Friday Fun with Food

Image credit:  pPod Shuffle

At the invitation-only MacUniverse Expo last month, Apple announced a new iPod  designed specifically for dietitians -- the pPod Shuffle -- will be available for preorder on April 1st.

iTunes U

 

Image credit: the way of learning
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Recently I listened to lectures at Stanford and Yale Universities without leaving my home city of Vancouver. And without paying any tuition fees. The post's title hints at how I did this. Yes, I "attended" these prestigious universities via iTunes U.

I also was able to successfully multi-task by combining listening and learning with dog-walking. (Please note that with an energetic, curious Westie, walking is never mindless, but because our routes are so familiar, I can add at least one other activity.)  One evening I listened to three Rudd Center podcasts on food policy and obesity; the next night my brain had a more strenuous work-out while I listened to the audio track of this Stanford School of Medicine medcast on Vitamin D.  (I plan to follow-up by watching the video at home, though, because I could not picture  the biochemical paths in my mind.)

Here's how and where you can find these and other nutrition courses at iTunes U:

1. Download the latest version of iTunes if you don't already have it on your computer.
2. Go to the iTunes store, click on iTunes U.
3. Under the Universities heading, click on Stanford.
4. Under Categories, click on Health and Medicine.
5. Under Featured Contributors, click on Medcast.
6. Download any or all of the featured nutrition courses:
   

• The Battle of the Diets: Is Anyone Winning (At Losing?) 

• Vitamin D: It's Not Just For Bones Anymore (Video)
  

7. Go back to the iTunes U home page.
8. Under the Universities heading, click on Yale.
9. Click on Yale Health & Medicine.
10. Click on the Nutrition and Obesity tab to download any or all of the Rudd Reports:
    

• Suing the Fast Food Industry for Health Problems  

• Banning Trans Fats in Restaurants  

• The Numbers Behind the Obesity Epidemic 

• Law, Nutrition & Obesity   

• How Overweight People are Portrayed in the Media 

• Nutrition and Food Experts Brownell and Nestle     

• Obese Patients Commonly Experience Weight Bias in Medical Settings        

• The Case Against Eating by the Numbers      

• Portion Sizes Fueling Obesity Epidemic    

• Hidden Opportunities for Junk Food Eating in Schools 

• Children and the Influence of Television Advertising on their Food Choices       

• BMI, Fitness, and Academic Achievement in Children      

• The World's Diet: What's Become of it and What Might be done to Improve it         

• How News is Made       

• Metabolic Hormones Affect the Brain     

• Obesity and Global Environment Sustainability       

• The Intersection of Eating Disorders and Obesity          

• Food Marketing to Children      

• New Projects at the Food Trust        

And you don't need an iPod or other portable media player to play these podcasts. You can listen to and view them right on your computer.
 

Seeking dietitians' input on managing health claims for Canadian foods

Photo credit:  I wish.....
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I am writing and publishing this post quite quickly because time is running out.  Late last week,  Dietitians of Canada (DC) members received an email message requesting their feedback by March 7th on DC's draft response to this Health Canada document.  (If you're a DC member and don't have the email, let me know and I will forward it to you.)

I've added to my Resources page some key Health Canada links to help in understanding the current labelling regulations and permitted health claims.  No time to say more now.  I just wanted to get something out quickly so more dietitians can contribute to policy that will help ensure any words and numbers on the label truthfully inform versus confuse, overwhelm or manipulate food shoppers.

Oh, if you can't make the March 7th deadline or if you aren't a dietitian, you can contribute individual feedback until March 31st, 2008.

Dietitians read...

Image credit: bookshelf spectrum, revisited

 

Yesterday I received reading recommendations from two discerning sources:  CBC Radio  and Planet Green.  One book is about hockey, one is about food. As a Canadian dietitian I suppose I am obligated to read both, but there is no contest as to which I will read first.

The convergence of the Canada Reads competition, Michael Pollan's latest bestseller and Nutrition Month got my mental wheels turning this Saturday morning and made me wonder:

As dietitians, foodies, and/or advocates for green living (can I use the term "greenie" for this ?) what book(s) about healthy, enjoyable eating would you recommend  to your colleagues, friends and family?

Would it be Michael Pollan's eater's manifesto or Marion Nestle's indispensible guide to food shopping and eating? Or perhaps a classic cookbook , a memoir  or a culinary travel tale? Maybe you would also include a story for the young and the young-at-heart? I'd love to read your recommendations in the comments.

Friday Fun with Food

Image credit: Portrait with Vegetables by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (circa 16th century)

"So how can I get rid of this nasty onion breath?"