In case you didn't know, it's National Nutrition Month.  A time to celebrate delicious and nutritious eating all month long!  The American Dietetic Association has provided a Good Nutrition Reading List that you may find helpful.  I'm currently reading "The Rules of Normal Eating" and am lovin' it!

Many of the clients that I see for individual nutrition counseling struggle with their body image.  I was scoping out some resources and came across a couple I thought were worthy of sharing.  I hope they may be of use to you or someone you know.

I wanted to provide one more useful tool for those struggling with an eating disorder.  I recently learned about the "You are Not Alone" Eating Disorder Support Letter.  Subscribe and receive a monthly inspirational letter to support you along your path to recovery.  Please forward this along to anyone you think may benefit from this wonderful service (both patients and clinicians).

If you are looking for more support for your eating disorder and are in the Cambridge/Boston area, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

In good health,
Marci E. Anderson
Registered Dietitian

February 21-27 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAW)
NEDAwareness Week is a collective effort of primarily volunteers, eating disorder professionals, health care providers, educators, social workers, and individuals committed to raising awareness of the dangers surrounding eating disorders and the need for early intervention and treatment.

The Theme: It's Time to Talk About It

The Mission: Prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment.

How It Works: A calling for everyone to do just one thing to help raise awareness and provide accurate information about eating disorders.

Doing My Small Part
I am passionate about and fulfilled by the work that I do providing nutrition therapy for my clients who battle with an eating disorder.  But one of the biggest barriers to treatment is helping my clients get coverage from their insurance company.

I recently learned about the Anna Westin Foundation, an organization committed to helping others gain coverage for eating disorder treatment.  After their daughter died of anorexia nervosa as a consequence of their insurance company refusing to cover care for their daughter, Kitty and Mark Westin fought and settled a suit against BCBS of Minnesota.  They are now committing their lives to ensuring that this doesn't happen to others.

So if you know someone who is struggling with gaining coverage for eating disorder treatment, please pass this link along to them.

And consider what one thing you can do to support NEDAW.

February is "Wise Health Consumer Month"  and I believe that becoming more involved in your own health care is essential. My sister-in-law was finally diagnosed with Celiac Disease after doing some research and convincing her Dr. to test her for it. 

The American Institute for Preventive Medicine developed a Top 10 list of ways you can become more involved in your own health care.

One way you can become a wise consumer in the grocery store is learning how to decipher your packaged and boxed foods.  Here are three simple tips to get you started.

1.) Ignore the words on the front and back of the box. Catch phrases like "antioxidants" "more fiber" "natural" are simply a sales pitch.
2.) Read the ingredient list.  You should be able to recognize the words you are reading.  Better yet, if it's a grain-based food (as many packaged items are) the 1st ingredient ought to be "whole grain..." 
3.) Check out the number of servings in a package.  It's often more than one.

I recently met with a client who wanted some nutrition counseling for PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). She had already made great strides with her diet and was seeing me for "fine-tuning." At our first session she brought in a food label of a Kashi bar she likes to eat.  She thought it seemed like a healthy way to take care of her sweet tooth and wanted my opinion.  So, we dissected the food label together (too see the nutrition facts, click on this link then click on the button that says nutrition facts).

Together we learned that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ingredients are all sugar!  By the looks of the wrapper, you'd think she was making a healthy snack choice.  Besides, Kashi has a reputation for selling pretty healthy foods.  But in reality, all of those highly processed sugars would actually do more harm to her PCOS than simply having a small serving of dark chocolate after dinner (which what she really wanted!).

So don't be fooled by your packaging.  It's the ingredients that count.  I have a simple handout called "Decoding the Ingredient List." If you'd like a copy, send me an email to marci@marciRD.com.

For this month's fitness fact blog post, I decided to highlight the new Let's Move website I mentioned on Monday's blog post.

I recently blogged about Ralph Lauren and the fashion industry’s constant stream of messages and images which negatively affect women’s self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. And unfortunately, the glorification of a thin body is so pervasive in our society; it’s becoming more and more difficult to question its validity. I’m currently in the middle of reading one of the most fascinating and thoughtful books on the topic “The Religion of Thinness” by Michelle Lelwica. I hope to write a brief book review when I finish it, as I feel like it’s a book every woman ought to read, regardless of her weight, feelings about her body, or her relationship with food.

But at the end of the second chapter, Lelwica cites three awesome organizations whose mission is to promote positive media messages. Check them out. 

**Mind on the Media: a national organization dedicated to “inspiring independent thinking and fostering critical analysis of media messages.” Through their “Turn Beauty Inside Out” program, they empower boys and girls to begin grassroots discussion, and sponsor events in their communities to increase awareness of the media’s influence on girls’ development.

**Girls, Women + Media Project: sponsors “I-CAN” (Involved Consumers Action Network) which offers information about consumer issues related to women and girls, and suggestions on how to take action.

**New Moon Girls: is an online community and print magazine targeted to girls ages 8-14 and designed to build positive body image and self-esteem through chatting, poetry, artwork, videos, and more. It is a phenomenal resource amidst the barrage of negative messages targeted to this vulnerable age group. Rather than telling our young women they need change, re-shape, and mold their body to some phony standard, they need to hear that they are intelligent, capable, and acceptable just as they are.

I’m currently working part-time as a dietitian/nutritionist in Somerville at a day treatment program for eating disorders called Laurel Hill Inn. As I grapple with the complex reasons that so many women (and increasingly more men) suffer from disordered eating and severe body image disturbance, I can appreciate the fact that the media is one very powerful aspect of this multi-factorial problem. I try to advocate for and promote any organization which strives counter the negative messages which permeate our society. If you know of any other positive resources or websites, please post them! 

Bet you never expected to find an article on bowel health during the holidays! But let's be honest, at this time of year, most of us are thrown from our regular routines and this can affect how things are going (or not!) in the GI department.  Here are a couple of ideas:

1.) Move your body.  Evening parties and social gatherings may interrupt your exercise regimen.  Regardless of your current commitment to physical activity, you may need to shift your schedule and make an even greater effort stay physically active.  This will help your stress levels and your bowels.

2.) Don't forget to include whole fruits and vegetables at every meal.  Fruit on cereal, chili for lunch, and roasted veggies at dinner are essential to keeping things flowing as they ought to. :)  Too many baked goods and processed sweets will have you backed up in no time.

3.) Drink plenty of fluids.  Keep a water bottle with you and try to avoid caffeinated beverages.  They may give you the burst of energy you need to make it through the day but can also be dehydrating.  Hot herbal tea in the evening can be particularly helpful if you are feeling constipated.

4.) Try Magnesium.  If a healthy diet and exercise isn't doing the trick, you may want to consider 250 mg of magnesium in supplement form.  Just don't go overboard or you may find yourself racing for a bathroom at an inopportune moment.  Now that would be a bummer for your holiday shopping...

As a nutritionist in Cambridge, I refer my clients to check out Cambridge Naturals for their supplement needs.  The staff is knowledgeable and friendly and they have just about everything under the sun.

Here's to wishing you a holiday season that is nothing but smooth sailing!

Alright, you've got 7 days until the Thanksgiving feasting begins.  If you are a bit inexperienced in the kitchen, Thanksgiving may feel a bit overwhelming!  However, I was just forwarded a link to a fantastic resource developed by Alice Henneman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

This link has articles on:
■Planning ahead for Thanksgiving Day
■Where to call for help on Thanksgiving Day
■How to prepare a turkey
■Food safety questions
■Carving a turkey
■How to make turkey gravy (complete with YouTube video instructions)
■Stuffing
■Pumpkin pie
■Tips for traveling safely with Thanksgiving foods
■Recipes for leftover turkey
■Preparing meats other than turkey
■Kids' Corner (Thanksgiving coloring sheets, games, jokes)

There's no better way to learn a new recipe or a new skill then to jump in and go for it.  And with these resources at your fingertips, you might perform better than you think!

Save the Date!  Boston's 14th Annual Vegetarian Food Festival has expanded to two days.

When: Saturday, October 31st from 10-6 & Sunday, November 1st from 10-4
Where: Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont St in Boston, easily accessible by public transporation
Why: Enjoy delicious/free food while learning about how to incorporate healthy vegetarian living into your life.  Plus IT'S FREE!!!

Here is a run down of the festivities:

• 120 exciting exhibitors
• free food sampling!
• grocery and natural foods store exhibits
• food producers and new products
• cooking demonstrations by noted chefs
• book and cookbook publishers and authors
• top national speakers
• educational exhibits on protecting animals and the environment
• Festival discounted shopping
• registered dietitian consultants
• children's activities
• restaurants
• exhibitors of products and services which support a vegetarian way of life
• free parking and a subway stop across the street

Here is a link to the speakers and cooking demo schedule.

In honor of the upcoming festival, I'll post some of my favorite vegetarian recipes for you to try.