By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
February 10th, 2012
Seeing an article in Today’s Diet and Nutrition titled “What Nutrition Pros Eat for Breakfast”, made me think, “do health professionals eat the same as what they recommend to their patients?” The article also reminded me of a recent conversation I had with my MD.
To give my doctor credit, she is someone who follows current research and was well aware that eggs are not with heart disease and elevated serum cholesterol. However, she did agree that she noticed when she eats cereals or granola for breakfast she finds herself pretty hungry, at about 10am and needs a snack. Well, long story short, when I visited my doctor again this year for my physical I learned she now eats 2 eggs every morning for breakfast and skips her previously required 10 a.m. snack.
So are you a health professional that practices what you preach?
To see the article:
What Nutrition Pros Eat for Breakfast
Don’t skip breakfast! Nutrition professionals agree that starting your day with a nutritious meal is essential to weight management and overall health. We asked three registered dietitians to share their morning favorites to help you find the right options for your healthful lifestyle.
Tags: eggs, Health Professionals, nutrition, Today's Dietitian
By Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN
October 20th, 2011
Wouldn’t it be fun to do the TV show Mythbusters but focused on Nutrition??
A recent “Eat this Not That” posting from Men’s Health looked at the Egg/Cholesterol myth. Kudos to them for busting the myth (you cannot eat eggs because of the cholesterol). As we say “An Egg a Day is OK!!” There are a multitude of studies showing this same message, but unfortunately consumers and even health professionals are still hesitant to eat eggs. So here’s to hoping these mythbusting messages continue to spread!
Here is an example of a study showing this message:
A study published in Medical Science Monitor including 9,500 people demonstrates that eating one or two eggs a day does not increase the risk of heart disease or stroke among healthy adults. The study notes that eating eggs may actually be associated with a decrease in blood pressure. Qureshi A, et al. “Regular egg consumption does not increase the risk of stroke or cardiovascular diseases. Medical Science Monitor. 2007; 13(1):CR1-8.”
Another parallel message to think about is the additional benefits an egg can offer. In the article they also mention weight management. Satiety/weight management is an area that is being actively researched. Other benefits from the varying 13 essential vitamins and minerals include muscle strength, healthy pregnancy, brain function and more.
Check out the information on “An Egg A Day” to share with patients and fellow health professionals. Also, we will be launching a new cholesterol specific section on our website in the future, so check back.
Tags: cholesterol, eggs, Health Professionals, myths
By Anna Shlachter, MS, RD, LDN
June 30th, 2011
It is always good to get away and enjoy time with new and old friends. This past weekend we spent the weekend with friends at a cabin by Starved Rock State Park. Two days and thirty-six eggs later, we ate yummy breakfasts to start our day.
We kept it simple with scrambled eggs. Other options to go along with our eggs were turkey bacon, whole wheat toast, pancakes, orange juice and some fruit. Of course all 10 of us made our breakfast plates look a little different. The first day, I chose to have some grapes along with a “half sandwich” (a piece of toast, eggs and 2 pieces of turkey bacon which I folded in half) and the second day I had pancakes with my scrambled eggs. Others decided to have their eggs with cheese. One person ate everything in a bowl together with syrup; while another person had plain eggs and a plain pancake. It goes to show we can take the same eggs and have them in different ways. We were fueled for our hiking, boating and other activities!
This brings me back to the statement we often say around here -it’s the company an egg shares that gives it the “bad” reputation. Remember, there is room for the all foods and we make choices. I think showing people the “good” company an egg can share and how healthy, quick and easy it can be is important. The best part is that you can balance the company even over the weekend!
So my questions to you are:
- How do you talk about eggs as health professionals?
- How do your client’s depict them and how can we continue to change the face of eggs?
~Anna
Tags: eggs, fruit, giving eggs the company they deserve, Health Professionals, whole wheat toast
By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
June 29th, 2011
Last week I returned from exhibiting at the Pri-med Conference in New York City. This is not the first time I have exhibited at this conference and I’m always pleased with the result.
The attendees to this conference are health professionals from all realms of the medical field. Pri-Med delivers 3 days of medical updates at a remarkably low price which attracts many health professionals who work with low income patients in a community setting. It was very rewarding for us to bring the good news to all these health professionals that eggs are now 14% lower in dietary cholesterol.
In addition, current research shows that there are many health related benefits of consuming an egg; relating to its high quality protein yet low carbohydrate and calorie content, coupled with its 13 essential vitamins and minerals all for approximately 14 cents an egg.
Anna and I were very busy throughout the 3 days talking with physicians, nurses, dietitians and physician assistants about how they can now tell their patients to go back to eating an egg a day, as recommended by the US Dietary Guidelines. We were able to sign up nearly 250 health professionals who were interested in receiving the ENC newsletter, Nutrition CloseUp, as well as completing a survey which entered them into a contest to win a year’s worth of eggs for themselves and a donation to a local NYC food bank. Not surprisingly, most HPs enjoy eggs themselves and have been advising their patients that eggs are a healthful food all along.
Tags: dietary cholesterol, eggs, Health Professionals, Pri-Med, United States Dietary Guidelines
By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
March 7th, 2011
When observing focus groups around the country which included physicians, nurses, dietitians and personal trainers it was interesting to see how these health professionals viewed eggs and dietary cholesterol. Most health professionals felt eggs were a healthy food choice especially compared to available alternatives. In fact, it was often heard that eggs got a bad rap and they did not feel that the food deserved to be the icon of indulgence. What we heard is that eggs offered many valuable nutrients lacking in their patient’s diets and suggested an egg is a better choice than sweetened cereals, breakfast bars or donuts. What concerned most health professionals were what other foods people choose to eat with eggs. They generally agreed that eggs need to choose new friends and could be considered healthy if they weren’t accompanied by the saturated fat and sodium found in other breakfast foods. This striking misperception is often exemplified in restaurant menus that list egg white omelets accompanied by high fat and high sodium bacon or sausage with white toast as the healthy choice, giving the impression that egg yolks are the unhealthy element.
In fact, scientific research has shown that the egg yolk supplies about 40% of the high quality protein in an egg important for muscle building and retaining muscle especially when aging or losing weight. The yolk is also known as a naturally good source of vitamin D, lutein and choline, all nutrients that are needed for health. What makes eggs especially healthy is that they can be a great vehicle for eating vegetables and whole grains that supply many other important nutrients making an egg breakfast done right a great way to start the day. To me, the recent research that showed eating eggs at breakfast did indeed keep one satisfied for longer than an isocaloric bagel breakfast confirmed that eggs at breakfast is the healthiest choice to make.
~ Marcia
Tags: breakfast, choline, eggs, fruit, Health Professionals, high-quality protein, lutein, toast, vitamin D
By Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD
January 13th, 2011
Welcome to Nutrition Over Easy, a new blog where seasoned health and nutrition professionals will give their perspective on current nutrition issues of the day. My name is Marcia Greenblum, and – in addition to being a Registered Dietitian for 30 years – I am the Senior Director of Nutrition Education at ENC. My role is to communicate somewhat complex scientific research findings into language that is understandable and actionable. A large part of my role is to monitor developments in the field of nutrition including food and health trends, government policy and regulations, research conclusions or misunderstandings and bring that information to health practitioners. The health practitioner; dietitian, nurse practitioner, physician or physician assistant, is often asked to offer dietary guidance and I try to supply the information they need and clear up misperceptions especially concerning foods like eggs. It is my hope that no one is given inappropriate advice or told to avoid foods that are natural sources of healthy nutrients and everyone is able to make informed choices.
In the coming months, I’ll be posting on Nutrition Over Easy about many different topics, including:
Nutrition in context: How to fit recent scientific findings into a long term healthy diet and lifestyle. What makes sense and what seems like a passing fad, what are the risks vs. the benefits of adhering to certain dietary patterns? I’ll offer the perspective of someone who has participated in experimental research, clinical practice, academia and industry in addition to raising 3 children while working full time.
In addition to enjoying scientific meetings and healthcare professional conferences both for my role with ENC and for professional development, I have always enjoyed cooking and felt comforted when involved with food and its preparation. My husband and I travel extensively and enjoy exploring the best in traditional cuisine as well as the latest in restaurant innovation.
I’m excited to be a contributor to this blog, and I’m looking forward to your feedback and questions!
Tags: eggs, Health Professionals, nutrition
