- 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 18, 2009
Blog: Can one change improve your health and the world's?
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Eating too much red meat and saturated fat has been shown in numerous studies to be associated with adverse health effects, such as elevations in total and low-density cholesterol levels, and increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Red meat is also a source of several cancer-causing compounds, including those formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures, and saturated fat, which is associated with increased risk of breast and colorectal cancer.
A study of meat consumption among over 500,000 Americans, published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine," found that those who ate the most red meat (about 6 ounces daily) had the highest death rate from all causes, as well as a higher risk of cancer and heart disease, than those who ate the least amount (about 1 ounce daily). The researchers calculated that 11 percent of deaths in men and 16 percent of deaths in women could be prevented if people decreased their red meat consumption to the level in the lowest intake group.
An accompanying editorial takes a more global view and points out that reducing meat consumption could improve "world health" — meaning, in this case, the health of the planet. And the United Nations has urged countries to find ways to reduce the livestock industry's impact on the environment:
- Water supply. The amount of water used to raise animals for human consumption is two to five times the amount needed to cultivate basic food crops. In addition, livestock production contributes to erosion and contamination of the water supply with antibiotics, pesticides, nitrogen and phosphorus.
- Climate. Livestock are responsible for about 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions — more than what is created by transportation. Deforestation to make room for pastures and feed crops also contributes to the greenhouse effect.
- Biodiversity. Livestock and wildlife interact in many ways — both positive and negative. Livestock can help sustain open grassland ecosystems. However, expansion of grazing land and feed crops into forested areas has resulted in the irreversible loss of native plant and animal species.
I want to point out that there are major efforts underway on the part of those who raise livestock to minimize these impacts. I applaud these efforts. We need to do our part too. Cutting down on meat consumption can result in better personal health — and perhaps a healthier world too.
Thoughts?
9 comments posted
- Sinha R, et al. Meat intake and mortality: A prospective study of over half a million people. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009;169(6):562.
- Popkin B. Reducing meat consumption has multiple benefits for the world's health. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009;169(6):543.
- Livestock's long shadow: Environmental issues and options. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2006. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a0701e/A0701E00.pdf. Accessed June 12, 2009.
9 comments posted