Tag Archives: National Nutrition Month

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RD Urban Legends: The Craziest Stories Ever Told

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RD Urban LegendsAs dietitians, we all hear crazy stories from our patients about the things they’ve been told regarding their health. Sometimes the things they say are so disturbing, we bottle them up inside and try, with all our might, to pretend like we never heard them say it. But, others are funny enough that we have to share with everyone around us! We’ve been compiling some of the favorites that we’ve heard from other dietitians so that we can share them with you here on the blog. Have you heard any of these?

  • “Bananas are the worst food you can eat because they have an enzyme in them that makes you fat!”
  • “I heard it’s not healthy to shake salt on my food, so I spoon it on instead.”
  • “I thought it’s not good for you to have fruit after 2 pm?”
  • Patient in a wheelchair, with 2 below-knee amputations was sucking down packets of mayo in the hospital cafeteria, telling people freely “I have diabetes and can’t eat carbs”.
  • This is not from patient, but from a pharmacist (not a technician either) “About 6-8 years ago, when we all were learning about Lipitor interaction and cautioned to not consume grapefruits.”The pharmacist said to not have grapefruit, but you can have grapefruit juice because juice is not the same thing.”
  • “Well I’m probably not going to lose much weight now because it’s winter time.  Your metabolism slows down because your body has to preserve the fat because it’s cold.”
  • Anything that begins with the phrase “But I heard on Dr. Oz…..”
  • “Clear colored soda doesn’t have any calories”
  • I had an MD tell me (on TV!) that eating a potato will “make you fat”
  • .”Don’t combine fruit with proteins when eating.  When you do this the fruit stays in your stomach longer and rots. Always eat fruit by itself.”

And the #1 urban legend goes to this gem of wisdom…

  • I replace all sugar in my recipes with brown sugar instead”, with the person thinking this now made them a whole grain

Because we all know that if it’s brown, it’s a whole grain… right? Thank you to everyone who shared your best RD Urban Legends with us! We got a kick out of reading all of them! Do you have any stories to add to this list? If so, please share them in the comments below or email us at info@ncescatalog.com. We could all use a good laugh today!

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Happy RD Day 2015

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from your nutrition education partners at NCES!

RD Day eCard NCES

Take a minute to share this eCard with the RD’s in your life! You can share this blog, or share the image via our Facebook and Twitter pages as well, using the hashtag #RDDay!

Let’s make RD Day go viral!
celebrate nutritionCelebrate Nutrition and RD Day 2015 with 40-50% off select items at NCES! Simply click here to browse the discounted products.
**All prices as marked

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For National Nutrition Month: 5 Reasons to Love (& Sometimes Hate) Your Dietitian

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Girl with fruit saladMarch is such a big month for RD’s! Not only is it National Nutrition Month, the only month of the year that nutrition gets a big spotlight, it also hosts RD Day. So, in honor of such a big month for our profession and nutrition community, here’s a list of five reasons you should love (but will sometimes hate) your dietitian! When you’re done, take a minute to share your reason in the comments and to share this with all of your favorite RD’s too!

5) We’ll be your biggest fan and provide support when you need it most.

4) We often get to cook and/or workout for fun… and get paid for it.

3) We’re more likely to give chocolate, fruit & wine as gifts than anyone else you know.

2) We get giddy when we see new fruits and veggies in the store and will buy one just to try it!

1) Forget Iron Chef… we can whip out a healthy meal with as little as five ingredients. Anytime, Anywhere!

 

Happy National Nutrition Month and RD Day on March 11th, 2015!

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#Gimme5 Ways to Be Healthy

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Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama issued the challenge for 5 ways to be healthy! Here are our five… simple, tried and true methods to be healthy! Enjoy!

  1. Eat at least 2 fruits and 4 vegetables each day
  2. Exercise at least 30 minutes everyday
  3. Take a break from your TV watching and do at least 10 situps or pushups during the commercial breaks for your evening shows
  4. Drink at least 5 large glasses of water each day
  5. Try at least 5 new foods in a week. And no, you can’t count the ‘donut of the week’ as a new food! 🙂

How do you ‘live healthy’? There are so many ways to live a healthy lifestyle and inspire those around you to do the same. So, now, we issue the challenge to you to #Gimme5. Comment on this blog with 5 ways you stay healthy using the hashtag #Gimme5! Happy National Nutrition Month.

NCES Health and Nutrition Education

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FREE POSTER for National Nutrition Month 2015

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Available as a free download, you can print as many of these beautiful posters as you need! Hang them in your office, hand them out to patients, pass them out at health fairs… the possibilities are endless!

Click here to get your free download!

National Nutrition Month 2015 Free Poster

Dietitian Gift BoxesDon’t Forget National Nutrition Month Gift Boxes

Get your National Nutrition Month Gift Boxes now! With personalized messages, these boxes are great for dietitians, clients and doctors! Click here to see them all and order yours today. Only $6.95

**Don’t forget about discounts for orders over 10.

NCES Happy Valentines Day 2015

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Who do you want to appreciate this National Nutrition Month?

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National Nutrition Month is a great time to promote good nutrition to clients and patients! But, it’s also a great time to say Thank You to your co-workers, clients, patients and doctors who work hard to make the world a healthier place.

Save yourself a trip to the store and order a trendy, healthy snack-packed gift box for everyone you want to say Thank You to!

Dietitian Gift Boxes

The inside of each box is personalized with a message to fit the recipient!
To see the individualized messages, please click here.

Bulk Box Order

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Get Your Healthy START

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It’s not uncommon on a daily basis to overhear a conversation about someone’s latest diet fad. Whether you’re in line at the grocery store, talking with a close friend or working with a client, diet fads are a dime a dozen. As a dietitian, presenting a healthy, well-rounded diet and exercise plan is the #1 goal. However, sometimes it seems like people like the fad diet so much better because it sounds easier. In reality, we all know that maintaining a healthy diet and incorporating physical activity in to your lifestyle is the easiest approach. So, how can you help those around you understand that it’s easy too?

The hardest part of enjoying a healthy life is getting started! Whether your goal is to learn more about the ingredients in the food you eat, monitor your calorie intake, start a regular physical activity routine, or a combination of all of these, getting started is often the hardest part. For some of you, as the dietitian, helping your patients understand the logic behind getting healthy can be a pretty big challenge too.

This is why we strive to make everything simple. By learning two simple NCES concepts, you can begin your path down the road to a healthier lifestyle in no time. And, did we mention we’re ‘Fad Diet Free’, meaning that everything we teach focuses on simple, healthy nutrition; no starvation diets, crazy pills, chemicals, or activities that require any kind of shaking weight!

Our S.T.A.R.T. concept offers 5 simple recommendations for creating and maintaining a healthy diet. This idea keeps you from spending time counting calories. Instead, you’ll be focusing on general rules to follow when thinking about the foods that you are going to eat.

S – Solid Fats & Added Sugars: These provide no nutritional value and should be avoided as much as possible. Examples include: cake, cookies, butter, margarine, regular soda.

T – Try to make half your plate fruits and vegetables: A serving of fruits and vegetables can be fresh, frozen, dried or canned in their own juices.

A – Avoid oversized portions: Monitor serving sizes and enjoy your food, just eat less.

R – Refresh with water: Make water the beverage of choice and limit beverages with added sugars.

T – Track your Sodium: Limit foods that are high in salt like pre-packaged snacks and meals.

The second concept is our E.I.E.O. concept. This idea focuses on balancing Energy In (calories) with Energy Out (exercise). It sounds so simple. But, it’s amazing how simple the idea of maintaining a balanced lifestyle can be. If you focus on burning the calories that you consume above and beyond what your body needs to function every day, you’ll have nothing left over to turn in to fat. One of the easiest ways to get started here is to go online and determine your personal BMR using an online BMR calculator. You need to be sure to consume these calories each day, remembering the rules in the S.T.A.R.T. concept as you choose your foods, in order to fuel your body. Then, you need to make sure that you’re exercising to burn any calories above and beyond this amount of calories that you consume.

The great thing about both of these concepts is that they work perfectly for everyone! No matter your age, size, gender, nationality, etc. these recommendations will help you live a healthier life. Enjoying the benefits of healthy eating and regular physical activity is not limited to certain people. By incorporating these simple ideas in to your everyday life will allow you to enjoy all the benefits that come with having a healthy body!

4932 EIEO Tear Pad May 2012-page-001 (2)Healthy START for a Healthier You

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Celebrate RD Day with a Little History

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As Americans we love to celebrate. At any given point in the year we are amidst a special month, week or day set aside for awareness, commemoration or remembrance for a variety of causes, events and people. Usually I shake my head in amusement at every passing holiday but my attitude quickly changes at the start of national nutrition month. One day in March, registered dietitians get a chance at recognition and a time to shine. This year, it’s Wednesday March 13th.

Nutrition has long been regarded as an important part of human’s well-being. Over 6,000 years ago the Egyptian people believed that food was crucial to overall health. The ancient Indian and Chinese cultures used food as a form of medicine.  One of the founding fathers of medicine, Hippocrates, stated, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”.  Leonardo Da Vinci compared metabolism in the human body to a candle burning. The now infamous first nutrition experiment done by the British physician, Dr. James Lind in 1747 found that limes prevented the deadly disease scurvy in sailors when included as part of their daily diet. Nutrition, however mysterious, mattered.

The science of nutrition and connection to health has been present much longer than the actual profession of dietetics. The 20th century was a time of great discovery in nutrition. The majority of vitamins and minerals integral to life were chemically isolated and named in the first several decades of the 1900s. As the science matured, the profession of dietetics broadened its reach. Dietitians were formally recognized as a profession in 1967 by the International Labour Office. And, yes, they declared the spelling “dietitian” not the nails-down-the chalkboard irritating “dietician”.

Even before the formal recognition of dietitians, the field was evolving just as fast as the nutritional breakthroughs in the early 20th century. In 1919, the first dietitian, Hallie Corsette, was hired by the US Public Health Service Divisions of Hospitals and assumed the title, “Superintendent of Dietitians”. Mrs. Corsette grew the division to include 85 dietitians whose focus was the food service operations of the Public Health Service hospitals.  World War II added more duties to the dietitian’s repertoire, including doomsday preppers and consultants.  For example, dietitians partnered with the Civil Defense Mobilization Program to protect the food supply and nourish the population if the United States were bombed. Dietitians were hired by state and local health departments to create nutrition clinics. By 1940 there was enough nutrition research available to establish the RDAs and dietitians subsequently began providing nutrition education to their clients.

As the demand for nutrition experts grew, the need for standardized education and training of dietitians became paramount. In 1974, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly American Dietetic Association) was recognized by the US Department of Education as the accrediting agency for dietetic internships and tasked with coordinating undergraduate programs. The responsibility of accreditation was shifted to the Commission for Accreditation in Dietetic Education (CADE) in 1994.

Registered Dietitians and the profession of dietetics is still in its infancy. Nutritional science is announcing new intricacies about the healing properties of food on a daily basis.   Treating disease with a healthy diet comes with the intrinsic benefit of prevention. Medical nutrition therapy is a powerful tool that lacks the laundry list of side effects seen in many pharmaceuticals treatments.  As registered dietitians we have every right to celebrate our leading role in combating chronic disease and translating the science into meaningful advice and guidance. Stand up and claim your day!

Lauren Pillar
Written By: 
Lauren M. Pillar RD, LDN
Public Health Nutritionist
 
Visit Lauren’s blog at
http://www.ImperfectNutritionist.com
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Don’t Let National Nutrition Month End

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It’s hard to believe, but March is coming to an end! Another National Nutrition Month is wrapping up. But, as usual, that doesn’t mean that all the lessons learned this month should be pushed aside and forgotten. This year, you learned how to “Get Your Plate in Shape”. Our plates are a big part of our daily lives. For most of us, we sit down to a plate of food an average of three times per day. For those with hectic schedules, it may be less. And, for those that focus on 5-6 well-balanced meals, it’s even more. So, it’s easy to see why learning to get our plates in shape is vital to our everyday success.

Here at NCES, we like to provide tools that make staying healthy easier for you. So, here are a few takeaway lessons to remember, even after National Nutrition Month comes to an end.

  1. 1.       Fill your plate with foods from all of the food groups.  For the average person, our bodies require foods from all of the food groups to remain healthy. The key is to remember moderation; picture the USDA MyPlate when filling your plate, doing your best to match the two.
  2. 2.       Always remember portion control. We all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to food. It’s important not to deny yourself those indulgences and enjoy them occasionally. However, remember not to go overboard and don’t indulge all the time.
  3. 3.       Don’t underestimate the power of vegetables. Vegetables contain a variety of nutrients that are great for our bodies. Not to mention, they are a great way to fill up our stomachs without packing in extra fat and calories. So, be sure to make fresh vegetables a big part of your everyday diet.

Getting your plate in shape will require some effort on your part. You’ll have to remember to make conscious decisions about the foods you are filling your plate with. However, it only takes 21 days to form a habit. So, if you set some goals and push yourself to achieve them for 21 days, in just three weeks, it will be a habit.

In need of a kickstart? NCES offers extremely useful Right-Sized Portion Plate for both Adults and Kids. Also, fresh off the press are our new MyPlacemats for Kids. They come in sets of 50. So, they are great for taking to restaurants, as well as the houses of family & friends so your kids can think healthy while they are enjoying their meals. Be sure to check these great tools out today!

What did you learn during National Nutrition Month 2012? Did you make any commitments to yourself? How did it go, were you able to keep your commitments? Leave your comments here on the blog, or visit our Facebook or Twitter pages.