- 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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Nov. 7, 2012
Sleep and energy balance — What's the connection?
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Do you faithfully journal your food and exercise? Have you ever tallied calories consumed and subtracted those burned only to be left wondering why your math doesn't equate to weight loss?
What are we missing in the energy equation? The answer might be the number seven. That's the number of hours of sleep recommended by the Healthy People 2020 goals.
Both the rate of obesity and the rate of sleep deprivation have increased in the U.S. in the past 30 years. The statistics are eerily similar: More than 35 percent of adults are obese and about 30 percent get less than 6 hours sleep a night (considered "partial sleep deprivation").
It turns out that beyond the drag and irritability that accompany lack of sleep, partial sleep deprivation has potentially negative effects on how the body regulates energy. The "Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics" recently published a review of research about partial sleep deprivation and energy balance. This review found that reduced sleep may:
- Disrupt appetite hormones
- Promote greater food intake
- Reduce energy expenditure
- Change body composition to favor more fat storage
What's the take-home message? Continue your healthy diet and exercise habits, but also try to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. It just might be the missing factor in the weight loss equation.
Here's to sweet dreams,
Katherine
3 comments posted
- Healthy People 2020: Improving the Health of Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/default.aspx. Accessed Nov. 2, 2012.
- Shlisky JD, et al. Partial sleep deprivation and energy balance in adults: An emerging issue for consideration by dietetics practitioners. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2012; 112:1785.
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