- 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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Oct. 17, 2009
Soda tax: Should sugar-sweetened beverages be taxed?
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
A recent report in "The New England Journal of Medicine" proposes a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages — drinks with added sugar in the form of sucrose (table sugar), high fructose corn syrup or fruit juice concentrates. Why? The average American consumes about 175 calories daily in sweetened beverages. It only takes 100 extra calories a day to gain 10 pounds in one year. You don't have to be a scientist to see the association here.
Why pick on sugar-sweetened beverages? Sugar-sweetened beverages have been linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The soda tax is intended to decrease consumption and thereby decrease obesity-related health care costs. Revenue generated by the soda tax would fund health initiatives such as childhood nutrition and obesity prevention programs.
Public opinion polls show increasing support for food and beverage taxes that generate revenue for health promotion and obesity prevention programs. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
As you can imagine, with so much at stake beverage manufacturers are making their opinions known. You the consumer have a stake in this too. Let your voice be heard.
To your health,
Katherine
98 comments posted
- Brownell KD, et al. The public health and economic benefits of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages. New England Journal of Medicine. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMhpr0905723. Accessed Oct. 14, 2009.
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