Fighting childhood obesity
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fighting-childhood-obesity/MY01797
- With Mayo Clinic nutritionists
Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
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Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Katherine Zeratsky and Jennifer Nelson
Jennifer K. Nelson, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.N.S.D.
Jennifer Nelson is your link to a better diet. As specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, 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."
A St. Paul, Minn., native, she has been with Mayo Clinic since 1978, and is director of clinical dietetics and an associate professor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
She leads clinical nutrition efforts for a staff of more than 60 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees nutrition services, staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the "Mayo Clinic Diet" and the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." She has been a contributing author to and reviewer of many other Mayo Clinic books, including "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody," "The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and "The Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma Cookbook." She contributes to the strategic direction of the Food & Nutrition Center, which includes creating recipes and menus, reviewing nutrition content of various articles, and providing expert answers to nutrition questions.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She's active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Nutrition-wise blog
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June 15, 2011
Fighting childhood obesity
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
In a previous blog I suggested a food and activity checklist to use when considering child-care providers. The idea must have caught on.
First Lady Michelle Obama has made fighting childhood obesity her mission and she's now extending it to our youngest citizens — infants and toddlers. The "Let's Move! Child Care" campaign calls on child-care providers to serve healthier foods and promote physical activity in their facilities.
As part of this effort, the First Lady released a checklist that providers and parents can use as a tool to encourage healthy eating and physical activity and limit screen time for young children. The checklist stresses five principles:
- Physical activity: Provide one to two hours of physical activity throughout the day.
- Screen time: No screen time for children under 2 years. Limit screen time for older children to no more than 30 minutes a week during child care.
- Food: Serve fruits or vegetables at every meal, eat meals family-style when possible, and don't serve fried foods.
- Beverages: Provide access to water during meals and throughout the day, and don't serve sugar-sweetened drinks.
- Infant feeding: Support mothers who want to breastfeed, either by providing their milk to their infants or breastfeeding during the child-care day.
So far, the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration and Bright Horizons have committed to follow these practices — a step that will positively affect approximately 280,000 children nationwide. What about you? Are you putting these principles into practice? How are you fighting childhood obesity? Share your successes and inspire us.
To our children's health,
Katherine
6 comments posted
- Let's Move! Child Care. http://www.healthykidshealthyfuture.org/welcome.html. Accessed June 13, 2011.
- First Lady unveils Let's Move! Child Care to ensure healthy start for youngest children. http://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/06/08/first-lady-unveils-lets-move-child-care-ensure-healthy-start-youngest-ch. Accessed June 13, 2011.
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