- 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 20, 2012
Marketing and Mickey — A change in food marketing to children
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
I remember learning that food companies spend billions of dollars in food marketing to children under that age of 4. So, it was an amusing moment when I got to experience it for the first time as a mother.
It was a juice drink so cleverly marketed that my son not only asked me to buy it at the grocery store but also insisted that I watch the commercial when it came on. I could see the wheels turning in my son's head: "See mom, it really is healthy for me — just look at those kids frolicking around as they drink it!"
Do you have a similar story? What was the food and the "evidence" that made it a must buy?
Change is coming in 2015. The Walt Disney Company will enact a new set of nutritional standards for its theme park meals and any foods marketed on Disney television channels, radio stations and websites. The standards are based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Federal Trade Commission's proposed guidelines for marketing to children. The guidelines stress eating more nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and cutting back on saturated fats, sugar and sodium.
This is good news. Could it get even better? Will other large companies with a stake in children's entertainment follow suit?
You may be seeing fewer junk food ads, but you'll be seeing more Disney characters. Disney-licensed characters are already on fruit and vegetable packages. This will expand to a logo on the front of packages with Mickey Mouse and the slogan "Good For You — Fun Too!"
The chairman of Disney was quoted as saying: "This is not altruistic. This is smart business." How do you see it? Is Mickey promoting health? And are you buying? Please share your thoughts.
To our children's health,
Katherine
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