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RDs help to make informed food choices
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The
March 1 Wellness Wednesday, held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the
Children’s Hospital lobby, will have information on registered
dietitian and National Nutrition Month.
by Janet Carter
Outpatient Dietitian Heart Health Program Coordinator
Dietitians are the nutrition experts. Often, dietitians are
confused with nutritionists. The difference between the two is
that registered dietitians have at least four years of higher
education, have completed an intensive internship, and have passed a
registration exam (whereas nutritionists may have had a week-long
course in nutrition).
The first thing that often comes to mind when the word dietitian is
mentioned is weight loss. Helping people lose weight is only one of the
tasks a dietitian can choose to do in their career. A dietitian
can also work in hospitals, clinics, schools, wellness centers,
corporations, food companies, restaurants, private practice, research
labs, and even Capital Hill.
The field of dietetics is growing and changing, and windows of opportunity continue to open.
Registered dietitians are on the cutting edge of the most current
nutritional recommendations. To learn more about registered
dietitians, or more about nutrition in general, visit the Web site of
The American Dietetic Association at http://www.eatright.org.
National Nutrition Month
National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information
campaign held annually in March by the American Dietetic Association.
The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed
food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
Registered dietitian Day, also celebrated in March, increases awareness
of registered dietitians as the No. 1 providers of food and nutritional
advice and services, and recognizes registered dietitians for their
commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives.
This year’s theme for National Nutrition Month is Eat Right.
Celebrate this by practicing healthy eating for you and your family.
It is the parents’ responsibility to provide healthy food options,
while it is the child’s job to decide how much to eat and whether to
eat at all.
Steps to success
- Choose
a variety of foods (remember the food pyramid?): Many different
colors of fruits and vegetables; whole grains; lean meats (such as
chicken without skin, turkey, fish and shellfish), meat substitutes,
and low-fat dairy.
- If
you need a snack, choose something healthy: fruit; low-fat yogurt;
pretzels or baked chips; whole grain dry cereal; low-fat cheese, like
mozzarella cheese sticks; applesauce or fruit in its own juice; baby
carrots with low-fat dip.
- Always
eat a healthy breakfast. Eating breakfast is the best way to get your
day started. You are more likely to weigh less if you eat breakfast.
- Be
watchful of the types of fats you consume: avoid trans fats (found in
packaged and prepared foods); keep saturated fats in check (mostly
found in animal products, but also packaged and prepared items)
(saturated fat is solid at room temperature); substitute unsaturated
fats for saturated fat (choose olive oil instead of lard, margarine
instead of butter, nuts instead of chocolate, etc.); avoid fried foods.
- Don’t
forget to watch the liquid calories: Avoid sodas, juices, and sport
drinks since they are high in sugar, won’t fill you up, and don’t
provide nutrition.
Join
the registered dietitians Wednesday, March 11 at the Health 1st
Wellness Wednesday table between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to learn more.
Friday, March 6, 2009
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