- With Mayo Clinic nutritionists
Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
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.
Latest entries
- Healthy eating habits
Nov. 13, 2009
- Healthy holiday eating
Nov. 7, 2009
- Diet and immunity
Oct. 31, 2009
- Curb the candy binge
Oct. 28, 2009
- Menu planning
Oct. 24, 2009
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Nutrition-wise blog
-
June 13, 2009
Blog: Formulating fiber-rich foods
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Gritty drinks and giant pills used to be the only way to supplement the fiber in your diet. Now there are many more appealing options for getting extra fiber. Indeed, fiber seems to be in just about everything — from yogurt to white bread. Have you checked the ingredients on some of these "high-fiber" foods? If so, you've probably seen chicory root fiber — also called inulin — listed as one of the ingredients.
Inulin has health benefits similar to those of fiber in fruits, vegetables and whole grains:
- Prevents constipation
- Helps maintain healthy balance of bacteria in the colon
- Lowers blood cholesterol levels
But why is inulin added to so many foods? Because it adds fiber without adding unwanted taste or texture. Inulin also has the advantage of having a smooth, creamy feeling in our mouth like fat. So food manufacturers can use it as a fat replacement in ice creams, margarines and dressings. With these properties, it sneaks past us as undetected fiber in yogurt and other foods.
Sounds good, right? Sure, but you still need fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet. These whole foods offer much more than just fiber. They're rich in phytonutrients, antioxidants and other health-promoting, disease-fighting nutrients that you don't get from "extracted then added" fibers such as inulin.
What do think of food manufacturers finding ways to add fiber into any and all foods? Are these foods part of your diet? Or are you more traditional? I confess that I'm not planning on giving up my real fruit and yogurt breakfast any time soon.
9 comments posted