- 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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Feb. 8, 2012
Meet the SuperTracker
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
In 2011 MyPyramid was toppled and replaced with MyPlate. MyPlate, the latest food guide from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), makes it easier to see at a glance what your meal should be — at least 50 percent vegetables and fruit, a little more than 25 percent grains (half of which should be whole grains), a little less than 25 percent lean protein, and a serving of low-fat dairy.
So is your plate in shape? How can you tell? Technology to the rescue.
The USDA recently launched SuperTracker — an interactive and personalized assistant. SuperTracker will help you:
- Compare your diet to MyPlate
- Identify goals for what to eat and how much to exercise
- Track your diet and physical activity over time
- Compare your diet and exercise efforts to recommended guidelines
Other nifty things you can do with SuperTracker include:
- See a simple or detailed analysis of your meals by food group or nutrients
- Get tips and support from a virtual coach
- Connect to your social networks to share your story
All of this can be found — and more — at ChooseMyPlate.gov. If you put in the information, you'll like the reports you get and you'll find them helpful. Start tracking your foods, your fitness and your health. It's almost like having your own dietitian.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
- Jennifer
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- MyPlate. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/index.html. Accessed Jan. 23, 2012.
- SuperTracker. U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/SuperTracker/default.aspx. Accessed Jan. 23, 2012.
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