Nutrition Unscrambled

D.C. Area Dietetic Association Meeting

By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
May 13th, 2011

Just when you feel you’ve been to enough meetings one last meeting makes it all worthwhile. Last weekend I attended the DCMADA (DC Metro Area Dietetic Association) 2011 annual meeting held in Bethesda, Maryland. The obvious benefit of networking with colleagues and visiting sponsor’s table top presentations needs no further discussion. However, the opportunities for learning from an impressive lineup of speakers may not be so obvious.

Despite the fact that I am not currently employed in a clinical setting I found the presentation from Leigh-Anne Wooten about her experiences getting order writing privileges for dietitians at Georgetown University Hospital gave me a picture of how the appreciation for RD professionalism has increased and how strong willed characters can move mountains when they believe in their cause.

On a very different note, Dr. Patsy Brannon from Cornell University who served on the IOM committee to determine a DRI for vitamin D gave a riveting discussion about the research that was considered in making the new vitamin recommendations that were released this past fall. Dr. Brannon explained the obstacles for establishing appropriate level of intake for vitamin D which are unique to this hormone because it is endogenously produced, yet conditionally dependent on varying levels of sun exposure. She presented a slide which got my attention when she pointed out that an egg is one of the few natural sources of vitamin D.

Unfortunately, she did not have the most recent nutrient data for eggs which found a large egg provides 41IU of vitamin D making a good source. I did speak with her after her presentation and promised to share this USDA data with her.

Later in the day, there was a very interesting presentation from Ellen Karlin, a registered dietitian who counsels patients with allergies in her practice at the Comprehensive Asthma and Allergy Center in Owings Mills, MD. She offered insights into how difficult it is for patients who cannot control or get accurate information about the ingredients in foods in their environments. She did discuss the latest recommendations about allergies, which suggests that no food should be avoided after weaning at 4-6 months unless there is documented evidence of allergic reaction. This contradicts the old wisdom which in the case of eggs were not generally considered safe to include in an infant’s diet until 1-2yrs.

I also learned a lot from speakers who participated in panel discussions about Nutrition and Food Policy as well as communication differences between generations in the workplace. I’m very glad I took the opportunity to spend my Saturday learning from others in my profession who practice so differently than where I’m currently employed.



About

Nutrition Unscrambled  is written by nutrition experts with the Egg Nutrition Center, which is funded by the American Egg Board. It is monitored and maintained by the public relations agency of record. The mission of the Egg Nutrition Center is to be a credible source of nutrition and health science information and the acknowledged leader in research and education related to eggs. For more information, click here.

About the Bloggers

Mitch Kanter, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Egg Nutrition Center. For more information about
Mitch, click here.
Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD is the Senior Director, Nutrition Education at the Egg Nutrition Center. For more information about Marcia, click here.
Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN is the Program Manager, Nutrition Research and Communications at the Egg Nutrition Center. For more information about Anna, click here.

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All information provided within this blog is for informational and educational purposes only and it is not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. Please consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health or before making changes to your diet or health behaviors.