January 2017 Newsletter

Jan 1, 2017 | News

MSAND January 2017 Newsletter

         
Happy New Year!
 
We’re half way through 2016-2017. We have several upcoming events to announce:

  • MS Medical Association Alliance Capitol Screening Day, January 19, 2017
  • MSAND Capitol Day, March 8, 2017
  • MSAND Annual Meeting, March 27-28, 2017

Don’t forget, we love promoting our profession. If you have a story to share, please contact our Executive Director, Carrie Kiley ([email protected]). 
 
I look forward to seeing you in March!
 
Sincerely,
LaShaundrea B. Crook, MS, RDN, LD
President
MSAND

MSAND Member Discussion Board

MNAND is happy to announce the start of a member discussion board! We have created a private forum for MSAND members to communicate with each other to share resources, ask questions, and interact more. 

To subscribe to the discussion board simply send an email that contains your full name and Academy ID number to [email protected] and you will be approved shortly.

Once you are subscribed you can post directly from your email by sending your questions, resource, or discussion topic directly to [email protected]. The group has been quiet so far, but please don’t be shy! This was created for us to interact more effectively with each other.

Update from the Central District


Save The Date – First Meeting of 2017!

Thursday, February 23rd

Blue Cross Blue Shield of MS (3545 Lakeland Dr. Flowood, MS 39232)*

11 AM – 1 PM

 

Clint Clardy of Salus Genetics will present on the GeneDiet Test 

*Please RSVP to Central District or Stephanie Yow ([email protected]) if you plan to attend.

Update from the Northeastern District

The NEMSAND fall meeting was held Friday November 11, 2017 at HealthWorks! in Tupelo MS.  Speakers/topics were as follows: Cindy Smith- Bariatric Surgery Nutrition- Past and Present; HealthWorks Staff: Providing Nutrition Education to the Community; Chef Mitch McCamey- All About that Local: Your Food vs Farm Sourced Food.  We had 18 attendees (including MSU Dietetic Interns).  We had a great time and learned a lot of information about various topics. A special thanks to HealthWorks for hosting us!

         
 
 Important Events within the District:
 
The Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District signed the Mississippi Farm to School Week Challenge Procurement Pledge and held the celebration at Sudduth Elementary School.  Each day during this weeklong celebration, a Mississippi grown or local item was featured on the menu.  The Mississippi grown items were supplied through the Department of Defense program and included yellow squash, butter beans and cantaloupe.  The local items prepared were salad mix purchased from Bountiful Harvest Farms, butternut squash from Lancaster Farms and sweet potatoes from McGreger Farms.  Sam McLemore, owner of Bountiful Harvest Farms, was our special guest farmer on Tuesday of the weeklong celebration.  Farmer Sam greeted the students and spoke with them during their lunch on their favorite vegetables.  We also passed out stickers and tattoos, provided by the MS Farm to School Network, to students who tried to feature items.  Farmer Sam brought a sampling of the crops he grows.  While students stood in the lunch line Ginny Hill, the Child Nutrition Director, showed them the unique varieties of vegetables that are grown at Bountiful Harvest Farms.  She allowed the students to feel eggplant and maroon okra, smell fresh basil and discuss purple sweet potatoes and pumpkins.  The students and staff at Sudduth Elementary received a glimpse of what types of crops are grown in Mississippi and were exposed to some unfamiliar vegetables during this weeklong celebration.

Ginny Hill, MS RD LD
Child Nutrition Director
Starkville School District
(662)615-0028
[email protected]


 
Upcoming Events:
Officers are in the process of planning a Winter social event and Spring Meeting.
 

MSAND Capitol Day
By Connie Black, MS-AND Public Policy Coordinator
 
The Mississippi Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics will hold their second event at the Mississippi State Capitol of the 2017 Legislative Session on March 8, 2017, National RDN Day! This is an exciting opportunity to let our state legislators know that food and nutrition related policy helps to shape the health of Mississippians and that we, as members of MS-AND, are the food and nutrition experts in Mississippi.

We need volunteers to help us at our booth. Slots are available 11:30-12:30, 12:30-1:30 and 1:00-2:00. We will not be advocating for any legislation, we will only be educating policy makers about the importance of sound, evidenced-based food and nutrition policy and letting attendees know about all of the expert knowledge Registered Dietitian Nutritionists and Nutrition and Dietetic Technicians, Registered possess. Please contact Connie Black, [email protected]t, for more information or to schedule a time to volunteer. Students and interns are encouraged to join us!
 

National Nutrition Month
 


March is National Nutrition Month®. This year’s theme is “Put Your Best Fork Forward” and there are five key messages:

  • Create an eating style that includes a variety of your favorite, healthful foods.
  • Practice cooking more at home and experiment with healthier ingredients.
  • How much we eat is as important as what we eat. Eat and drink the right amount for you, as MyPlate encourages us to do.
  • Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week.
  • Manage your weight or lower your health risks by consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist. RDNs can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs.

There are many ways that you can commemorate this event focused on making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. There are several great ideas on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics National Nutrition Month® website: http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/resources/national-nutrition-month/toolkit.
 
Don’t forget that Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day is March 8, 2017. Visit http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/resources/national-nutrition-month/registered-dietitian-nutrition-day to get ideas about how to recognize Registered Dietitian Nutritionists in your organization or community.
 

Pride in Food Services Month
 

The Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals (ANFP) is promoting Pride in Foodservice Week February 6-10, 2017. This recognition week acknowledges nutrition and foodservice for their hard work and dedication on the job. You and your staff have the opportunity to win prizes this year! Let ANFP know how your staff was recognized by filling out an application and ANFP will award $100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place. For a contest application and more information, visit www.ANFPonline.org/PIFSW.

Public Policy Update
 

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession through research, education and advocacy. Public policy significantly influences and shapes the public image the nutrition and dietetics profession.

The goal of the Academy is to help improve the health of Americans and to ensure that the public trusts and chooses Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) and Nutrition and Dietetic Technicians, Registered (NDTRs) as the food and nutrition experts. Public policy and advocacy efforts can enhance the value of the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and position the RDN in the forefront of the policy process by passing effective legislation and issuing regulations that support the Academy’s priorities.
By educating our state and federal legislators and sharing with them your personal experiences in practice, you can make the critical difference in our nation’s health and nutrition policy.

Voters like you elected them to office and it is the central focus of an elected official’s job to respond to voter concerns. We must be able to define our role as the expert in nutrition or others will define it for us. Many legislative and regulatory issues have been identified and addressed because groups of dedicated individuals made their voices heard.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has an “Action Center” to help elected officials in Washington, D.C. know your views as both voters and nutritional and food professionals. Visit http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/advocacy/action-center to see current Action Alerts and find other resources regarding Food and Nutrition related policy and advocacy efforts.

The Mississippi legislature is currently in session. Visit https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/ to find out who your state senator and representative are. Let them know how important it is to support evidenced-based, up-to-date food and nutrition related policy.

Consumer Protection Reminder

I am Constance Shelby, the Consumer Protection Coordinator for MSAND. As we work to provide excellent serivce to patients, just a reminder to let us know about instances of both harm and success you hear about other practitioners to help promote the entire profession.

If you would like to report any stories of harm or success, please email them to [email protected]

Copyright © 2017 Mississippi Academy of Nutrition an Dietetics, All rights reserved.