NutriNews Volume 5 May 2015

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of North Florida

NutriNews Volume 5, May 2015

Ditch the Diet: Intuitive Eating

Nutritional Genomics: A brief update

In the News

In This Issue Farewell from SNDA

Page 4

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Claudia Sealey-Potts

Page 6

Research Connection: Nutritional Genomics

Page 8

Research Spotlight: Dr. Catherine Christie

Page 10

Nutrition Science News

Page 12

RD Spotlight: Janine Drey

Page 14

In the News

Page 16

Community Volunteering Opportunities

Page 17

Hot Topics & Current Trends: Ditch the Diet

Page 18

First Coast Nutrition and Dietetics

Page 20

Involvement Opportunities/References

Page 22

Congratulations

Class of 2015 Nutrition and Dietetics Graduates

Farewell From the 2014-2015 SNDA Officers The officers of the Student Nutrition and Dietetic Association would like to thank all of the students and staff of the UNF Nutrition Department for their involvement in and support of all our efforts this past school year. Your encouragement means so much to each of us, so we would each like to say a few words of farewell as we move on to the next chapter in our lives!

Devyn Chadwell, President Being able to lead the SNDA has been such an amazing experience, and my time as president has definitely made my undergraduate career one to remember. I have learned so much from the staff, students, and fellow officers, and I will always treasure my time working with you all. I will begin the MS/DI program here at UNF this coming fall, and I look forward to continuing my time with such an amazing department. Congratulations to all of the graduates, and good luck to everyone who will be continuing or entering the nutrition program! Have a terrific summer, and please keep in touch!

Joel Fisher, Vice President It has been my absolute pleasure to serve as the Vice President of the Student Nutrition and Dietetic Association this past academic year. As an officer, I enjoyed having the opportunity to share valuable information nutrition with all of the students at UNF. I will be attending the combined UNF Masters/Internship program for nutrition this upcoming fall and look forward to assisting the new club officers next year. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer and I will see all of you again soon.

Tyler St. George, Treasurer It has been my pleasure to come to UNF as a Nutrition and Dietetics major over the past two years. The Student Nutrition and Dietetic Association afforded me the opportunity to enhance my contribution to the program by assuming Treasurer of the SNDA. As Treasurer I was able to not only fulfill a duty, but I was able to connect with more peers than previously possible. I appreciate the opportunity given to me by my fellow nutrition students, friends, and faculty as well. After graduation I will once again find myself at UNF entering the Masters/DI program starting in the Fall of 2015. I look forward to calling myself an Osprey as I meet new challenges to further help me better myself. I hope my fellow peers have had a wonderful experience in the program and I congratulate everyone on their accomplishments.

Mike Tan, Volunteer Chair I want to say a special thank you to all the faculty and staff at UNF. This was a wonderful experience and I look forward to keeping in touch. I will be moving on to become a dietetic intern with Sodexo in Massachusetts. To all the undergraduates: keep chugging along and put your heart behind everything you do. Get involved and get to know the people around you. Stay happy and stay healthy.

Kacie

Ray,

Publicity

Chair

Being an officer of the SNDA this past year has allowed me to be more involved with my peers and the UNF community. My best piece of advice for undergraduates is to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you.

UNF is a wonderful school (and Jacksonville is a great city) to begin your career in Nutrition & Dietetics. Thank you to our amazing faculty and staff. I am so happy that I will be continuing my path here at our very own combined Master’s/ Internship program. I’ll be seeing you all around, and feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have regarding the program or whatever else! I love to be of help! To my classmates who are venturing out to new places, I’ll miss you! Best wishes to everyone.

Faculty Spotlight Claudia Sealey-Potts, PhD, RD, FAND Dr. Sealey-Potts is the Program Director of University of North Florida’s (UNF’s) Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship (MSDI) combined program. As a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (FAND), AND Evidence Analyst, nutrition professor, independent researcher, and ACEND program reviewer on accreditation, Dr. Sealey-Potts is a mover and shaker in the world of nutrition and dietetics. Despite wearing so many hats, she is very involved with her student interns, and works tirelessly to help each of them gain experience in their unique areas of dietetics interest and to ultimately achieve their goals of becoming dietitians.

By Tammy Baranowski,

TB- What made you want to become a Registered Dietitian?

CSP- Nutrition was a second career for me actually. I grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, and at the age of sixteen, I had already graduated high school and was hired as a calculus and economics teacher at my private high school. Soon thereafter, I decided to join the Trinidad and Tobago Public Service where I started in a clerical role and then was promoted to Revenue Officer I, which involved dealing with income taxes, lands and deeds, and then I was promoted conduct in-house auditing for all of the Tobago House of Assembly sections. From there I managed the Supreme Court in Tobago, and stayed in that role for about twelve years.

From there, I became the Health Care Recruiter for the Ministry of Health. My job was to recruit and place (R&P) medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, and even dietitians from all over the world to come to work in Trinidad & Tobago. I also recruited local medical professionals but they were usually trained so well, other countries such as the U.S. and Great Britain would lure them away from us. It was especially difficult to find dietitians, and at the time there was no dietetic internship in the Caribbean. That inspired me to go into dietetics, so I came to Auburn University to complete my undergraduate degree and completed my internship at the University of Michigan, became a dietitian,

Dietetic Intern

and returned to the islands and began working as the Senior Dietitian and Food Service Manager over two hospitals.

TB: What made you want to pursue advanced degrees in dietetics?

CSP: As I moved upward as a dietitian, I realized there was still a major shortage of nutrition professionals, so I went back to the U.S. and finished a master’s degree at Auburn University, and returned to Trinidad to begin the very first and only dietetic internship in the Caribbean at University of West Indies. It is a huge success, and now there is no longer a shortage of dietitians! I felt it was important to give back after my country had supported me so much in my education. However, I already had some extra doctorate level coursework under my belt, so once that was up and running, I returned again to Auburn for my PhD degree and completed it in 2003.

TB: Where did your career take you after you obtained your PhD in dietetics?

CSP: Well, I immediately took a position in Texas as the Master’s Degree and Dietetic Internship Director at Sam Houston State University, which had been struggling mightily. No one was passing the RD exam. It basically had to be restructured from

the ground up, which I did. I contacted old students and I drove all over Texas, visiting hospitals, WIC locations, and primary and secondary schools researching how to create the best internship possible for the interns. It was a real grassroots effort, using a yellow pad and pen to write down most of the information I found. I had to work quickly, because CADE (nowACEND), was returning within a few months to review our program. So, I re-wrote the program, they accredited us with flying colors, and for eight consecutive years we had a 100% pass rate.

The program at Sam Houston was growing exponentially, and I wasn’t getting the support I needed in terms of staff and right about that time, UNF’s Department of Nutrition team and Brooks College of Health Dean, Dr. Pamela Chally offered me a position to manage UNF’s MSDI here in 2011.

TB: Would you tell a little me about your research?

CSP: I’ve done a lot of work with young children and their dietary patterns and related growth patterns over the years, reaching back to my graduate research and research in Tobago. I wrote a book on the work I did in Tobago called “Growth and Physical Assessment of Tobago’s Preschoolers”. I am currently heading a research project along with Dr. Corrine Labyak which measures preschoolers in the Head Start program in terms of their height, weight, and other parameters following a nutrition education program I implemented in preschools that is kid-friendly. I also help facilitate a couple of programs at churches in the African American community to help lower weight and blood pressure using the DASH diet. However, I enjoy working with kids the most because I feel like I can make the greatest impact there.

TB: Would you like to share a little about your family?

CSP: My husband and I are high school sweethearts, married for over few decades now. We have two sons; one is a physician in Tobago and the other lives in Canada and has expertise in computer engineering and food biotechnology (his latest degree). Needless to say he is not using any of his training in his current employment. I also have three adorable grandchildren, including twins born just last year. I have lots of extended family still in Trinidad, mainly Tobago and we are all very

close, so I try to get back to visit them as often as possible.

TB: What are your plans once you retire from UNF? CSP: My plan is to return to Trinidad and Tobago one day and live in a beach house and collaborate with my son to create a good quality long-term care facility. Long-term care is a relatively new phenomenon in Tobago, in the past it was a disgrace for the children to place older folks in those facilities, so he and I would like to make a really nice center where he would be the physician and I would be the dietitian. Trin-bago is such a nice place to grow old anyway, with all of the beauty there. Just seas of flamingos and hummingbirds, and gorgeous mountains, waterfalls, and delicious exotic fruits too. Just today, my son just sent me a picture of some fresh herb marinated mango he was enjoying that made me miss home so much.

TB: If you could be paid to do any job in the world, what would it be?

CSP: I think I would be a singer. My neighbors hear me belting out tunes on Sundays around my house and probably wonder what in the world is wrong with me! Even growing up, I would just break out in songs all the time; standing on a hilltop with the wind carrying my voice. Singing just really makes me happy.

Research Connection Nutritional Genomics

By Tara Kessinger Nutrition represents the strongest life-long environmental impact on our health. Historically, recommendations for nutrient intakes were based on the prevention of nutrient deficiency diseases. As these nutrient deficient diseases began to decrease in number and chronic disease rates began to increase, nutrition scientists amended these recommendations and developed of set of new reference values aimed at preventing and reducing the risk of chronic disease and promoting optimal health. 1 However, within the last twenty years nutrition researchers, through the emerging field of nutrigenomics, have begun to realize that personalized nutrition based on individual genetic variations may have the potential to open up some important new information in relation to dietary optimization. Perhaps the ever popular classic statement of “you are what you eat” needs to be amended to “you are what your genetics prefer you to eat.”

The different responses to diet depending on the particular characteristics of an individual is not a new observation in the field of nutrition and dietetics. It is a well-known fact that everyone responds to a particular nutrient differently. Nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics are rapidly developing new bodies of knowledge that will change future research and

practice in human nutrition. Although still in its infancy, nutritional genomics has made some promising discoveries that have the potential to restructure current dietary recommendations for certain chronic disease subgroup populations and also in the analysis of information on genes and genetic variants that can influence dietary choices.2 Taste Preference: Research on diet-gene interactions have explored how genes may influence food preferences by affecting energy homeostatic pathways, meaning, there may be a genetic component explaining why you like chocolate and while your friend prefers vanilla. Research in this field suggests that specific genotypes or ethnic populations may prefer foods or flavors based on the influences of physiological nutrient processing related to genetic variations. The process of digestion and cellular metabolism involve several genes which have common polymorphisms that may alter the function of the dietary compounds which may prompt individuals within these subsets to prefer or “crave” certain types of foods that contain the nutrients that promote the best health outcomes for their genotype.

Interestingly, investigators feel that these population based genetic variations may help explain some of the inconsistencies among studies relating food con-

sumption behaviors between ethnic populations and risk of chronic disease.2.

sumed was higher in fat and calories within this subgroup.2

Celiac Disease: Due to the inability to tolerate gluten containing foods within the diet, individuals with celiac disease must adhere to a strict dietary regimen. It has been well established that celiac disease runs in families; however carrying the genes does not specifically determine the development of the disease, only a predisposition. While genetic screening is not currently being used on a regular basis to identify these individuals, advances in the field of nutritional genomics may make genetic testing a common practice in the diagnosis of celiac disease. Additionally, within this population, development of personalized nutritional dietary strategies based on genetic make-up may also become common practice in the field of nutrition and dietetics.2

However, it is evident that obesity does not fully explain the variation in insulin resistance in human populations, as insulin resistance can occur in the absence of obesity. To help explain this difference in susceptibility, scientists have suggested that the polymorphism at the PLIN locus that modulates the relationship between the intake of dietary saturated fat and insulin resistance may be a factor.2 Hence it seems reasonable to infer the different individuals can take different routes to obesity and insulin resistance based on specific genetic variations, suggesting that some individuals with insulin resistance or obesity may benefit from individualized nutrition programs.

Obesity: Obesity is another disease with the potential for improved prevention using nutrigenetic knowledge. Arkadianos et al.3 found that research subjects participating in weight loss and weight loss maintenance protocols where nutrient intake was tailored to participants’ genotype had better weight loss during the research study and also in weight loss retention over the follow up year. Additionally, Fenech et al.2, in a similar personalized tailored nutritional program study involving obese subjects, found that some individuals have 5 SNPs that have a strong correlation with response to exercise. In these individuals, slightly better weight loss results were realized when their programs were altered to include moderate exercise in combination with personalized diets. Whether these results are the result of the genetic variations or the extra amount of physical activity has yet to be definitively determined.

Type 2 Diabetes: Obesity is highly correlated with insulin resistance and it has been suggested that over nutrition is a key factor behind the risk in metabolic and cardiovascular disease, especially in countries that have undergone socio-economic development. Research has shown that different ethnic groups have a higher risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease when exposed to an environment where food is readily available and low physical activity is common. Studies in the field of nutrigenomics have found a common genetic variant at the FTO (fat mass and obesity associated gene) that is associated with an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in multiple populations. Follow up studies within populations who had this genetic variant found that individuals, when faced with an unlimited food supply, ate a higher volume of food than those without the variant. Additionally, the food con-

Future Directions for Dietitians: The advances seen so far in the field of nutritional genomics suggest that better health outcomes can be achieved if nutrition requirements are customized for each individual, taking into consideration both his/her inherited and acquired genetic characteristics; however, despite these advances we need to underscore the fact that nutritional genomics is a discipline still in its infancy. Because of the novelty of this discipline there is the potential for dissemination of misinformation, patient confusion, and ethical concerns. Until more studies can be replicated that definitively identify gene-diet interactions within specific populations, nutrigenomics cannot be rigorously applied to disease prevention and treatment at this time.4 Yet, the stage has been set for nutrition scientists, nutrition educators, and registered dietitians to be trained within the field of nutritional genomics. The ultimate challenge for pioneering nutrition professionals within this field will be in making sense of what will become a huge and overwhelming amount of data that needs to be interpreted into practical applications and recommendations.4 Researchers agree that a solid understanding of human metabolism and metabolites are essential in the advancement of this field; therefore the role of the dietitian/ nutrition professional is paramount in expanding nutritional genomics.

References on Page 22

Faculty Spotlight Catherine W. Christie , PhD, RD, LDN, FADA Dr. Catherine Christie is Associate Dean in the Brooks College of Health at the University of North Florida. She is a Past President of the Florida Dietetic Association and co-author of four books including The Latino Food Lover’s Glossary, Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie. Dr. Christie is also Editor of the Manual of Medical Nutrition Therapy which is updated and published by the Florida Dietetic Association each year. A Registered Dietitian and Fellow of the American Dietetic Association, Dr. Christie earned her Ph.D. from Florida State University and served for six years as the Chairman of the Dietetics and Nutrition Council which regulates the nutrition profession in the state of Florida.

By Lindsay Pappas LP: What is your area of interest?

DC: My primary interest has always been obesity and chronic disease prevention and treatment but I also have done some work on inter-professional collaboration in education and health care. I am currently working on a paper with Dr. Arikawa and Dr. Yu that was supported by a grant from Florida Blue which reports results from a survey of health professionals in Florida asking about their attitudes and barriers related to the treatment of childhood obesity. We found that not very much has changed since the original survey was done over 10 years ago and that the group most prepared to treat childhood obesity (Registered Dietitians) is difficult to access because they are not routinely reimbursed for treatment.

LP: What influences have you been exposed to?

Who has influenced you the most?

DC: When I finished my doctorate I really wanted to practice so after working as a clinical endocrine dietitian at Shands for a few years, I started a private practice with another dietitian. We worked in long term care, physicians’ offices, seeing private clients, with on-profits like Daniel and Mental Health Resources, at the spa at Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, and even had a contract working for a food service company providing food service in jails and prisons. I also had a contract with a company providing continuing education seminars to health professionals. That led to starting a non-profit busi-

ness to provide continuing education to health professionals with my husband who has a doctorate in marriage and family therapy. Dr. Simin Vaghefi and Dr. Judy Rodriguez have been friends and mentors through the years and when they had an opening at UNF, I applied and was hired in 2001. I have loved being at UNF and enjoy teaching and research. In my current position, Dean Chally has allowed me to continue with those activities and also to create the Italy study abroad trip which has been a dream of mine for many years. Studying the Mediterranean Diet first hand was a life changing experience for me and I wanted to share that with our students.

We have been fortunate to receive two rounds of TLO funding to help us support student travel and will be taking 17 students to Tuscany and Perugia in June for 2 weeks.

LP: What do you think are your most significant research accomplishments?

DC: I really love to collaborate with other faculty on research and have worked with CAMS, Nursing, Public Health, and Nutrition faculty as well as various community partners on many projects. . I also love to work with undergraduate and graduate students on their research ideas and projects. I think those collaborations have resulted in my best research over the years. One recent example was when the Nutrition and Dietetics Department received flagship status. We used some of the money to purchase the Bod Pod which has added another

element to our nutrition research. We have collected data with the help of undergraduate students about student eating habits and potential relationships with their bod pod measurements. I wish there was more time in the day to work on all of these potential projects!

LP: Tell us how your research has influenced your teaching.

DC: As Associate Dean, I teach one class a year plus the Italy study abroad and work with graduate students on their thesis or projects. My class is the graduate seminar where the Master’s students identify a research question, do a literature review and then take the findings and form them into a one hour professional presentation which they either present to a live audience of local RD’s or online. My research and previous has definitely influenced how I teach.

LP: Many undergraduates at UNF are interested in becoming researchers in the field of nutrition and dietetics. What is your advice to them?

DC: Follow your passion. There are endless opportunities and collaborations that you can create to meet your goals. Nutrition is such an important determinant of health and research is the future. I am especially interested in following nutrigenomics research as personalized medicine becomes more the norm. I also like to write for the public to help them translate nutrition research into practice. Whether you choose to do media interviews, write articles or books, or speak, the public needs professionals trained in nutrition to translate the research into action. That is how we can ultimately work to prevent overweight and obesity, related diseases, and improve health outcomes.

LP: What is the future of nutrition research within the DND at UNF, and how does it impact the community?

DC: I am very excited about the future especially with the addition of our new Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition. Students will be doing doctoral level research and projects which will greatly augment our master’s level research and projects currently in place. These projects will be community or clinically based and further illustrate the critical role that nutrition plays in all of these settings. The future is very bright!

Nutrition

By Kristen Drake A new cohort study found that people with a BMI under 20 kg/m2 were at a higher risk for dementia compared to those of a healthy weight or even obese people.

Does being overweight really decrease your risk for dementia? In this retrospective study, data was taken from the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Datalink from almost two million people aged 40 or older from 1992-2007. Individuals with previous dementia occurrence were excluded, and follow-up was through patient death, transfer out of practice, or first record of dementia. On average, follow-up was around 9 years, and a total of over 45,000 people recorded dementia. Those who were underweight had a 34% higher risk of dementia. As BMI increased, incidence of dementia decreased resulting in 29% lower occurrence in very obese individuals. Is there a causal relationship between obesity and decreased dementia, or does decreased weight precede dementia incidence?

More research is needed to follow-up on this cohort study.

Read more at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/ PIIS2213-8587(15)00033-9/abstract.

A Swedish study found that psychological stress increases the risk of developing type 1 diabetes 3 fold in children, similar to that of birth weight, viral infections, and infant nutrition.

Data from 10,495 participants in the All Babies in Southeast Sweden study were analysed regarding serious life events, parental worries, parental stress, and parental social support. Families with babies completed questionnaires at four time points in the child’s life, ages 2-3, 5-6, 8, and 10-13 years. None of the children had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before entering the study. Experiencing a serious life event during childhood increased the risk of being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes later in life after adjusting for the child’s age and heredity for type 1 diabetes. The same result was obtained after controlling for size for gestational age, heredity for type 2 diabetes, parents’ education, and the work status of the mother before the child was born.

Divorce and conflict at home increased the risk for a future diagnosis of diabetes, however the result was no longer significant after adjusting for confounding factors. Parental stress, worries, and social support had no effect on the risk for diabetes in their children. This link of stress and diabetes may lead to further research in the area.

Read the full article here: http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/online/%7Bc9758766db29-4e23-aa14-61db6006b392%7D/serious-childhood-life-events-may-triple-risk-for-type-1-diabetes.

News New research funded by the American Diabetes Association and the National Institutes of Health suggest that muscle metabolism is altered after only 5 days when eating high fat foods.

Oxidation of glucose was disrupted in muscle cells with a diet of 55% fat which could cause a decrease in the body’s insulin response. Twelve non-obese healthy males around 21 years of age participated in 2 separate studies.

Six males consumed a control diet for one week (55% carbohydrate, 15% protein, 30% fat), then consumed a high fat diet (30% carbohydrate, 15% protein, 55% fat) for five days. The other six males consumed a high fat meal (63% fat, 25% carbohydrate, 12% protein) before and after the high fat diet. Body height and weight were measured, in addition to body composition, whole body insulin sensitivity, and muscle biopsies. The results of this study show that after consuming a high fat diet, postabsorptive endotoxin concentrations increased, as well as increased skeletal muscle homogenate glucose oxidation. There was also an increase in expression of key metabolic genes after consuming the high fat diet.

These increases did not have an effect on whole body insulin sensitivity however.

Future research could determine if the changes in skeletal muscle substrate metabolism precedes changes in whole body insulin sensitivity.

See more at: http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science/Junk-foods-start-toimpact-metabolism-after-just-five-days-warn-researchers.

A new study on rats suggests that prebiotics, specifically oligofructose, may reduce adiposity and body weight by affecting gut hormone levels.

Adult male rats that were either diet-induced obese or diet-resistant rats were randomized to receive a high fat/high sucrose diet or a high fat/high sucrose diet with 10% oligofructose for 6 weeks. Plasma gut hormones, gut microbiota, food intake, and body composition were all measured. After six weeks the dietinduced obese rats as well as the diet-resistant rats given oligofructose all had decreased body weight, energy intake, and fat mass. Oligofructose influenced the gut microbiota resulting in changes of both the diet-induced obese and diet-resistant rats. The rats given oligofructose along with their high fat/high sucrose diets had decreased gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and increased peptide YY (PYY) which likely contributed to and reduced body weight. This research could prompt further studies in humans regarding oligofructose to help with obesity.

Find the rest of the article here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.21017/ abstract.

RD Spotlight Janine Dray, MS RD LD/N Janine Dray, MS RD LD/N is a long-term care dietitian for Crandall Corporate Dietitians. Her current role is as a clinical dietitian and consultant for several long-term care facilities around Jacksonville. She is also a well-loved instructor of medical nutrition therapy in the Nutrition and Dietetics program at University of North Florida (UNF). As a previous chef, restaurant owner, Certified Dietary Manager (CDM), and hospital clinical dietitian, Janine brings a wealth of knowledge and well-rounded experience to her students and to her patients. Janine also gives back to the local dietetic community by being a preceptor to dietetic interns for UNF and others. For these contributions and more, Janine is this month’s RD Spotlight.

Tammy Baranowski, Graduate Dietetic Intern

TB- Why did you decide to be an RD? JD- A love of food! I started off as a Chef to begin with. I enjoyed cooking food and making lovely presentations of food but after a while I wanted to get out of the kitchen. I was also starting to realize that food could be prepared more healthily and I wanted to learn more about that. Studying nutrition seemed to be the answer I was looking for. Of course, as you know, as I began to study nutrition I realized it is about so much more than just food. It’s about helping people. And I loved that.

TB- Do you feel that your experience as a Chef helps you to be a better dietitian?

JD- Absolutely! When I was running my own restaurant, I saw so many people that had diabetes or were obese that had the idea that eating healthy meant the food wasn’t going to taste good. Now that I know the science behind nutrition, I am able to combine it with my passion for cooking and tweak recipes and show people that healthy food really CAN taste good. Also, I’m often surprised at the number of dietitians who say they don’t like to cook. I think cooking is inherently tied in with what

we do, and one of the most fun and rewarding things I do is teach my students to make recipes healthier and how to cook food for themselves and others.

TB- Can you describe the educational path you took to becoming a RD? JD- After I finished my bachelor’s degree in nutrition at University of Florida, I became a Certified Dietary Manager (CDM). I then started working for Beverly Enterprises, which is no longer in business now, but at the time was one of the largest national long-term care companies out there. After a few years with them, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in nutrition and a dietetic internship, so I began the combined program at UNF. TB- You encountered a major hardship while trying to finish your master’s degree with the loss of your husband. How were you able to overcome that hardship?

JD- Yes, you’re right. I was trying to work full time and complete the program while also raising my daughter Lexey who was still very young at the time when he passed away unexpectedly. Although he and I were no longer

married, he was a major source of support for me and helped me with getting Lexey to and from school and managing all my responsibilities. When he died, I didn’t think I would be able to do it all on my own. But I talked with my daughter about it, she said, “Mommy, I want you to finish school.” That really inspired me to keep going, and while I had to slow down the pace I was completing the program, I finished it. I also had a lot of support from the then program director, Dr. Lauri Wright. I think it really taught my daughter a lot about finishing what you start, even when it is extremely difficult. I share that story with my undergraduate students as well, in an attempt to give them some perspective that they shouldn’t sweat the small stuff.

TB- What roles have you been in as a RD? JD- Once I obtained the RD credential, I began working as a clinical dietitian at Memorial Hospital here in Jacksonville. After getting a couple years of a solid clinical base in an inpatient hospital setting, I just recently returned to my long-term care roots with Crandall Corporate Dietitians, who I now work for. As a consultant for them, I visit several nursing homes in the area and review their high-risk patients, as well as audit everything from the kitchen to the patient records in general.

I also am an instructor for UNF’s undergraduate nutrition program. I began teaching Introduction to Nutrition, HUN 2201. From there, I began teaching Medical Nutrition Therapy. I really enjoy the face-to-face classes because I can get to know the students best that way and it helps me grow as an instructor.

TB- What are your plans for the future of your career?

JD- I am currently working on obtaining a credential as a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE).

I also definitely plan to return to school and earn a doctorate degree, but I’m torn whether to major in education or nutrition. I want to continue to teach and be a professor of nutrition, but I think a doctorate in education

would bring a unique contribution to my teaching abilities. Plus, I think it would be pretty cool to go by the name of Dr. Dray!

TB- What do you love most about teaching?

JD- I love the students of course, but I also love that it keeps me current. You really have to keep up with the times in our profession.

That’s what I also love about being a preceptor. I always have to increase my knowledge base in order to answer questions and teach accurately. Our field is ever changing and I feel it is important for all dietitians to stay abreast as they represent our profession as a whole.

Teaching and being a preceptor are wonderful ways to accomplish that.

TB- If you could be paid to do any job in the world, what would it be?

JD- You know, it sounds crazy, but I think I am right where I am supposed to be. I love what I do. I wouldn’t mind traveling a bit more with the job, if the opportunity arose, but other than that, this is what I’m meant to do.

In the News Senate Bill Passes !!!

By Tara Kessinger their medical staff to privilege dietitians and nutritionists to independently order therapeutic diets. The bill will also provide greater flexibility in allowing the licensure examination requirement to be met by certain credible exams for persons who otherwise meet the education and experience requirements of the current act.

On Wednesday, April 22nd at 2:30pm the Senate voted to pass our Nutrition and Dietetics Bill. The next stop is the Governor’s Office for the official signing. 100 RDNs and Interns were in attendance including representatives from our own Nutrition and Dietetics Department at UNF to witness the unanimous vote from the Senate Gallery.

The revised bill will provide clarity to physicians and facilities that would like to allow their dietitians to order therapeutic diets. This is a position that is very unique within the hospital setting; however, the ultimate authority for any patients’ care will still and always reside with their physician.

The bill proposes a modernization of the Florida statues regarding dietetics and nutrition and ensures it accurately reflects the current education and practice in the field. The original statues authorizing the licensure and regulation of dietetics and nutrition were sanctioned in 1988. No substantive revisions have been made in 27 years. Since that time, the educational programs as well as the actual practice of nutrition and dietetics have changed dramatically.

A round of applause to everyone who took the time to reach out to our Senators and Representatives to show your support for this bill. This bill will help to communicate the importance of the registered and licensed dietitian nutritionist in patient care within the hospital setting as well as within our communities. The role of the RDN in making the delivery of health care the most efficient as possible is being realized thanks to everyone who made the passing of this bill in Tallahassee possible.

The new bill proposes updates to Florida statues to comply with federal regulations that allows hospitals and

Further information is available through FAND headquarters.

Volunteer Community Gardens

By Tara Kessinger

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UNF Ogier Garden —Volunteer information: ogiergardens@unf.edu —Located on UNF campus

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The Bridge Community Garden

—Located on the corner of 8th and Pearl Streets —Volunteer information: http://bridgejax.com/give-today/volunteer 

Arlington Community Garden —Located at 7152 Lone Star Rd. Jax, FL 32211 —Volunteer information: http://www.arlingtoncommunitygarden.org/

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Jacksonville Beach Community Garden —Located: S 8th St and 4th Ave S. Jacksonville Beach, FL —Volunteer Contact: jaxbeachcommunitygarden@gmail.com

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Hot Topics and Current Trends:

Ditch the Diet

By Ashley Trey-Roush

How many times have you been asked, “Do you think I should eat ‘this’?” or “What do you think I should do to lose 10 pounds?”

Even as an undergrad nutrition student these questions flood my inbox from family and friends. In fact, just the other day, my 70-yearold uncle wanted my advice on what he should be eating for breakfast. I so badly wanted to say, “Uncle Jeff, just eat what you want and listen to your body.” Of course, this is after completing the basic counseling class that is an undergrad requirement. As a junior, I would have wanted to analyze him until he was blue in the face by picking apart his daily menu and overloading him with nutritional information.

With some people the later option might be beneficial, but with most people – they don’t want to be told what is right and what is wrong with their diet. They think they do, but they really don’t. Food is so, so, so personal!

Food is much more than what we eat. It is our culture, entertainment, comfort, and most importantly what gives our lives fulfillment and longevity.

momentum as the deprivation deepens.1” What that means is depriving yourself of something actually heightens your desire for that item. This has caused the word diet to develop such a negative realm around it.

There are hundreds of different diets. There are hundreds of different diet books, pills, programs, lotions, wraps, treatments, oils, surgeries, and foods. The diet business is a multibillion dollar industry. It consumes the western world. Quick and easy fixes are what we are all about. We want to take a pill or drink a shake and be fixed. We will even go as far as having unnecessary, life-threatening surgery to get “fixed”. I know several people that have had gastric bypass surgery or lap-band procedures and regained all the weight they had lost. Those expensive, and sometimes dangerous fixes weren’t the fix after all. And we all know people who go on diets and lose weight just to regain it later on once they go off the diet. Because let’s face it, who what’s to count points, restrict carbohydrates/fat, or drink their meals for the rest of their lives?!?

My conversation with my uncle got me thinking - people don’t need crazy meal plans that restrict foods and macronutrients, they need to be re-taught how to eat. Let’s look at the word diet. The word diet used to mean the food and drink that we habitually consume.

However, today, the word diet means foods and drinks that you are restricting to lose weight. Psychologist Fritz Heider stated that “The moment you banish a food, it paradoxically builds up a “craving life” of its own that gets stronger with eat diet, and builds more

So, what is the fix? The fix isn’t a diet; it’s a lifestyle of eating intuitively. It’s one of the most simple, yet most challenging and at times difficult ways of eating. The rules are: “Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you’re full (not STUFFED, there is a difference!).

Don’t label foods as “good” and “bad”. Eat what you want, when you want.” Well, that seems pretty easy and crazy, huh? Yea, you aren’t alone. I thought the same thing. But, really stop and think about it. Think about the human body. Our bodies do some amazing

things. And one of those things is--our bodies will tell us how, when and what to eat.

Babies are born with this trait. If you have had a baby or have been around babies you have probably seen them use their intuitive eating skills. Moms and Dads quickly pick up on which cry is a hunger cry. And some moms even know little things the baby will do to let her know that they are hungry before THAT cry comes. Doctors tell you things like, “The baby needs to eat four ounces [mother’s milk or formula] every 3-4 hours.” Especially as new parents, you want to do everything by the book and exactly the way the doctor says. When a baby is eating and they release from the bottle or breast our immediate reaction is to force them to finish eating. “He only drank three ounces of this bottle. He needs to finish the last ounce. That’s what the doctor said.”

The baby could have been telling you that he was full. But because we have this idea that he needed to eat four ounces we force babies to finish their bottles or their time at the breast. Babies have the same appetite and hunger hormones we do.

They are born knowing how to listen to them and their bodies.

As adults (and even children and teenagers), our hunger cues and appetites get skewed. We tend to eat because the clock says it’s time, because someone else is eating, or the most common we eat for emotional reasons, and even out of boredom. A lot of times, we eat so quickly because we are starved. We all lead busy lives.

Sometimes, sitting down to eat just can’t happen.

But what does happen is overeating because we eat on the go or because we are so famished we shovel it in last it’s the last supper. People who go longer than five hours without eating tend to overeat at the next eating opportunity. If you eat lunch at 1pm and the next time you eat is 6:30 or 7pm, the probability of you overeating is very high. Somewhere between those two eating times a hunger cue was missed or ignored.

Checking in with your body even with a simple inquiry of what your hunger level is helpful every time you eat and even between eating occurrences.1 Learning to eat intuitively is a learning process.

You cannot fail at it. There are no longer setbacks, which is something that is associated with

dieting; such as “bad” and “good” days or slip ups.

There are growth experiences—not setbacks. Intuitive Eating provides a new way of eating that is ultimately struggle-free and healthy for your mind and body. It is a process that unleashes the shackles of dieting. It gets you back to your roots—trusting your body and its signals. Intuitive Easting will not only change your relationship with food; it may change your life. Learning how to have a healthy relationship with food is one of the goals of intuitive eating.

There isn’t enough space in “Hot Topics and Trends” to cover this topic thoroughly, nor in our whole newsletter. This is a topic that requires everyone to do their own research and decide exactly where their intuition is lost. So I’ll leave you with this…What would happen if everyone got on the same page with food? Meaning what if we just ate what we wanted to, when we wanted to, and how we wanted while listening to our bodies? And we stopped labeling foods as good and bad…just let food fuel our bodies and satisfy our needs.

Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Symposium “Florida FNCE” Conference and Expo July 12-15 Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando, Florida Early Bird Registration and Preliminary Program now available http://www.eatrightflorida.org/index.php/meetings/florida-fnce Early Bird Registration Ends May 31st 2015

Save the Date !

Who: Florida Coast Nutrition and Dietetics (FCAND) What: FCAND Annual Awards Dinner Where: Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant When: May 21st, 2015 6:00-9:00pm Registration Available Contact: FCA@eatrightjax.org

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Contact Us! Have any questions comments?

Please direct inquiries to: Editor in Chief: Lindsay Pappas N00896286@ospreys.unf.edu

Faculty Advisor;

Co-editor: Tara Kessinger

Dr. Alireza Jahan-mihan

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NutriNews References Nutritional Genomics, 1. Thompson JL, Manore MM, Vaughan LA. The Science of Nutrition 3rd Ed. New York, NY: Pearson Education Inc; 2014.

2. Fenech M, El-Sohemy A, Chahill L, Ferguson LF, French TAC, Tai ES, Milner J, Koh WP, Xie L, Zucker M, Buckley M, Cosgrove L, Lockett T, Fung KYV, & Head R. Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomisc: Viewpoints on the current status and applications in nutrition research and practice. J Nutrgenet Nutrigenomics. 2011; 4(2): 69-89.

3. Arkadianos I, Valdes AM, Marinos E, Florous A, Gill RD, Grimaldi KA. Improved weight management using genetic information to personalize a calorie controlled diet. Nutr J. 2007; 6:29-35.

4. Corella D & Ordovas JM. Nutrigenomics in cardiovascular medicine. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2009;2:637-651.