Is it the salt shaker?

Check out this comprehensive update on sodium and hypertension...

SCAN members have access to the Spring/Summer 2011 Public Health Community Nutrition (PHCN) newsletter, Digest, which is devoted to an update on sodium and high blood pressure. This beautifully designed and well-written newsletter reflects the "Spectrum of Prevention" framework that focuses on more than just the individual. Acknowledging that the addition of salt to food by the individual is no longer the primary source of sodium for most Americans, a new model has emerged to help positively influence sodium intake. Think globally, act locally...

Two SCAN members were guest contributors, Jessica Lee Levings, MS, RD, LD and Carol Lapin, MS, RD, CSSD, LD. Their articles, along with those written by PHCN members, are available here: http://www.scandpg.org/nutrition-info/update-on-sodium-and-hypertension/

Note: You must be signed into the SCAN website to access this newsletter. Best, Marie

Marie Dunford, PhD, RD

SCAN's volunteer web editor

Miles of Smiles for Ellen Coleman

Ellen Coleman, MA, MPH, RD, CSSD, a founding member of SCAN, has been chosen to receive a 2011 Medallion Award, one of the American Dietetics Association's (ADA) highest honors.

This award "honors ADA members who have shown dedication to the high standards of the dietetics profession through active participation, leadership, and devotion to serving others in dietetics and allied health fields."

Ellen Coleman is synonymous with sports nutrition. When I first began teaching at Fresno State in the early 1980s, the student dietetic association wanted to sponsor a speaker in the emerging area of nutrition and athletic performance. Ellen was already the go to person. She was animated, funny, and very smart. She started her talk by telling the group an important lesson she had learned as a graduate student at UC Davis: Never come in late or you will be the one chosen to participate in the next experiment that requires a rectal temperature (Everyone laughed, but I did notice that students were more attentive to coming to class on time that semester). I was so impressed with her knowledge of physiology and the way she could explain the basis for each sports nutrition recommendation. But Ellen was more than book smart—she knew about sports nutrition from personal experience, having finished the Ironman Hawaii (twice).

As new fields emerge, so do its leaders. Those leaders have to make a choice—do they primarily promote themselves or do they focus on helping others and, in doing so, ensure that the entire profession is strengthened? Ellen has always focused on mentoring others. In the sometimes dog-eat-dog world of sports nutrition, Ellen has set the standard for selflessness.

I still have a signed copy of Ellen's 1988 book, Eating for Endurance. It is a slim 150 pages, but it contains pretty much all that was known at the time about what was needed to support endurance performance (a bargain at $8.95!). In the front she wrote, "Miles of Smiles!" a phrase she still uses today. When she handed it back to me, she encouraged me to pursue the field of sports nutrition. Fast forward to an email message she sent just last week in which she encouraged me to pursue my newest dream--hiking the GR 10 (a French hiking trail that runs the length of the Pyrenees). Ellen has encouraged so many of us over the years to pursue our professional and personal goals.

More than encouraged, she has inspired. And there is no greater inspiration than her perseverance in the greatest test of her life (http://www.mtsanjacinto.info/viewtopic.php?t=663). It's no surprise that her account starts with this: "Well, I broke the first rule of hiking—never end up on the 5 PM news." because Ellen never loses her sense of humor.

Miles of smiles, Ellen, and congratulations on receiving the 2011 Medallion Award. Best, Marie

Marie Dunford, PhD, RD

SCAN's volunteer Web Editor

New resource on the SCAN website

Need a resource to help consumers apply the 2010 Dietary Guidelines? SCAN has got you covered! Check out 10 Simple Steps to Make Good Habits More Delicious.

Click here to see SCAN's latest resource. You can view this new guide online, download it to your desktop, or order one packet containing 20 printed guides. Flipping through the book is fun, just use the arrows at the bottom of the page. You can also navigate the flip book by using the green bar on the left hand side of the page. That's where you'll find the download option.

Want to download the offline version? Click on the first tab at the top of the green navigation bar on the left hand side of the page. Choose either Windows or Mac format to download the application needed to use all the flip book features. If you'd rather just have a pdf of the guidebook, click on PDF. The guidebook is 12 MB; the time that it takes to download will depend on the speed of your internet connection.

Do you need printed guides to hand out to patients or clients? If so, click on the green ADD TO CART button, where you will be able to order one packet containing 20 printed guides. This offer is FREE of charge to all dietitians. The 10 Simple Steps to Make Good Habits More Delicious was made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Unilever soft spread brands, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®, Shedd’s Spread Country Crock® and Promise® Buttery Spread.

If you have any technical problems, please contact the SCAN office at scandpg@gmail.com. As always, you are welcome to post questions or comments to this blog. Best, Marie

Marie Dunford, PhD, RD

SCAN's volunteer Web Editor

Athletes Avoiding Gluten

Gluten free is a dietary lifestyle with a growing number of products designed for people suffering from celiac diseases who risk damage to their gut if gluten is ingested. Certified gluten free packaged goods provide a seal of assurance that the grains and process specifications for these products are safe for celiac sufferers. Although the purchaser can feel confident that they are not risking their health in many cases they are paying 2x's the amount for daily staples such as bread and cereal.

Now researchers at the University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research estimate that one out of every 20 people has gluten intolerance. Classified as a separate condition from celiac disease, people commonly referred to as gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive present symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, fatigue, anemia, weight loss and other symptoms similar to celiac disease. Products that may trigger the response in a celiac patient may not in a person with gluten intolerance.

The athlete avoiding gluten because of celiac disease or gluten intolerance is looking for easy, convenient, and nutritious foods that can give them complex carbohydrate fuel. As practitioners we can advise these athletes to make simple culinary swaps such as potatoes for pasta, rice for couscous and cornstarch for flour. However, when they are shopping in their local market they may need some extra help and one that I have found to be very useful is the Gluten Free Grocery Shopping Guide 2011-2012 Edition by Dr. Mara Matison & Mr. Dainis Matison. One thing that needs reinforcement is that the athlete should not avoid ALL carbohydrates, especially while training, but become better educated on how to find palatable choices that deliver their fiber, B vitamin, folate and iron requirements.

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and NUTRITION

I'd forgotten about the 50 yard dash, but I can remember the excitement at my grade school about the President's Council on Physical Fitness, championed by then President John F. Kennedy. To now have nutrition as part of the name is exciting and to have three SCAN members represented on the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN) science board is wonderful.

I'm not old enough to remember President Eisenhower's creation of the President's Council on Youth Fitness, but it was started to encourage American children to be as physically fit as their European counterparts. I do remember the first name change and the emphasis that was put on fitness by President Kennedy. He was a young president and seemed full of energy. And I'm pleased that in June 2010, President Obama's executive order added nutrition to the name. The order reads, in part, "...to recognize that good nutrition goes hand in hand with fitness and sports participation..."

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and former Olympian Dominique Dawes are the new co-chairs. What's exciting for SCAN is the addition of three of our members to the PCFSN Science Board:

• Linda Houtkooper, PhD, RD
• Melinda Manore, PhD, RD, CSSD
• Stella Volpe, PhD, RD, LDN

You can read their bios and the bios of the other Science Board members here. Congratulations to Linda, Melinda, and Stella for their many accomplishments, including this new appointment.

Marie Dunford, PhD, RD

SCAN's volunteer web editor

Top 10 Reasons...

Top 10 reasons to take advantage of being a SCAN member and plug your information into the Find a SCAN RD section of the SCAN website (Thanks to Jenna Bell, PhD, RD, CSSD).

You may think that you don't want to be found, but think again...here are the top 10 reasons to add your info NOW:

10. Consumers need your advice and they don't sell RDs at the supermarket.
9. Athletes need you to help them perform better.
8. Coaches are confused by nutrition.
7. A professional organization wants YOU to speak at their next conference.
6. A publication wants to quote you for their next great piece.
5. Magazines and newsletters want you to write for them.
4. Doctors don't know where to find dietitians.
3. Fitness clubs have their personal trainers do nutrition because you're no where to be found!
2. A company wants your services to help them with their latest product.
1. SOMEONE WANTS TO PAY YOU FOR YOUR EXPERTISE!

I've posted instructions below for changing the information that shows on your Find a SCAN RD profile. For those of you who DO NOT want to be listed in the Find a SCAN RD feature, there is an option for opting out. Just a reminder, if you make any changes be sure to click on the SAVE button.

Have you been contacted through the Find a SCAN RD feature? If so, you might want to write about your experiences by posting a comment to this blog. Best, Marie

Marie Dunford, PhD, RD

SCAN's Volunteer Web Editor

To update MyProfile (the place to change your Find a SCAN RD profile, opt out of Find a SCAN RD, and sign up for a subunit):

Sign in as a member on the SCAN website

Click on My Profile (located to the right of where it says Welcome [your name])

Note: There are three green EDIT buttons on this page

To edit General Information, Contact Information or Membership Details:

Click on the green edit button located directly above Member Profile (you may have to scroll down)

If you want your address, city, state, email, etc. to be public and show in FIND a SCAN RD, click on the Is Public box next to the ones you want public. For privacy reasons, only you can make your contact info public.

If you want an active link to your website, put your URL in the website field, located under Fax Number

If you want an area of expertise to show up in Find a SCAN RD, click on the box(es)

If you want to join one or more of the subunits, click on the appropriate box(es)

You may specify services offered (e.g., individual and group counseling)

If you DO NOT want to be listed in the Find a SCAN RD feature, click on the Exclude from Find a SCAN RD Search box

If you make ANY changes be sure to click on the SAVE button

To edit Member Profile (This is the About Me section on Find a SCAN RD):

Click on the green edit button located right under Member Profile

A yellow shaded box comes up and you can add written info there

If you make ANY changes be sure to click on the SAVE button

To add/edit a picture or image:

To add or edit a picture or an image (personal photo, logo, etc.,) click on Change (located under the image box)

Select a file to upload (a dialog box appears)

To add/edit your social networking information:

Click on the green edit button located under Blogger:

If you want to add social networking sites, enter the full URL for any of your social networks

If you make ANY changes be sure to click on the SAVE button

Tip: Once you make changes to MyProfile, go to Find a SCAN RD, enter your zip code, and view the changes that you made.

SCAN Symposium keynote speakers were on fire!

The SCAN Symposium keynote speakers certainly lived up to their top billing.

Louise Burke (far left) opened the 2011 symposium on Friday with her presentation, Fueling Athletes with Carbs: From Research to Practice. What I love about hearing Louise speak is that first and foremost she is evidenced-based. However, so many aspects of sports nutrition have not been studied extensively (or at all). Faced with that void, she gives thought to what we might tell athletes now. No one does research to practice better than Dr. Burke. One take home message: match intake to functionality. A sliding scale for carbohydrate intake based on intensity and duration of training makes sense.

On Saturday, Michael Roizen, MD from the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute gave an interesting presentation that got the audience thinking and talking. One message was that moderation doesn't work. He told the crowd about being in the green room prior to an appearance on a morning TV show in Canada. Another of the show's guests was there and reached for a donut. Dr. Roizen described grabbing his arm, grabbing the donut, throwing it on the floor and stepping on it. It got me to wondering--if dietitians took this approach would we be praised for our passion or be scorned and scolded as being diet police?

The Sunday keynote speaker did not disappoint. Dr. John Hawley gave a brilliant presentation titled, How Low Can You Go? Training-Nutrient Periodization for Endurance Performance. I wish I had the ability to present information so clearly and precisely. The talk was humorous and engaging, particularly appreciated since we'd all lost an hour with the time change. He too suggested the benefit of a sliding scale for carbohydrate intake that is closely matched to the athlete's training and recovery schedule. Dr. Hawley reviewed some of the evidence in support of low carbohydrate availability and the promotion of endurance training adaptations. Of course, more research is needed to determine if these manipulations and adaptations result in improved endurance performance. To translate the research to practice, we'll look to his wife and colleague, Dr. Burke.

If you have a comment about any of the sessions, please feel free to post. Best, Marie

Marie Dunford, PhD, RD

SCAN's volunteer web editor