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National Nutrition Month (NNM) comes to a close today, but even so, remember that good nutrition plays an important role in many aspects of life, including:

• Reducing risk of chronic diseases (such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer)
• Stabilizing existing conditions
• Boosting the immune system 
• Maintaining or achieving a healthy body weight
• Living a longer, healthier life and increasing the quality of those years

The National Nutrition Month campaign reinforces the importance of nutrition as a key component of good health, along with physical activity. Continue to check out the American Dietetic Association website and NNM section for answers to your most pressing questions on how you can incorporate healthy eating into your lifestyle. Examples of what you can find are:

• A recipe book with treats such as 1-2-3 Peach Cobbler and Chicken Clemenceau
• Videos on: Cutting back on salt, home food safety, and tips for purchasing canned/frozen produce
• Interactive games such as Nutrition Sudoku for kids and adults
• Nutrition Fact sheets that you can download and share with friends or relatives, such as: 25 Healthy Snacks for kids, Shop Smart--Get the Facts on Food Labels, and more.

Did you know that the health care reform bill signed into law yesterday also requires menu labeling? Enactment of federal menu labeling was the result of a seven year effort that included passage of menu labeling laws in California, Maine, Massachusetts and Oregon and adoption of policies in several cities including New York. The federal policy will require chain restaurants with 20 or more outlets nationally to provide calorie labeling on menus, menu boards, and drive-through displays and also requires calorie labeling of alcoholic beverages. The law also pertains to vending machines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is required to propose regulations no later than one year from today. Those regulations will be finalized through a formal notice and comment rulemaking process. With the enactment of the bill, California’s menu labeling law is preempted; however, the federal provisions are stronger than the California law and menu labeling will be required throughout the country. 

Next month, committees of the California Legislature will debate and vote on four bills designed to improve beverage environments in California:

• SB 1210 (Florez), a soda tax to fund childhood obesity prevention
• SB 1255 (Padilla), a ban of the sale of electrolyte replacement beverages in public schools
• SB 1413 (Leno), the requirement that schools provide free drinking water in school food service areas

AB 2084 (Brownley), nutrition standards for beverages in licensed child day care facilities. 

To learn more about these bills and/or see where they are in the legislative process, please visit: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html

Information courtesy of California Center for Public Health Advocacy: http://publichealthadvocacy.org/

Tuesday, March 23rd is American Diabetes Association ALERT DAY.

1 in 5 Americans is at risk for Type 2 Diabetes and nearly 6 million have diabetes and don't know it. To determine your risk, take this basic screening questionnaire. It'll take you less than 30 seconds.

To learn more about Type 2 Diabetes, please visit: stopdiabetes.diabetes.org

The nutrition and wellness world is fast-paced. There are constantly new studies being published, new fitness gadgets being created, and new headlines. Here are some of the major nutrition and wellness headlines for the week of March 15th through 19th:

• Mass. Senate passes bill limiting junk food at schools
• Vitamin D linked to lower heart disease risk: by raising low levels of the vitamin to normal levels, patients reduce their risk of heart disease by about 30%, an observational study finds (Announced at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting)
• Michelle Obama takes campaign to end childhood obesity to the country's largest food makers
• Taking the Bake Out of Bake Sale: A new rule in NYC schools, which officials say is aimed at tackling obesity, restricts student bake sales
• FDA considers spice supply safety
• U.S. health survey: Too few exercise, too many smoke
• Kraft to cut salt in its North American foods
• New York's Restaurants to Get Graded Under New System
• U.S. kids even fatter than believed: Study shows many face chronic health problems, shorter life spans
• Lifestyle And Diet Still Best Ways To Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
• Lawmaker confident US food safety law will pass in 2010
• FDA seeks permanent injunction against Louisiana sprout grower

Diabetes Education Classes in Newport Beach:

Basics of Diabetes: March 31st from 5:00 to 6:30pm

• ABC's of Diabetes Control
• Reducing Risk
• Basics of a healthy diet and lifestyle

• Carbohydrate sources and portions
• Food label reading
• Role of resistant starches and fiber in blood glucose management
• Meal planning basics

Food safety may not be the first thing on your mind when planning a healthy diet, but it should be! Every year, thousands of people become ill due to food contamination or poor food handling. The elderly, children, and pregnant women are most at risk of potentially deadly complications related to food-borne illness. Watch this American Dietetic Association video for some tips on how to keep your food safe. 

Here are some other great food safety resources:

• FoodSafety.gov 
• Fight Bac! 
• World Health Organization 
• CDC Food Safety Division 
• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) 

Wednesday, March 10th marks the third annual Registered Dietitian Day. As the nation's food and nutrition experts, registered dietitians are committed to improving the health of their patients and community. Registered Dietitian Day commemorates the dedication of RDs as advocates for advancing the nutritional status of Americans and people around the world. So, in honor of RD Day, I would like to share with you the American Dietetic Association's Top 10 reasons to consult an RD, below. 

American Dietetic Association’s Top Ten Reasons Why Consulting with a Registered Dietitian Can Benefit You

1. You have diabetes, cardiovascular problems or high blood pressure.  An RD serves as an integral part of your health-care team by helping you safely change your eating plan without compromising taste or nutrition.
2. You are thinking of having or have had gastric bypass surgery. Since your stomach can only manage small servings, it’s a challenge to get the right amount of nutrients in your body. An RD will work with you and your physician to develop an eating plan for your new needs.
3. You have digestive problems.  A registered dietitian will work with your physician to help fine-tune your diet so you are not aggravating your condition with fried foods, too much caffeine or carbonation.
4. You’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant.  A registered dietitian can help make sure you get nutrients like folate, especially during the first three months of pregnancy, lowering your newborn’s risk for neural tube or spinal cord defects.
5. You need guidance and confidence for breastfeeding your baby.  A registered dietitian can help make sure you’re getting enough iron, vitamin D, fluoride and B vitamins for you and your little one.
6. Your teenager has issues with food and eating healthfully.  A registered dietitian can assist with eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and overweight issues.
7. You need to gain or lose weight.  A registered dietitian can suggest additional calorie sources for healthy weight gain or a restricted-calorie eating plan plus regular physical activity for weight loss while still eating all your favorite foods.
8. You’re caring for an aging parent.  A registered dietitian can help with food or drug interaction, proper hydration, special diets for hypertension and changing taste buds as you age.
9. You want to eat smarter.  A registered dietitian can help you sort through misinformation; learn how to read labels at the supermarket; discover that healthy cooking is inexpensive, learn how to eat out without ruining your eating plan and how to resist workplace temptations.
10. You want to improve your performance in sports.  A registered dietitian can help you set goals to achieve results — whether you’re running a marathon, skiing or jogging with your dog. 

To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.

It can sometimes seem a daunting task to get kids to eat a healthy meal or snack. However, when the food is a fun shape or texture or when the child has been involved in the creation of the meal or snack, you may notice a bit less resistance. Here are some great ideas provided by the American Dietetic Association:

• Sandwich Cut-Outs: Make a sandwich on whole grain bread. Cut out your favorite shape using a big cookie cutter. Eat the fun shape and the edges, too!
• Banana Split: Top a banana with low-fat vanilla and strawberry frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with your favorite whole-grain cereal.
• Mix together peanut butter and cornflakes in a bowl. Shape into balls and roll in crushed graham crackers.
• Make snack kabobs. Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks. 
• Peel a banana and dip it in yogurt. Roll in crushed cereal and freeze. 
• Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese. Top with raisins. Enjoy your “ants on a log.” 
• Use lettuce, tomatoes, celery, carrots, corn, olives, cucumbers and fresh herbs to make "tomato flower faces"  as shown below.

For more child nutrition information and some great interactive games, please visit:

• MyPyramid Kids site
• Superkids Nutrition Kids site or Parent's site

Most Americans eat way too much salt (sodium chloride). Even if you don't use the salt shaker, you are still more than likely taking in too much sodium. That is because most of the sodium we consume comes from processed foods and restaurant foods A diet high in sodium is a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Despite pleas from government and other health experts over the last quarter-century to reduce sodium consumption, Americans are consuming more—not less—salt. 

So what can be done to reduce sodium intake?

• Purchase "reduced sodium," "low sodium," or "no salt added" packaged/canned foods
• Use fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned
• Use herbs and spices in cooking instead of salt
• Use fresh meats and cheeses in sandwiches 
• Eat 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily
• Make foods from scratch, rather than using prepared foods, whenever possible
• Try using lemons and limes to season foods

What's the problem with salt anyway? Excess sodium consumption has been linked to high blood pressure (hypertension) and cardiovascular disease:

• Increased blood pressure causes an estimated two-thirds of strokes and almost half of all heart attacks around the world. 
• About 65 million American adults have high blood pressure. An additional 45 million people have “pre-hypertension.” About 90 percent of Americans will eventually develop hypertension. 
• African Americans’ rate of hypertension is 60 percent greater, and rate of stroke deaths 40 percent greater, than that of the general population. 
• Americans now spend over $15 billion a year on medications to lower blood pressure. 
• Consuming more salt tends to increase blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease. 
• Sodium intake—mostly from salt—has drifted upwards over the past 30 years and now averages about 4,000 milligrams per day, about twice the recommended amount. 
• The vast majority—about 77 percent—of sodium comes from processed foods and foods eaten outside the home. The foods that provide the most sodium to the average diet—because they are frequently consumed and/or rich in sodium—are bread, cheese, ham, salad dressings, and cakes and cookies. 
• Many restaurant meals provide more than a whole day’s worth of sodium. Thousands of packaged foods provide one-fourth or more of a day’s maximum recommended intake.  

For more information about the health effects of sodium, please visit: http://cspinet.org/salt/
In addition, The American Dietetic Association has developed a 3 minute video discussing ways to cut back on sodium in your diet. To view it, click here.

Become a smart shopper by reading food labels to find out more about the foods you eat. The Nutrition Facts panel found on most food labels will help you:

• Find out which foods are good sources of fiber, calcium, iron, and vitamin C
• Compare similar foods to find out which one is lower in fat and calories
• Search for low-sodium foods
• Look for foods that are low in saturated fat and trans fats

Check out this American Dietitic Association information sheet to help you understand nutrition facts panels and ingredient lists on the food products you consume.