- 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.
Latest entries
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Oct. 31, 2009
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Nutrition-wise blog
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Aug. 19, 2009
Blog: Is organic food more nutritious?
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
If you buy organic food because it's more nutritious, you might be dismayed to learn that it offers no nutritional advantage over conventionally grown food. At least, that was the finding of a study that reviewed more than 150 scientific articles published over the past 50 years. The study concludes that organic food and conventional food have comparable nutritional benefits.
As you might imagine, not everyone agrees with this conclusion. After all, everyone knows that not all beans look or taste alike. All natural products vary in taste, texture, color, and nutritional content, depending on the soil, growing conditions, season, farming practices and other factors such as handling and storage. The study's authors acknowledge these influences, but explain that the few differences in nutrient content between organic food and conventional food are unlikely to have an effect on public health.
What do you think? Will the findings from this study lead you to you change your food buying practices? Until now, did you choose organic food for its perceived nutritional superiority? Or do you buy organic for other reasons, such as avoiding pesticides, herbicides and hormones, or because of concerns about the environment?
27 comments posted
- Dangour AD, et al. Nutritional quality of organic foods: a systematic review. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009 [Epub ahead of print].
27 comments posted