"Food Rules" by Michael Pollan - RSA/Nominet Trust competition from Marija Jacimovic on Vimeo.

Michael Pollan is one of the best-researched writers I know of in the Food/Agriculture/Nutrition arena.  I always find him to be thought-provoking and I like that he challenges people to look deeper at the world we live in and question the status quo.  Here is a quick and adorable animated video of him describing the use of our food supply.

I originally found this video from The Atlantic.

I find that I am constantly getting questions about the "superfood of the month", or that latest and greatest diet pill that will make all your health worries fade to dust.  As a professional trained in the art of reading scientific research journals and from that discerning the real implications of the findings, I wince a little bit on the inside when I know that all of these questions and concerns stem from what is passed down to the average person from the media.  It's not your fault though!  It took my year of graduate school e to learn how to wrangle with these published studies!

Don't get me wrong, awareness is power, even if it's just a liiittle bit off.  That awareness often drives the person to look into it further, which is a positive.  I'm glad that the next logical step for my friends and family is to ask me about the reality behind what they've just read about.  But here are some tips for you to think about next time you're reading about new health findings in your local paper or online.  And of course you can always feel free to e-mail me with specific questions or concerns!

Questions to ask yourself:

1. Was the original research study published in a peer-reviewed journal?  This way you know it's been looked over by experts in its respective field.  This will also require that authors reveal any financial incentives or sources of funding that may have had conflicting interests.
2. Was the target population similar to me?  There's a big difference between research done on a small agrarian group aged fifty plus in North Dakota and what it means for a thirty-something city dweller.  Think about what pieces could actually be translated in similarity to you.
3. Is this totally ground-breaking and brand new?  Scientific literature is a world of amassing data so one study won't break the bank.  Once professionals and medical organizations start getting behind a theory you can know there is a sound body of evidence behind it.

One of the causes closest to my heart is hunger in this country.  It is incredible to me that we have over 16 million children experience food insecurity annually.  [Food insecurity is defined as not knowing when or from where your next meal is coming.]  In duration of this recession one is six people is estimated to experience hunger.

Just a reminder to all in this holiday season that taking the time to address the issues that mean most to you is of utmost importance.  And if you're so inclined, please take a look at the work of these incredible organizations...

Well the reason I have been busy busy and not focusing on my blog (sorry all three readers!) is because I have been experiencing a major transition.  I have started a new job as a Clinical Dietitian at White Plains Hospital in New York, which I am loving.  I also was studying like a mad-person last month because I had my credentialing exam... So at the end of February I took and passed my registration exam and I am now officially a Registered Dietitian!!

Wooohooo!  More initials after the name!

Thanks for the continued support in the blogging-sphere.  I promise that once that I feel trained and settled in at the hospital I'll be coming back full force.  I'm excited that I feel able to focus on my personal endeavors and interests and hope to bring about more interesting content!

I applaud private companies that work to improve the community.  Frigidaire has partnered with Save the Children (an incredible organization! I am consistently impressed with them - plus my mom works for them!) to create a children's Cooking Academy.  

          Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

An online vault with video tutorials, recipes and tips for safely including children into the kitchen helps to establish the importance of healthy foods, basic cooking skills, and the togetherness of family.  

If you have children of your own, want to enter for the chance to win a Free Range Oven (hello benefits of corporate sponsorship), or just want to check it out for the sake of supporting the cause, feel free to visit their site.  

We've reached the point where we need to make the time to change our kitchen habits.  Real food requires real kitchen actions in order to really enjoy it.  

Feel the difference?

Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

The following press release focuses on the ADA's support of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans: [PR NewsWire] an interesting read for anyone wanting to delve into some of the details.

The new Guidelines took into consideration national health surveillance data, professional opinions of the nation's leading health organizations, and direct feedback from US citizens.  

The Guidelines emphasize the following:

• Healthy balance approach to weight management
• Recognition of the total pattern of eating for individuals
• Cultural and ethnic considerations
• Food cost and availability/access issues
• Evidence-based approaches to lifestyle changes for health

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Although it's natural for most people to let their energy sway with the changing seasons here are some tips to help keep winter as part of your healthy lifestyle.

• Maintain the exercise schedule.  Even if that means a less intense workout, keeping up the schedule is every bit as important.  Some ideas: elbow-grease cleaning, [window] shopping (ahem mall walking), doing simple weight and ab exercises in the home, home TV workouts (many cable packages include free workouts), exercise DVDs or tapes, jumping rope and lunges, two words: gym buddy.
• Breakfast as the comfort meal.  Turn that desire for comfort food into a healthy energy-charged meal in the morning.  Load up on hearty oatmeal, granola, nuts, berries, [Greek] yogurt, veggie omelets, and the like.  Starting out with a nice warm breakfast will fuel you for the day and meet that desire for the comfort foods of winter-time.  
• De-stress.  Winter is a nice time to focus on family, spend quality time with loved ones, and focus on support systems.  Develop healthy habits and traditions with family that can be maintained throughout the year.  Whole grains, fresh produce, and natural whole foods will help prevent anxiety-producing spikes in blood sugar that can be caused by sugary and processed foods.

Well it's 13 days into the new year and I had not yet begun my blog writing for 2011.  I think it's time to begin...  I have happily taken a mental break from everything (yes, everything) after completing my Dietetic Internship just days before Christmas.  I now feel completely refreshed!

I am employing a very important tip for you into my new landscape of blogging.  Just as "small and frequent meals" are key to stabilizing energy levels and sustaining healthy eating habits; I plan to employ "small and frequent blogging" into 2011.

Tips on Goal Setting

When setting goals (year round, not just in January!) it is important to make each goal:

 A small step: incremental changes help form habits because they are manageable

Example: Change exercise routine from 3 days/week to 4 days/week.  Once that becomes routine, you can bump it up again, but don't jump from 3 to 6, it simply won't last.

• Measurable: determining a specific value-level helps 

Example: Add one piece of fruit or serving of vegetables to each lunch and dinner.  Specifying the one serving will be more effective than saying "I want to eat more fruits and veggies."

• With a Gladys: for the sake of accountability!

  Example: Remember the neighborhood watch from Bewitched?  Plan to detail your goal with a family member, friend, pet, or sites like Stikk (form an online contract to commit to your goals) to help boost your incentive to stick with it.

The goal is to make the activity a lifestyle change.  A small goal makes it feasible.  Measurability makes it producible.  Accountability is what gets you there.  

Good luck goal setting!

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition is a venture that is pushing food companies to create new products that are fortified with vitamins and minerals for third world country markets.  Fortifying foods that are commonly eaten in those countries (for example fortified soy sauce marketed in Bangladesh) seems to be the easiest way to battle malnutrition on a large scale.

Fortification has been used by food companies and governments to battle nutrient deficiencies in the past, and now the World Bank Institute is getting the private sector on board to do the same in third world countries.  Kudos to GAIN and the WBI for incentivizing huge food organizations to invest in the fight against malnutrition globally.