- 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 Food & Nutrition Center, 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 is certified by the National Board of Nutrition Support Certification, 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 50 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." She has been a contributing author to and reviewer of many 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 answering nutrition questions posed to Ask a Specialist.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the Food & Nutrition Center, 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 is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Rochester and nutrition education related to the physiology and recommended intakes for premature infants.
Other areas of interest include breast milk and formula safety, neonatal feeding, and nutrition for breast-feeding mothers.
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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Sept. 16, 2008
Back to the future when it comes to local food choices
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
OK. I came of age in the late '60s and early '70s. Memories include learning words like "ecosystem" and "recycle." I even remember giving a book report in high school biology class on Francis Moore Lappe's "Diet for a Small Planet."
Fast forward to today — terms like "green," "sustainable," "carbon footprint" and "local" are parts of our daily conversations and are making inroads into our lifestyles. Barbara Kingsolver's book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle'' describing her family's year of eating locally won a 2008 James Beard Award.
Several weeks ago the Slow Food Organization held its convention in San Francisco. It was founded to "counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people's dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world."
I don't know what sort of vacuum happened in the 30 to 40 years between then and now, but it's sort of comforting to know that people are once again concerned about the environment and the impact that food selections make on it — as well as on their bodies. I'm beginning to re-think my attitudes about how my food choices impact at a more global level.
Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic, but I'm feeling the passions I haven't felt since those late '60s and early '70s. I'm going to take part in my own "eat local" challenge: Buy bread from my local baker; meat, dairy and poultry from local farms, and produce from our town's Saturday market. I'll even drink tap water — give up the bottled stuff. I'm curious and excited to see if I can become more of a "locavore."
Sure, bananas are not grown in Minnesota, but we are home of the "honey crisp" apple. Our state is also known for its wild rice. I also know that from a nutrition standpoint food is food — local food may not have more nutrients or be any safer than those from far away. But my goal is to make at least 70 percent of my food selections local. And, in my own way I hope that by becoming more of a locavore the world's resources can be preserved a bit longer.
Are you re-thinking your food choices? You know they impact on your health. But how do your choices impact others — including Mother Nature?
- Jennifer
1 comment posted
September 18, 2008 8:54 a.m.
its pleasant to know that somebody else is also thinking on these lines. i am a nutrition student from India. i too have realized that more one uses local or 'traditional' foods the better health they enjoy!
- pallavi
1 comment posted