- 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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Jan. 28, 2009
For those with diabetes — there's more to it than carbs
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
I came across two articles this week that caused a couple of "aha" moments for me and that I want to share with those of you who have diabetes or may be at risk of developing it.
For years the debate has raged about the best diet. Should it be high or low in carbohydrates? In fat? In protein? The January issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" adds some new information to the debate. A long-term, multicenter study of people with type 1 diabetes found that diets lower in carbohydrates and higher in total, saturated and monounsaturated fat were associated with need for higher insulin doses and poorer control of blood sugar. Increased total and saturated fat was associated with particularly poor blood sugar control. Study participants eating low-carb diets got about 45 percent of their total calories from carbohydrates and 37 percent from fat. It seems that these low-carb dieters were substituting more fatty foods for the missing carbs.
Another study published in the same journal last year looked at the association between egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and death. (As we all know, eggs are high in fat and cholesterol but have no carbohydrates.) The study, which included more than 21,000 male doctors, found that eating up to 6 eggs a week was not associated with heart attack, stroke or mortality. However, having 7 or more eggs a week increased the risk of mortality by about 23 percent. The more surprising finding was that the risk of mortality for doctors who had diabetes and ate 7 or more eggs a week was 100 percent greater.
What should you take away from these studies?
People with diabetes should note that low-carb in the short term may mean high-fat and worsening diabetes management in the long run. If eggs are included daily (as they are in many low-carb diets), you could be asking for trouble. What to eat then? The American Diabetes Association recommends up to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates. This pushes total fat to reasonable levels — about 30 percent, with saturated fat kept to less than 10 percent and cholesterol to less than 300 milligrams.
In plain speak — eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and smaller amounts of low-fat dairy, and lean animal protein. And be vigilant about keeping your total fat and saturated fat in check. Oh yes... and go easy on the egg yolks.
38 comments posted
- Delahanty LM, et. al. Association of diet with glycated hemoglobin during intensive treatment of type 1 diabetes in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009;89:518.
- Djousse L, Gaziano JM. Egg consumption in relation to cardiovascular disease and mortality: The Physicians' Health Study. American Journal Clinical Nutrition. 2008;87:964.
38 comments posted