Teens Eat Right—A FREE resource for teachers

SCAN is pleased to offer another FREE resource—Teens Eat Right. Teens Eat Right is a slide presentation with notes, cleverly developed handouts, and a quiz with answer key. It was developed to help teachers (and others who interface with teenagers) to help teens make healthy food choices. It can be ordered and downloaded free of charge here: http://www.scandpg.org/store/products/10129/

The slides and lesson plans were developed by Carol Lapin, MS, RD, CSSD, who is also co-director of SCAN's Wellness and Cardiovascular RDs subunit. Carol is a former high school teacher so she knows what grabs kids' attention. I call Carol the "rabbit" partly because she is always sniffing around finding new ideas (also because lapin is the French word for rabbit). Here's a sample of one of the slides:

There are notes for each slide and the data included were collected by Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, MS, RD, CSSD. Several people were involved in helping with the handouts including Pamela Nisevich Bede, MS, RD, CSSD, Linda Steakley, MS, RD, LD, Donna Bassi, RD, LDN, Maureen Mason, MS, RD, Jill Hobbs, MS, RD, LDH and Jill Eagen, MPH, RD (If I've forgotten anyone let me know, but blame Carol).

The Teens Eat Right materials are intended to be humorous with images that catch the eye and make you laugh (don't miss the toddler looking for food in the refrigerator). However, we all know the seriousness of the problem and this can help engage teens on the topic of healthy eating. SCAN hopes this will be a valuable resource for teachers and dietitians; Please tell a colleague that it is available.

Teens Eat Right—IBIWISI (I'll Believe It When I See It)—but maybe this will help move us towards our goal. Best, Marie

Marie Dunford, PhD, RD

SCAN's volunteer web editor

Sign up for SCAN events at FNCE

Sign up for SCAN events at FNCE. They're FREE and there's food!

If you are going to be at FNCE, SCAN has several FREE events. You will need to register for some of them because the number of seats available is limited due to the size of the room or because enough food needs to be ordered. This page on the SCAN website contains all the information that you need: http://www.scandpg.org/e-learning-and-events/2011-fnce/. Be sure to scroll down so that you can see all of the events. Breakfasts, receptions, spotlight sessions...and much more.

I've been attending FNCE for a long time (my first one was in 1974, before it was named FNCE) and I've developed a strategy that works for me. I stay at a hotel about a mile from the convention center so that I can walk to and from the main venue. Exercise is built into the day and it is fun to see and hear a city wake up. San Diego Convention center is located on the harbor. I grew up in a beach town in southern California and an early morning walk along the water is a wonderful way to start the day.

Attending a breakfast gets my day started right. I hear good speakers, earn CPEUs, and get to sit down to eat a healthy meal (as opposed to grazing my way through the exhibits). It's also nice to see colleagues--so much of my work is done through electronic communications and it is nice to have the human contact. Of course, the down side to breakfast is actually having to get out of bed, get dressed, and get there, but it is easier for most of us when the host city is on Pacific time.

I'm planning on being at all the SCAN events at FNCE. If you see me there, please say hello.

Best, Marie

Marie Dunford, PhD, RD

SCAN's volunteer web editor

New Resources for You

Two more resources available--Check them out!

Healthy Snacking for Smoking Cessation is a new handout created by the Wellness and Cardiovascular RDs (Wellness/CV) subunit. This concisely written and smartly designed handout is great for use with individual clients as well as at health fairs. Print a copy from the SCAN website free of charge.

The Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders (DEED) subunit has updated their professional resources page. It includes links to professional organizations, resources for the public, and help with finding treatment providers. It is a treasure trove of information.

In fact, all three subunits (Wellness/CV, DEED, and Sports Dietetics—USA) are in the process of reviewing website pages and updating the information that appears. The SCAN website is dedicated to timely and accurate information for members and non-members, so stay tuned for more updates.

Best, Marie

Marie Dunford, PhD, RD

SCAN's volunteer web editor

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.