- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D.
Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D.
Jennifer Nelson is your link to a better diet. As specialty editor for food and nutrition, she plays a vital role in bringing you healthy recipes and meal planning.
"Nutrition is one way people have direct control over the quality of their lives," she says. "I hope to translate the science of nutrition into ways that people can select and prepare great-tasting foods that help maintain health and treat disease."
Nelson, a St. Paul, Minn., native, is a registered dietitian and has been with Mayo Clinic since 1978. She is director of clinical dietetics and an associate professor of nutrition at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.
She leads clinical nutrition efforts for a staff of more than 70 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook" and the New York Times best-seller "The Mayo Clinic Diet."
She's been a contributing author to and reviewer of many other Mayo Clinic books and publications, including "The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book," "The Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma Cookbook" and the "Mayo Clinic Health Letter." She contributes to the strategic direction of nutrition, healthy eating and healthy recipes content, including creating recipes and menus, preparing and reviewing nutrition content, contributing to the Nutrition-wise blog, and answering nutrition questions.
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Question
Dieting? Beware of liquid calories
I'm dieting and to keep from eating between meals, I've been drinking lots of juice and milk. But I'm not losing weight. Am I doing something wrong?
Answer
from Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D.
When you're trying to control your calorie intake, it's important to be mindful of what and how much you're drinking. Although milk and juice have important nutrients and can be part of a healthy diet, they still have calories — and calories in liquids can add up even faster than can calories in food.
So when you're counting calories, your best beverage choice is water. Keep higher calorie beverages in check. As a general rule, drink no more than 4 ounces (118 milliliters) of juice a day and 16 to 24 ounces (473 to 710 milliliters) of skim milk a day. Also be careful about energy drinks. Although they're touted as healthy, energy drinks can have as much added sugar as sodas — the top source of added sugar in the American diet.
If you get hungry between meals, snack on fresh fruits and vegetables. Whole fruits and vegetables are much more filling than juice — and it's likely you'll consume fewer calories with these choices.
Next questionCabbage soup diet: Can it help with weight loss?
- Nelson JK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 10, 2011.
- Hensrud DD, et al. The Mayo Clinic Diet. Intercourse, Penn.: Good Books; 2010.
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