- 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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July 24, 2009
Blog: Dining and dating
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Do people judge you based on what you eat? You bet! And not only what you eat, but where you eat. Now that's some food for thought. After all, you want to make a good impression, right?
Researchers at Cornell University have published two studies on food and dating. In the first study, researchers asked university students how they choose a restaurant for a first date and subsequent dates. In the second, they asked students to name foods that are suitable and foods that are taboo for dates. Here's what they found:
- Setting. For a first date, men considered an upscale restaurant more appropriate, while women preferred a casual/family location. Fast food was dead last — both men and women viewed this as the least appropriate venue for a first date.
- Date foods. Pasta scored high on men and women's lists of top date foods. Meat, ethnic food and seafood were also popular choices. More women than men listed salads and vegetables as date foods, while more men mentioned beverages, such as alcohol. What influenced their selection of good date foods? Women said they prefer foods that aren't messy, while men said they look for foods that suggest romance.
- Taboo foods. Topping the list for women was garlic, but both men and women consider any food that causes bad breath a dating no-no. Fast food was also a turn-off for both. Interestingly, more men than women said meat and poultry are not good choices on a date.
So what does this tell us? What we eat says something about us. And although men and women differ somewhat in their restaurant and food preferences, they are sensitive to the impression their choices make on their dates. For those of you in the dating scene, this information may be helpful. For those of us not dating, well, it makes for interesting dinner conversation.
Thoughts?
- Jennifer
1 comment posted
- Amiraian D, Sobal J. Dating and eating: How university students select eating settings. Appetite. 2009;52:226.
- Amiraian D, Sobal J. Dating and eating: Beliefs about dating foods among university students. Appetite (2009) In Press, doi:10.1016/j.appet.2009.06.012.
1 comment posted