The Many Faces of Nutrition

Over 200 Registered Dietitians and Food Service Directors attended the Indiana Dairy and Nutrition Council?s Annual Summit ? ?The Many Faces of Nutrition? ? at the Colt?s Complex on February 22. It was a packed day of great information. The Dairy and

Nutrition Council of Indiana (DNCI) has been providing nutrition and wellness education for 80 years. Some of the comments the guests had were: ?Whatever the topic the DNCI presents I always benefit!? and ?This day was full of nutritional information and fun.?

There were five speakers on the agenda. Dr. Robert Murray was the first speaker up who is a professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric GI

Dr. Robert Murray spoke on the new Dietary Guidelines at the DNCI Summit.

 and Nutrition at the Ohio State University. He presented on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines and quality nutrition.    To get an understanding of what MyPyramid represents, you may want to become familiar with what the 2005 Dietary Guidelines emphasize. Nutrient-dense foods provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals and relatively fewer calories. These foods will be found in the wide bottom of each color band on the pyramid. He focused his talk on how children AND adults need to think about the nutrients in food we need to consume, for example, calcium, Vitamin D, protein and potassium.  They should not focus solely on the contents of food to avoid.

Next up on the list of speakers was Doug Adams who is the President of Prime Consulting Group. He has over thirty years of sales, research and management consulting experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry.  He spoke on the importance of offering flavored milk in schools to children by discussing a recent study.  The study revealed that eliminating chocolate and other flavored milks from school cafeteria menus resulted in a dramatic drop in milk consumption along with a substantial reduction in nutrients?which are not easy or affordable to replace.

Jenni Purcell RD, the Director of Communications for the Dairy and Nutrition Council, presented ways to connect with your local media and the importance of social media to get out your nutritional message. Diane Ruyack, RD, the Director of Nutrition Programs for the Dairy and Nutrition Council, presented on Fuel up to Play 60. Fuel up To Play 60 is a nationwide movement focused on fighting childhood obesity by empowering kids to take control of their own health. Find out more by visiting FuelUpToPlay60.com

Last but not least, Erika Whitman spoke who is a registered dietitian and is currently the sports nutritionist at the University of Notre Dame. She discussed using chocolate milk as a refueling agent after exercise. Emerging research shows milk may be as or more effective than other post-exercise beverages to help the body recover. Milk has a powerful nutrient package that supplies the

The Dairy and Nutrition Council is celebrating 80 years of nutrition education this year.

nutrition the body needs after exercise. White and chocolate milk provides 9 essential nutrients for athletes. Milk is a source of complete, high-quality protein that can help reduce muscle breakdown and stimulate repair and growth after exercise.

There was even a surprise appearance by Buttercup, DNCI?s mascot, who brought a cake to help celebrate the day and 80 years of nutrition education.  (Buttercup was escorted by Mary Nicolson.)