By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
March 8th, 2012
As a representative of the Egg Nutrition Center for the Strategic Partnership for the ChooseMyPlate.gov program, I signed up to show everyone what I eat. It sounds so simple, right? On March 8 National What’s On Your Plate Day, just spread the word about how to eat using ChooseMyPlate.gov as a template. Yet, just thinking about how to show a healthy diet can be difficult when reality hits. Do I really eat all my meals on a plate? Do I really eat only at meal time? What about my beverages and that mouthful of nuts? What about when I go to meetings, dinner with friends or business associates? By the third picture of my meals, my husband had already asked me to stop taking pictures claiming it was disturbing his dinner! So, in an effort to come clean about what a 33 year veteran of the American Dietetics Association, now the Academy of Dietetics really eats, I am fessing up on national What’s On Your Plate Day, March 8, 2012.
Breakfast: My favorite breakfast: warm hard boiled eggs with orange slices and Greek yogurt. Add a cup of coffee and I’m good to go. This is my power breakfast because it gets me through the morning, including exercise at the gym and satisfied until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. It even looks bright and sunny.
Lunch: Melted open faced sliced turkey with aged provolone cheese sandwich with sugar snap peas. I love this lunch because it’s quick and I adore the melted cheese flavor along with the sweet crispness of the peas. Finished with multiple cups of rooibos tea and I’m set. Only one dish to clean up!
Dinner with my husband, I tried a new recipe: shrimp in lime and coconut sauce garnished with cilantro. In addition I served a spoonful of jasmine rice and lots of mushrooms and roasted asparagus on the side for color and a taste of spring. My husband suggested taking off the “green stuff” to improve the look of the meal but that’s why he’s not a 33 year veteran of ADA! Add in a glass of white wine and that’s my day’s meals. I have a new appreciation for food stylists, I doubt anyone would make this meal if it was in a cookbook! After dinner, I confess, I did sneak into the kitchen for handful of almonds and tea before bed but no one’s perfect!!
Tags: ADA, eggs, MyPlate, protein
By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
October 10th, 2011
I can’t say that I have attended FNCE every year since I’ve been an RD but for the last decade at least FNCE has been my opportunity to meet up with others in my chosen field of dietetics. This year I attended the Dietitian in Business and Communications executive committee meeting as a past chair and learned about all the inspiring programs being planned for the 2012 calendar year. The RDs who are members of this practice group are the new breed of practitioner. They represent different career applications and are examples of today’s dietitian’s capacity to function in areas including food service, industry, education, public relations and private practice counseling. We all agree that acumen in business skills are essential for dietitians to be valued in today’s society. My role as exhibitor in the FNCE exhibit hall echoed this same sentiment. There I met with many fellow RDs who work for food industries or government organization to promote and publicize the developments in the food industry which are available to help consumers eat a healthy diet. I learned about a few new products including Monk Fruit which is a new sweetener with less sugar, a new broccoli that has been bred to be sweet and so many new foods fortified with probiotics. The big shock of the event however was the news that the American Dietetic Association, of which I’ve been a member for 30 plus years, will soon be known as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I can only assume that this change in title is an attempt to communicate the academic rigor that RDs are required to maintain before they can sit for the qualifying exam and enter the practice of dietetics. If this brings the RD more credibility in the eyes of the public then I’m all for it.
Tags: ADA, Eat Right, FNCE
By Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN
June 9th, 2011
My name is Anna Shlachter and I am a Registered and Licensed Dietitian and the newest member of the ENC staff. I am the Program Manager, Nutrition Research and Communications. I previously worked in a public health setting as the Nutrition Education Coordinator/Senior Dietitian for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. For those of you who may not know WIC is a breastfeeding and education program that serves low income individuals. Supplement foods are also a part of the program and eggs are a part of the food packages.
One of my many goals is to be an active member and hold leadership roles in professional groups. I have held multiple positions but at current I am the Immediate Past President for the Illinois Dietetic Association. In addition, I am the American Dietetic Association’s Let’s Move Liaison for Illinois. As you can see, I have a passion for educating professionals and the public.
I have spent the last week becoming acquainted with the Egg Nutrition Center and the American Egg Board and its partners. I think this will be an amazing experience. I look forward to working on projects promoting our high quality affordable protein source, the EGG, and the evidence based research we have to show its benefits.
I’ve already gotten a variety of egg questions and puns from family, friends and peers. One common question was “How much can there be to know about an egg?” and I can tell you that this week I’ve gotten to know some of the endless opportunities of egg. I even have an Eggcyclopeida at my fingertips. I found the cooking equipment interesting . I’m sitting here thinking I may have to go home and use our omelet pan for a yummy omelet full of veggies!
Although “blogging” is an area I am just starting to explore; I have been active on other social media arenas. I am egg-cited to network with other professionals through blogging.
Tags: ADA, eggs, USDA, WIC
By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
February 15th, 2011
It was a pleasant surprise last week when I browsed through my most recent issue of the ADA Times and found the Love Food 2 page spread on eggs. Eggs have had quite a wild ride with dietitians, first being used clinically in beverages to boost nutrient intake when patients couldn’t or wouldn’t chew or needed a ready source of high quality protein. Then the egg’s reputation went into a tailspin both because of the misunderstanding regarding an association between egg intake and cardiovascular disease risk compounded by the fear of Salmonella Enteritidis which although is a concern, only affects 1 in 20,000 eggs and can be completely prevented if care is taken to avoid temperature abuse and prepared correctly. At long last the egg appears to be making a comeback, although the ADA Times authors seem to qualify their enthusiasm.
I’m hoping that the newly published data from USDA finding that a large egg now has 14% less cholesterol, 186mg in fact, will help dietitians to overcome their skepticism about recommending eggs again. The contributing author Tejal Pathak MS,RD, LD makes the point that for individuals at risk for CVD or T2D including an egg in their daily diet is difficult. Hopefully, this will now appear to be less problematic and the many valuable nutrients one consumes when eating an egg yolk make it a highly worthwhile 70 calories. In addition, the author mentions that genetics should be considered when discussing egg intake. In fact, only 1/3 of the population responds at all by increasing blood lipids following egg intake. Those hyper-responders increase both LDL and HDL particles so there is no increase in CHD risk. (Fernandez ML and Webb D, Am Coll Nutr, 2008, 27 (1) 1-5)
Carol White MS,RD offered some nice suggestions about the versatility of eggs and the amazing functionality of eggs in baked and cooked dishes and Amorette Hinely Reid a recent graduate of Johnson and Wales University discussed eggs used in food service. It is appropriate to use pasteurized eggs when serving vulnerable populations but to the extent that eggs can be thoroughly safe if thoroughly cooked, I don’t think it is necessary to suggest using pasteurized eggs for the average consumer. It is good to have the egg back in our arsenal of healthy foods and to have ADA recognize their value in the ADA Times publication.
-Marcia
Tags: ADA, dietary cholesterol, eggs, registered dietitans, USDA
