- 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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April 1, 2009
The DASH diet — A healthy diet on a budget
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
When I think about how to eat a healthy diet but stay on a budget, the DASH diet comes to mind. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It's a well researched diet that has proven benefits for lowering blood pressure. We discussed this in a previous blog and one of our readers asked, "Isn't it just a healthy diet?" Well, yes, it is.
The DASH diet — like any healthy diet — helps you reduce the amount of total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol by eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and fiber-packed beans and whole grains. And this healthy diet doesn't have to break your budget.
The DASH diet promotes fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds. All of which can be found inexpensively. Some tips for adding more dash to your diet:
- Add frozen vegetables to classic casseroles. An easy way to add another serving to your goal of 4-5 servings a day.
- Add beans to salads, soups and stews.
- Make a stir fry from combination of fresh, frozen and canned (drained and rinsed or low sodium varieties) vegetables. Serve over brown rice.
- If fresh fruits are out of season and beyond your budget, buy frozen or canned. Just make sure canned fruit is in its own juice.
- Combine canned or frozen fruit with yogurt for a snack or blend into a smoothie. Buy a large container of low-fat yogurt instead of the more expensive individual containers.
- Instead of grabbing a pricey bag of potato chips, snack on a banana. Or for a little variety, munch on a handful of nuts.
- Take a break from processed meats — which are high in sodium and often expensive — and make a sandwich with nutrient-rich peanut butter or light canned tuna.
- Substitute low-fat milk or a small serving of orange juice for higher-fat dairy beverages, sodas or other sugary, low-nutrient beverages.
With the DASH diet you come out ahead in the long run — on both price and health. What healthy substitutions have you made to your diet? Any additions you have made to your diet that are making you feel better? Please share.
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