Inspire the Family

Pencil in 9pm on this Friday night's calendar for some family time to watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC. It shouldn't be too hard to convince the kids to gather round the tube - if nothing else, schedule a rain check to view the DVR or online version.

Jamie, British celebrity chef aka "the naked chef," marches into Huntington, WV, to makeover Smalltown, USA, the unhealthiest city in America according to the Center for Disease Control. Jamie's zeal for health does little to motivate and more to anger the town of Huntington. He plans to start with the kids, bond with the families, and revolutionize the way this town, and America, thinks about food. He has his work cut out for him!

Although Jamie has some wonderful principals - eat fresh (not processed) foods, nourishing the body and soul through the cooking process, and educating the youth about the origins of food - Jamie's food revolution is missing an important piece, a dietitian with the biochemical knowledge of food and the body.

Jamie comments on the USDA's (United States Department of Agriculture) school lunch regulations - he does not agree that a child needs two servings of grains per meal. He is spot on! A child's lunch will include plenty of carbohydrates from other sources besides grains - fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose) will provide plenty of energy and a well-balanced meal. But Jamie's opinions fall short of his actions when he teaches a Huntington family to cook pasta (too heavy on the oil) and shares carb-heavy recipe secrets with a teenage boy. His recipes often include a little too much sugar and butter for my liking, but his overall approach is extremely motivating a eye-opening. One more word to the wise - if you were thinking of ordering a pizza or serving chicken nuggets this evening, make sure to watch episode 2 first!

Your homework for the evening is to pour over your child's school lunch menu and decide if sending him or her with lunch money is the best idea for their longterm health. Most likely, they will fare better if you pack a piece of fruit, a serving of veggies, one grain, a 2-3 ounce serving of protein, and 1 serving of a healthy fat. Need help with school lunch ideas? Contact Melissa or Elizabeth for a Nutrition Plan and Meal Ideas for the whole family.

Dietitians serve up sound food advice

by Lori Rypka

As obesity rates continue to increase, it seems there are gurus at every corner doling out what they claim is the latest and greatest nutrition information and selling a product or supplements to offer a miracle cure.

March is National Nutrition Month, and the American Dietetic Association, along with its affiliates, including the Maryland Dietetic Association, urge people looking for nutrition advice to go to the qualified experts -- registered dietitians.

Registered dietitians hold at least a bachelor's degree, have completed a supervised practice program and passed a registration exam. They must maintain continuing education for certification. Some dietitians also use the generic term nutritionist, but Jennifer Schmiel, executive director of the Maryland Dietetic Association, warns that not all nutritionists are RDs.

Schmiel said one of the main focuses of the MDA is to promote the registered dietitian as the nutrition professional. "A lot of people say they are a nutritionist, but don't have the credentials," she said.

Often, those noncredentialed persons may want to teach an agenda, she said, adding that often they will attempt to sell the consumer a host of herbs and supplements promising results.

Having this certification protects the consumer by defining the scope of practice of the dietitian or nutritionist: only licensed dietitians or nutritionists may practice Medical Nutrition Therapy, the treatment of a disease or condition with diet. Consumers who seek nutritional advice should make sure the person they consult with is both a registered and licensed dietitian/nutritionist, Schmiel said.

Part of a medical team

Most of the dietitians work as part of a medical team to help people in the treatment and prevention of disease. But, dietitians may also work in the community for programs like WIC or Meals on Wheels, in hospitals, HMOs and other health care facilities, academia and research, as well as managers of food service operations within schools, correctional institutions and health care facilities.

Melissa Bosslet [Majumdar], an dietitian with the practice EB Nutrition in Rockville, said most of her clients come in with weight or health issues, such as gastrointestinal disorders. Her practice gets the majority of its clients from physician referrals as well as patient-to-patient referrals.

RDs often work with a physician to create an overall program for the client to achieve his or her goals, Bosslet said. These dietitians attempt to find the root cause of a problem and use the most natural methods to address it.

Dietitians do not subscribe to a specific diet as a one-plan-fits-all. Plans are based on a client's lifestyle, budget and preferences, within healthy guidelines. These nutrition professions are also not the "food police," Schmiel said. "We aren't going to say that you can never eat a certain food again," she said. They take into account what a person likes and what changes the client is willing to make.

When it comes to compliance, there is a greater likelihood that a client will follow the plan if there are scheduled follow-up appointments, Bosslet said. In addition to increased compliance, the client and dietitian can work together to address any minor issues that come up along the way, she added. "Then it's not a diet, they make it a lifestyle."

The majority of patients who come to Bosslet have tried many of the fad diets that promise great weight loss, but fail to teach lifelong lessons on how to maintain a healthy weight. There are some truths in diet books, Bosslet said, but no program takes a person's entire system into consideration. RDs understand biochemistry and how the body works, and combine that with how the body works with proper nutrition.

Healthy people benefit

Due to the way health care insurers view the services provided by dietitians, those appointments are not covered, unless in the event of diabetes or kidney disease. Bosslet cites this as one of the reasons dietitians are often underused. Also, people don't consider discussing nutrition while they are seemingly healthy. A healthy person could benefit from a plan that may actually help to keep potential future diseases at bay, she said.

Just as it is important to find a connection between a person and a therapist, the same type of connection is needed with a dietitian. "You need to be connected to your dietitian. Food is, as much as it is what you are eating, so tied to your emotional and cultural side," Bosslet said.

Dealing with food issues is much like therapy, and it's important to have someone to confide in, she added.

"Everyone comes to us at a different stage of change and readiness," Bosslet said.

Making a change, even in a person ready for change, is not always easy. "If it were easy, then everyone wouldn't have a problem losing weight," she said.

Often, people think that just by coming in they are doing the work, but the hard work is what they have to do on their own, she said. So even if someone is only ready to make a couple of changes, rather than a whole overhaul of their nutrition, it's worth it to see an dietitian and start there, she said.

March 23, 2010 - Frederick News-Post.com

Meat-Free Fridays

Whether you regularly follow a vegetarian diet or you have vowed to avoid meat on Fridays during the Lenten season, or you just want a tasty dinner idea, try this Polenta and Vegetable Casserole! I borrowed the recipe right from our website and had a complete meal in less than 30 minutes. The polenta is creamy and satisfying and the variety of textures is pleasing to the palate. Try a variety of different beans to add a little variety - I used garbanzo and black beans and really enjoyed the bite the garbanzos offered. Also try topping the casserole off with a few slices of avocado in place of some of the cheese - this reduces the saturated fat content and boosts the creaminess factor.

As with any meal, vegetarian or not, it is important to focus around lean, high quality protein. The beans in this dish add a ton of B vitamins and fiber as well as some protein. By combining beans and polenta (a corn product) in this recipe, we include all the essential amino acids. Certain amino acids are termed essential because the body cannot make them, so we must consume them from food. Beans lack Methionine and corn lacks Lysine - in combination we have a complete protein. The whole grain quinoa is another great source of vegetarian protein and actually contains all the essential amino acids. Look for great side dishes made with quinoa on our website as well.

Having a hard time finding balanced vegetarian meal options? Do you find yourself eating the same 5 to 10 foods each day? You need the EB Dietitians as your menu planning resource!

Want your child to get good grades? Encourage physical activity!

By Melissa Majumdar, RD, LN, CPT

A study published January 25, 2010 online in The Journal of Pediatrics found that adolescents who were more physically fit performed better in the classroom. The study compared California’s standardized test scores in a variety of subject areas for fifth, seventh, and ninth graders. Physical and aerobic fitness was measured with a one-mile time trial. For every one minute the mile time increased, test scores decreased by over a point. On average, overweight and obese performed significantly lower on the tests.

Dr. William J. McCarthy of the University of California in Los Angeles, the study’s researcher, states that "it's good to be both aerobically fit and to have a healthy body shape." These parameters are best achieved by regular physical activity and a healthy diet. Teaching kids at a young age how to eat whole, nutritious foods is one of the best gifts a parent gives. This sets children up for lower risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and kidney problems not to mention a good immune system, healthy skin, and lots of energy. Children of all ages learn best by example. If Mom and Dad’s diet is high in processed, sugar- and fat-laden foods, junior’s diet will be too! If Mom and Dad are inactive, chances are the kids will pick up the same habits. Consider signing both you and your child up for Nutrition Counseling or Personal Training with EB Nutrition and start improving both of your health (and their test scores) now.


Hendry J. Physically fit students do better academically too: study. Reuters Health. February 25, 2010. Available at: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61P08T20100226?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a49:g43:r1:c1.000000:b31105346:z0. Accessed on March 10, 2010.

Pop That Habbit

The Oscars are schedule to appear this Sunday, March 7. Whether you are hurrying to the movie theater to catch the Best Picture nominee or renting the last big flick, think twice before ordering or popping the popcorn.

The popcorn aisle of the supermarket is one of the easiest places to find partially hydrogenated oils, otherwise known as trans fats. Food manufacturers are not required to post trans fat on nutrition labels if there is less than 0.5 grams per serving. You can bet they will adjust serving sizes to make sure there is no trans fat on the label!

To avoid this marketing trap, double check the ingredient list and look for any oils that have been “partially hydrogenated.” The hydrogenation process starts with a fat that normally is unsaturated, meaning it is not saturated with hydrogens because it contains some double bonds. These fats are liquid or semi-liquid at room temperature. By adding the hydrogens to the carbon chain, the fat has less risk of becoming oxidized, or damaged, but changes shape as well. The new shape, categorized as trans instead of cis, does not fit nicely into our arteries, causing inflammation leading to heart disease, arthritis, and immune problems.

Even worse is the popcorn you can purchase at the theater. Not only do you end up spending more money than you might on an entire meal, but your calorie intake exceeds a meal as well. A small popcorn packs in 600 calories and 34 grams of saturated fat where as a large popcorn equals some people's entire days worth of calories, 1200 calories plus 60 grams of saturated fat. Even if you are sharing the small popcorn, you will eat two to three times the recommended intake of saturated fat for the whole day!

Not enough reasons to avoid popcorn while watching movies? Popcorn can be a “trigger food” for many people and eating out of a bag sets us up for failure. The hand to mouth motion associated with eating popcorn is very soothing, and very difficult to stop. Basically, once you pop you can't stop. Practice mindful eating by picking healthful foods that will not set you up for overeating. Place an appropriate portion on a bowl or a plate; smaller bowls and plates help you stick with the right serving size. Having a hard time thinking of other snacks to munch on during the Academy Awards? Hurry now and get your personalized suggestions and meal plan from Melissa or Elizabeth at EB Nutrition!