MyPlate - Make at least Half of your Grains Whole Grains

MyPlate - Grain Food Group

Grains of Goodness: Exploring the World of Whole Grains

What foods are in the Grains Group?

Important Nutrients from the Grain Group

Recipe: Quinoa Breakfast Bowl. This savory one-dish whole-grain meal is crowned with a soft-boiled egg. #CookingLight

10 Tips to Help You Eat More Whole Grains

Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples. Grains are divided into two subgroups, whole grains, and refined grains. Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel — the bran, germ, and endosperm. People who eat whole grains as part of a healthy diet have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases.

Make simple switches
To make half your grains whole grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined-grain product. For example, eat 100% whole-wheat bread or bagels instead of white bread or bagels, or brown rice instead of white rice.

Whole grains can be healthy snacks
Popcorn, a whole grain, can be a healthy snack. Make it with little or no added salt or butter. Also, try 100% whole-wheat or rye crackers.

Save some time
Cook extra brown rice or whole-wheat pasta when you have time. Refrigerate half to heat and serve later in the week as a quick side dish.

Mix it up with whole grains
Use whole grains in mixed dishes, such as barley in vegetable soups or stews and bulgur wheat in casseroles or stir-fries. Try a quinoa salad or pilaf.

Try whole-wheat versions
For a change, try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. Try brown rice stuffing in baked green peppers or tomatoes, and whole-wheat macaroni in macaroni and cheese.

Bake up some whole-grain goodness
Experiment by substituting buckwheat, millet, or oat flour for up to half of the flour in your favorite pancake or waffle recipes. To limit saturated fat and added sugars, top with fruit instead of butter and syrup.

Be a good role model for children
Set a good example for children by serving and eating whole grains every day with meals or as snacks.

Check the label for fiber
Use the Nutrition Facts label to check the fiber content of whole-grain foods. Good sources of fiber contain 10% to 19% of the Daily Value; excellent sources contain 20% or more.

Know what to look for on the ingredients list
Read the ingredients list and choose products that name a whole-grain ingredient first on the list. Look for “whole wheat,” “brown rice,” “bulgur,” “buckwheat,” “oatmeal,” “whole-grain cornmeal,” “whole oats,” or “whole rye.”

Be a smart shopper
The color of food is not an indication that it is a whole-grain food. Foods labeled as “multi-grain,” “stone-ground,” “100% wheat,” “cracked wheat,” “seven-grain,” or “bran” are usually not 100% whole-grain products, and may not contain any whole grain.

Celebrate Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day and Registered Nutrition & Dietetic Techician

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day and Registered Nutrition and Registered Nutrition & Dietetic Technician Day were created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to increase the awareness of registered dietitian nutritionists as indispensable food and nutrition services providers. 

Acknowledge the Contributions and Celebrate the Dedication of the RDN & NDTR, who help people and communities achieve a healthy lifestyle through food and nutrition. 

Congratulations, RDNs! 

History

National CBD Day What is Jannabis Wellness?

Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RDN, FAND is a Holistic Cannabis Practitioner, Culinary Nutritionist, Cookbook Author, and Speaker.

Prior to her journey as a Holistic Cannabis Practitioner, I followed Janice's work in the field of dietetics and nutrition. She is well known and respected in our profession and her cookbooks and meal planning strategies are very popular. I am a fan of Janice and when she decided to expand her practice to include Jannabis Wellness products - it caught my attention.

I read about her father's relief from pain after using medical marijuana, and I knew I wanted to know more. I have a son who is a quadriplegic with Spastic Cerebral Palsy and suffers pain constantly. Could this be an answer?

I read Janice's extensive References and Resources, and an article in the April 2019 Issue of Today’s Dietitian, Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RDN, describes Cannabis Use for Treating Disease. I decided to contact Janice and ordered PCR Hemp Oil Salve to massage my son's hamstrings.

My son was a bit hesitant about trying the salve, even though I told him it would not make him high. He decided to try it. With continued massage, Jake's hamstrings loosened up. It was not permanent but provided temporary relief.

Janice’s mission is to help others suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, autoimmune disorders, IBD/IBS, and other debilitating conditions. She completed training at the Holistic Cannabis Academy and now advises clients on access, proper cannabinoid ratios, dosing, best consumption methods, and cooking with cannabis in her consulting business, Jannabis Wellness.

Jannabis Wellness products are derived from medicinal hemp (legal nationwide according to the 2018 Federal Farm Bill). View list of products.

I found the literature and research compelling, and recommend the following readings:
1. References and Resources, Jannabis Wellness
2. Cannabis Use for Treating Disease, Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RDN, April 2019 Today’s Dietitian

National Nutrition Month and Beyond

National Nutrition Month®  is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. In addition, National Nutrition Month® promotes the Academy and its members to the public and the media as a valuable and credible source of timely, scientifically-based food and nutrition information.

National Nutrition Month® Campaign

During National Nutrition Month® and Beyond, help the Academy achieve its vision of a world where all people thrive through the transformative power of food and nutrition.

Key Messages:

1.      Include a variety of healthful foods from all of the food groups on a regular basis.

2.      Consider the foods you have on hand before buying more at the store.

3.      Buy only the amount that can be eaten or frozen within a few days and plan ways
    to use leftovers later in the week.

4.      Be mindful of portion sizes. Eat and drink the amount that’s right for you, as
    MyPlate encourages us to do.

5.      Continue to use good food safety practices.

6.      Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week.

7.      Realize the benefits of healthy eating by consulting with a registered dietitian
    nutritionist. RDNs can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice
    to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day. The goal is to increase awareness of the registered dietitian nutritionists as the indispensable providers of food and nutrition services and recognizes RDNs for their commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives.

Be sure to visit the Academy's National Nutrition Month® website during the upcoming months for new and updated resources to help make National Nutrition Month® celebration an infinite success!

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Academy is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education, and advocacy. Visit the Academy at www.eatright.org.

Reference
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition Month®

National Triglycerides Day

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a type of fat. They are the most common type of fat in your body. They come from foods, especially butter, oils, and other fats you eat. Triglycerides also come from extra calories. Your body changes these extra calories into triglycerides and stores them in fat cells. When your body needs energy, it releases the triglycerides. Your VLDL cholesterol particles carry the triglycerides to your tissues.

Having a high level of triglycerides can raise your risk of heart diseases, such as coronary artery disease.

What causes high triglycerides?

Factors that can raise your triglyceride level include

• Regularly eating more calories than you burn off, especially if you eat a lot of sugar
• Being overweight or having obesity
• Cigarette smoking
• Excessive alcohol use
• Certain medicines
• Some genetic disorders
• Thyroid diseases
• Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes
• Liver or kidney diseases

How Triglycerides is Diagnosed

What are the treatments for high triglycerides?

You may be able to lower your triglyceride levels with lifestyle changes:

• Controlling your weight
• Regular physical activity
• Not smoking
• Limiting sugar and refined foods
• Limiting alcohol
• Switching from saturated fats to healthier fats

Some people will also need to take cholesterol medicines to lower their triglycerides.

Resources.

1. High levels of fat in the blood in the form of triglycerides can increase your risk of heart disease. #Eatright 

2. What Are High Blood Cholesterol and Triglycerides? American Heart Association

3. Triglycerides, MedlinePlus

National Green Week

What is National Green Week?

National Green Week is an annual event that empowers schools to engage in sustainability-focused lessons, projects or activities between the first full week in February and the end of Earth Month (April). Participating districts, schools, classrooms or youth groups choose a week, then select from GEF's sustainability-focused programs to be their ‘green theme.’ Each theme provides 5-day standards-based lesson sets, activities, recommended reading, sustainability tips, contests, and more! Join over 10,000 schools and 5 million students in the largest sustainability education program running!

Sustainability Programs! 

GEF's sustainability programs are all free and are designed to make it easy for you to incorporate sustainability education in your classroom! Each themed based program includes standards-based lessons, activities, recommended reading, contests and more! Utilize all or some of a GEF sustainability program any time or schedule your sustainability initiatives around National Green Week.

National Green Week challenges schools, classrooms and youth groups to spotlight sustainability for at least one week! GEF has made it simple, pick a sustainability theme and become a leader of your own sustainability initiative! Choose any week between the first full week in February until the end of Earth Month (April) to be your 'Green Week!" Big or small, everyone is encouraged to do something in support of sustainability during Green Week! Click to learn more about National Green Week!

Join the Green Education on Facebook to learn more about National Green Week.

National Nutrition Month 2017 - Put Your Best Fork Forward

National Nutrition Month® (NNM) is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. In addition, National Nutrition Month® promotes the Academy and its members to the public and the media as a valuable and credible source of timely, scientifically-based food and nutrition information.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, is celebrated on March 8, 2017. The goal is to increase awareness of the registered dietitian nutritionists as the indispensable providers of food and nutrition services and recognizes RDNs for their commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives.

2017 NNM Theme

"Put Your Best Fork Forward" is the theme for NNM 2017 which serves as a reminder that each one of us holds the tool to make healthier food choices. Making small changes during National Nutrition Month® and over time, helps improve health now and into the future. As nutrition experts, Academy members can help guide the public on gradually shifting toward healthier eating styles by promoting NNM activities and messages during March.

Be sure to visit the Academy's National Nutrition Month® website during the upcoming months for new and updated resources to help make the NNM 2017 celebration an infinite success!

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Academy is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. Visit the Academy at www.eatright.org.

Reference
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, NNN 2017

Lucille Beseler welcomes Vicki Hatch MS, RDN, LDN, CDE to Family Nutrition Center of South Florida.

Meet Vicki Ellis Hatch MS,RDN,LDN,CDE at the Hallandale Beach location of Family Nutrition Center of South Florida

VICKI ELLIS HATCH is a Nutrition, Healthcare and Fitness Expert and Certified Diabetes Educator with over 25 years of experience leading clients to improved clinical and lifestyle outcomes.

A native to Miami Beach, Florida, Vicki has been involved with sports and nutrition her whole life. Her first career was that of a tennis professional. She played and ​competed in junior tennis in Florida and throughout the United States; then received a four year scholarship to play tennis for the University of Texas at Austin. She competed professionally on the women’s tennis circuit, and then became the Director of Tennis at many luxurious tennis clubs in South Florida. Vicki also coached at the University of Texas at Austin, where she led the Texas Lady Longhorn Tennis team to capture two (2) national collegiate NCAA Division I Championship titles.

For the last 20 plus years, Vicki has taken her game indoors as a Registered Licensed Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator in private practice in the Aventura area. She also has a well-rounded clinical background in the hospital settings: Aventura Hospital, Mercy Hospital and Memorial Healthcare System as a dietitian and Clinical Nutrition Manager. Vicki specializes in pediatric, teen, adult, and geriatric populations, with expertise in areas of Diabetes, Weight Management, Gastrointestinal Health, Sports Nutrition, Eating Disorders, Cardiovascular disease/Cholesterol management, Renal Disease, Healthy Pregnancy Outcomes, and Corporate Health.

She spends a great deal of time helping patients to organize their busy lifestyles, as well as sifting through the myriad of nutrition and health information, educating and guiding her patients- in a safe, healthy and productive environment that provide solutions and produce results. Vicki truly enjoys speaking and motivating. She has inspired many- both young and old. She has provided talks on Nutrition and Health at major corporations, works year round with children’s groups to promote healthy eating and healthy minds for young people, has been quoted and published in the Miami Herald, and on local television networks and radio.

As part of Family Nutrition Center of South Florida, Vicki’s office is located in our Hallandale Beach location. She provides Medical Nutrition Therapy and continued support to patients worldwide via face to face visits, and online and telephonic communication. If you would like to achieve healthy outcomes of weight management, normalized blood sugars, decreased use of medications, effective exercise regimens, improved feelings of well being via nutrition and exercise- even completing your first marathon , you have come to the right place!

She will personalize a Medical Nutrition Therapy program for you and/or your family- specific to your nutrition and medical needs. Vicki will provide all the education, motivation, and behavior modification systems for you to succeed at making lifestyle changes to achieve all of your health goals. English / Spanish spoken.

Vicki Hatch MS,RDN,LDN,CDE
126 East Hallandale Beach Boulevard
Hallandale, Florida 33009
954.840.7296

Don’t leave money on the table - Why you should hire a billing company

I have had a private practice for 23 years and now a billing company for RDN’s – Bill it mnt .   I was able to meet many RDN’s that came over to our booth at the FNCE Marketplace.  It was interesting to hear their stories on billing.    The decision to hire a billing company or the software you use should be based on your unique practice.  If one has a small boutique type practice and sees less than 4 clients per day it maybe more cost effective to do your own claims.  On the other hand if you have a full time busy practice (7-10 clients per day) when are you going to have the time to do billing? 

Important questions to consider:

• How valuable is your time? Billing is time consuming when you look beyond filling out claim forms.  The claim form needs to be filled out and submitted in a timely fashion or it will be denied.  Once you complete the claim form and submit it tracking payment and denials is just as important and takes time.

• How much money are you going to leave on the table because you cannot chase denied claims or submit them in a timely fashion?  Many RDN’s are losing  $$ above the cost of doing business for this reason.  Many RDN’s told me the amount of money they are losing which was staggering.  One RDN told me she has 1 year of denied claims to settle. You are not in business to lose money.  Paying a company to do your billing will save you money otherwise don a blue coat and consider yourself a volunteer.

• Will adding more hours to your day doing billing impact on your quality of life causing burnout? 

• It is more profitable to see more clients and leave the billing to someone else – a staff member or an outside contractor?

If you want your practice to grow do what you do best while generating more income- see clients!

Free up your time and do more marketing to get more clients in the door!

To learn more visit:

Bill It mnt

Bill it mnt on Facebook

Bill It! mnt - Billing for RDN's by a RDN. We know your business - it's our business too.

Dear Colleagues:

Lucille Beseler MS, RDN, LDN, CDE President of Family Nutrition Center of South Florida is proud to announce the launching of  Bill it! mnt.

Bill it! mnt is a billing and practice management company designed for the RDN by a RDN!

Our goal is to simplify business for nutrition professionals to ensure their success!  Bill it! mnt  processes claims for Medicare and other payors.

We provide an array of services including:

•          Medicare application completion

•          Obtain NPI numbers

•          Contract negotiations

•          Accounting and Payroll services are available

INSURANCE BILLING

•          Create and submit claims

•          Manage denials and rejections

•          We make sure you get what you are owed

If you or a colleague has a small practice and is unable to hire billing staff? Don’t spend your valuable time doing billing. Your time is valuable, let the professionals do the billing and get your money fast. We know your business, it’s our business too! 

For more information, visit  www.billitmnt.com

Contact:

Lucille Beseler MS, RDN, LDN, CDE
Bill It! mnt, a subsidiary of Family Nutrition Center of South Florida

5350 W. Hillsboro Blvd. #105
Coconut Creek, Fl. 33073
954-360-7883
billitmnt@bellsouth.net

Facebook. Bill It! mnt