look at how they are processed.
Hobbies
On the rare occasions where I have some free time I enjoy spending it with my family, mostly trying new foods or in the kitchen baking and cooking. Traveling is something I hope to do more of as well.
Watching my family enjoy a meal I prepared for them definitely puts a smile on my face. Here some of my kids Favorites, salmon, lentils and an arugula salad.
On a recent trip to Mexico City my Husband and I tried Escamol (ant larvae). It was delicious!!
Closer to home one of our favorite mexican restaurants serves up grasshopper tacos. Although not my favorite, I was glad to cross these critters off my foodie bucket list.
My kiddos next to the gingerbread house we baked from scratch. We included our two dogs and cat as well!
In Boston with my older brother, who never says no to a trip.
My Inspiration
Here he is the man the legend my father Ben! My reason for getting interested in nutrition and pursuing a career in Dietetics. At the age of 50 he was diagnosed with diabetes. He vowed to control the disease with diet and exercise instead of medication. At 80 years young he is still running marathons and always placing in the top ten in his division. He has inspired many, with his determination and grit and I hope to one day do the same.