Tomorrow, March 12th, is Registered Dietitian (RD) in the United States. It is a day to celebrate, share and congratulate dietitians for they work. As I said in the previous post, there was no RD day prior to 2008. This is the 6th time that is celebrated in the US. But, what about other countries? Some have a long tradition celebrating dietitian-nutritionist day like Argentina. In Argentina nutritionist day is every August 11th to commemorate Dr. Pedro Escudero, the father of the profession in the country and Latin America. We don´t have nutrition month in Argentina.

A few days ago, we were having an online conversation with colleagues in the American Overseas Dietetic Association (AODA), the international affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, when we found out that many countries don´t have dietitian day.  We thought that this is a great opportunity for dietitians abroad to promote a dietitian day, maybe using the American one.  Here are some examples about dietitian or nutritionist (name of the credential may vary in each country):

Argentina: August 11 th

Australia: March 14 th

Brazil: August 31th

Costa Rica: No dietitian day

Germany: No dietitian day

Hong Kong: No dietitian day. AODA members adhere to US dietitian day

Venezuela: October 2nd

Singapore: No dietitian day

South Korea: No dietitian day. Celebrates Nutrition Day

 

If you need more information about the profession in other countries, I always recommend to visit the International Confederation of Dietetics Associations (ICDA). Click here: http://www.internationaldietetics.org/NDAs.aspx

 

I want to congratulate also my DTR (Dietetic Technician Registered) colleagues for the wonderful job they do every day. Let’s all celebrate and make our contributions visible to the world!

 

HAPPY DIETITIAN´S DAY!!!

 

Romina

March is the National Nutrition Month ® in the United States, where Registered Dietitian Nutritionist day is celebrated on March 12th. It was 2008 (while I was working in the US as a DTR) when the Academy (back then the American Dietetic Association) created this tradition (2008) to commemorate the dedication of RDs and DTRs as well. Then moved back to Argentina where I work as a dietitian. The nutritionist/dietitian day here in Argentina is celebrated every August 11th.
It doesn´t matter that March is not nutrition month here. But because I love to share what dietitians are doing around the world to advance the profession, I will be blogging each week of March about NNM. Thank you Academy for inspiring us bloggers! So,  don´t miss upcoming post in Global Dietitians:
-       Dietitian/Nutritionist´s Day in other countries: how colleagues from around the world celebrate
-       Enjoying the taste of eating: take the best of ethnic foods.
-       Keep it simple: real food, real taste.

I really like this year theme  “Enjoy the taste of healthy eating”. I believe that it´s essential to let people know that healthy eating doesn´t have to be boring or tasteless. If you don´t enjoy doing something it´s probably that sooner or later you quit. We, as food and nutrition experts, are specially positioned to educate people on how to make food enjoyable and eat well all life long! 

Find NNM catalog, handouts and other resources at www.eatright.org/nnm.

Happy Nutrition Month!
-Romina

This week is the RAWFEST in Buenos Aires, an event dedicated to promote the philosophy of “raw food”. It will be located in the Faena Hotel from February 18th to 22th and is organized by the Hippocrates Health Institute from Florida, USA. The event will have conferences with international speakers, workshops, free samples and live music. This event inspired me to write this post and to get the raw food diet naked. 

·         What is raw food diet? Also called "live food diet" or vegan raw, people that follow this diet eat fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts and algae, all cultivated without agrochemical processes and without heating them to more that 107ºF, to supposedly preserve their nutrients and boost energy and vitality production and to promote mental and physical health. Raw food diet followers believe that heat “kills” foods reducing their nutrients, making them toxic and less digestible. Foods are consumed raw, dried with low temperatures or fermented.

·         Mith: heat destroys nutrients. It is true that fresh fruits and vegetables are very nutritive. But, heat destroys cells walls and fibers increasing the disponibility and digestibility of several nutrients. For example, cooked tomate has more lycopene available or cooked carrots have more beta-carotene available than raw. We should eat both raw and cooked vegetables to get the best of both groups.
·         Mith: cooking destroys food enzymes. This is true. Heat destroys enzymes, but is doesn´t matter because the body produces their own enzymes to digest food. Even more, raw food enzymes are destroyed by stomach acid.  And, if raw food had their own enzymes to help digestion they would autodigest before we can eat them!

·         Another crash diet? Raw food is a tendency that growths globally and we as food experts must be well aware of it. Celebrities like Natalie Portman, Demi Moore y Robbie Williams are raw food diet followers. Now, I wonder whether in Argentina this is a culinary trend or another crash diet that we will forget about in the next few months. Some have already seen the business aspect and several restaurants in Buenos Aires started to commercialize raw foods like Kensho y Buenos Aires Verde, Buenos Aires Raw Club. Others restaurants like Experimental Raw Bar y Verde Llama went out of business. 

·       Raw vs. Asado. It´s kind of difficult to follow this diet 100% (adherents try to consume 50-100% of all foods raw) , specially in Argentina....First, our food culture is way different from a algae and pea´s sprouts salad (Argentina is the country with the highest beef consumption in the world). Second, some raw recipes are time consuming even with no “cooking”. And, some food are really costly here in Argentina (if you can get them). On the other hand, this diet has to be well designed with professional help to prevent nutrition deficiencies. It is not recommended for kids because inadequacy of some nutrients. Depending on personal preferences some people include raw milk and raw meats like in ceviche, carpacchio or sushi.  
What is good about this diet is that promote the consumption of healthy vegetables and fruits. But their rational seems to be more philosophic than scientific. I truly respect their followers, but as a nutritionist I think that it has some risks and has to be well planned. What do you think?

 Romina

Like I said in last week post, this month is dedicated to the heart as it’s the American Heart Month (don´t forget Wear Red this Friday!) and also St. Valentine´s Day, celebrated on Friday 14th. The day is named after St. Valentine, a third century priest who tradition says was martyred on February 14, 270. St. Valentine is known for conducting weddings contrary to the decree of Emperor Claudius II.  This religious celebration turned to be a more pagan event especially in English-speaking countries. Over the last century many countries beyond western culture started to celebrate Valentine´s Day with their own versions. (Please share Valentine´s Day traditions in your country!)  
In Latin America, February 14th it´s also the day of love and friendship.  In Argentina, Valentine´s Day is becoming more and more popular. In general, lovers give each other a small present like chocolates, candies, flowers, etc. Eating out is also common, as special menus are offered at local restaurants.  Like in all celebrations, food has a protagonist role.  I think that worldwide, the most popular food in Valentine´s Day is chocolate.  And, speaking about love and sweethearts chocolate is good for HEART health! 
Why? Dark chocolate is high in flavonoids (e.g. cacao polyphenol) which are antioxidants and may lower blood pressure and improve the blood flow to the heart. White chocolate has no flavonoids and milk chocolate has very little (plus, saturated fats and high sugar). The highest cocoa content the higher the benefits. It is thought that chocolate flavonoids increases body's production of nitric oxide, a powerful substance that causes blood vessels to relax and dilate. This, in turn, causes an increase in blood flow to the heart and a decrease in blood pressure. Nitric oxide is also stimulated by drugs such as Viagra,  that may be one of the reasons why chocolate has had a long reputation as an aphrodisiac (although there is no proof of that). Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, which research suggests is a stimulant that releases endorphins giving us a sense of well being and pleasure.  Many other benefits have been linked with chocolate like stroke prevention, reduction of diabetes prevalence, support of cognitive function, etc. 

So, this Valentine’s, choose a good quality dark chocolate to give to your loved one or just to indulge yourself (and your HEART!).  Don’t forget that chocolate is high in fat and calories, so moderation is key.  Just a square of a chocolate bar can provide all the benefits. 

Happy Valentine´s Day!!
Romina  

January is almost gone and I just realized that February, the “red month”, is just around the corner. February is the heart month not only for Valentine´s Day on Feb 14th but also for the American Heart Month (and the Wear Red Day this Friday 7th). Here in Argentina we don´t have this tradition which is celebrated in the United States every year to increase awareness on women heart disease, the number one killer (more than all type of cancers combined!). The Go Read For Women campaign will celebrate its 10th anniversary this Friday 7th.  The web page of the American Heart Association is now full of resources not only in English but also in Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. The website has alsoj a very nice interactive library with animated explanation of popular heart topics. The AHA has lots of programs, I love the one that promote Jump Rope for the Heart for kids and adults to increase physical activity.

The AHA recommends these healthy habits to prevent heart disease:

·         Quite smoking

·         Consistent exercise: 30-60 minutes most days of the week

·         Manage stress: check stress management resources

·          Eat healthy: Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, poultry, fish and nuts. Avoid sugary and processed foods and foods high in sodium

Are you ready for this Go Red? You have 9 days to prepare your outfit and remember that offices and buildings can be decorated with red too!

This past weekend we went to Mar del Plata with all the family. Mar del Plata is a beach front city from the Buenos Aires Province and is a classic destination for Argentineans in the summer. This trip brought to me lots of memories from my childhood, specially the typical foods we eat on the beach. These are the 10 foods you don’t want to miss from the Argentinean beach:

1.       Mate: this is an herbal infusion made from Yerba Mate leaves and it´s a must on the beach. You can have it hot or cold (called tereré), or add citrus peel for extra flavor. Even hot it´s a good option to satisfy your thirst. Better without sugar or with calorie free sweetener to save on calories.

2.       Facturas (sweet pastry): I don´t know why but facturas taste better on the beach. Maybe is the water used on the dough or maybe because they sell lots of them I end up buying always fresh and warm from the oven. Croissants or medialunas (sweet or salted), pastries with dulce de leche, with fruit jam or custard cream…delicious..but an important source of saturated fat and sugar. Not healthy at all..How many calories? About 180-200 cal. each one and  medialunas a little less (125 cals)

3.        Churros: one could say that churros are the argentinean  “doughnuts”, because they are made from a fried dough, with sugar and different filllings like dulce de leche (my favourite), chocolate and custard cream. Churros came from the Spanish colonization and they are also traditional in other Latin American countries.  They are made in churrerias (there is one very famous) and sold by beach vendors. How many calories for 1 churro? About 190 (filled with dulce de leche)

4.       Alfajores: these are typical Argentinean sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche and covered with chocolate. Alfajores from Mar del Plata are the best!  There are also with fruit jam, chocolate mouse, nuts, with sugar frosting, etc. Each alfajor have about  200 calories.

5.       Choclo: choclo is a corn on the cob, very popular on the beach. You can buy it from food stands on the beach or from walking corn vendors. We eat them just with salt and butter. (175 calories each). At least it´s a veggie with lots of fiber and vitamins.  

6.       Sandwichs: the most typical sándwich is made with sliced bread with ham and cheese or milanesa sandwich (milanesa is a thin steak breaded and fried). Many people made sandwichs at home. Here we have to be careful with food safety and make sure that cold food stays cold using an appropriate insulated container. This option is healthier if we use whole wheat bread, low fat cheeses and meats and adding vegetables like lettuce, tomato, arugula, avocado, etc.  

7.       Ice cream: beach vendors offer ice cream screaming: “heladoooo, palito, bombón heladoooooo” (meaning ice cream, stick ice cream). And most people can´t resist to that call. Specially kids! Stick to sorbets, which are a better option compared with creamy ice cream.

8.       Sodas and water: with the extreme hot weather we are having the bottles don´t last much and soft drink vendors are everywhere. They are much costly on the beach than on the grocery store. Stay with water or sugar free sodas.

9.       Fruit: it´s very common to see fresh frui t or fruit salads on the beach. Again, here we have to be careful with food safety as cut fruit have lots of manipulation and hot temps turn that “healthy “fruit salad in a risky food. It would be better to bring your own whole fruit or make sure that the fruit salad was always cold.

10.   Barquillos: this sweet snack is another food from Spanish heritage. It is a thin dough like a biscuit with a ship (barco) kind of shape. Usually barquilleros are the food vendors, but you don´t see them often these days. Each one has 120 calories.

As you can see, it´s easy to put up some weight during summer vacations.

So, on the beach we should try to eat:

·         Varied sandwiches  (with whole wheat bread, vegetables, low fat meats and cheeses) light vegetable quiches (tartas) or salads (with greens, tomatoes, whole rice, low fat meats, egg, etc)

·         For dessert: fresh seasonal fruit, fruit salad, fruit sorbets

·         Drink plenty of water!

·         And for afternoon snack (merienda) lots of sugar free mate with 1 medialuna or 5 crackers or bread sticks or 1 alfajor once and then.  

Important! Make sure to keep cold foods cold when you bring food to the beach.  

Moderation is key as well as physical activity on the beach like walking, volleyball, soccer, etc. Exercise keeps us busy and is good for you!

What is your favorite food to eat on the beach?

The other day I came across to a survey made by careercast.com where “Dietitian” ranked number 6 in the less stressful jobs. Would you agree? The first thing I thought was: It will vary according to where in the world you work and your job setting. Dietitian´s career is too wide. Working as a food manager with more than 50 people in charge in a US hospital is very different from the RD that works on the clinic in Panamá or the RD that works on patient education in Angola or the one that works on the media in Venezuela. After working both in the US and in Argentina, I would say that working in Argentina is much more stressful. The health system in general is less organized, there is much paperwork to do (lack of assistants and no DTRs) and there might be a lack of protocols (and if they exist people not always follow them).

Going back to the report, 11 aspects were taken into account to measure stress of 200 different careers. Those aspects were:

·         Travel (the more travel, the higher the stress)
·         Growth potential (dead-end jobs tend to create more stress)
·         Deadlines
·         Working in the public eye
·         Competitiveness within the organization
·         Physical demands
·         Environmental conditions
·         Own life at risk
·         Hazards encountered
·         Meeting the public
·         Life of another is at risk

The ranking of the less stressful jobs was:
10. Drill press operator
9. Multimedia artist
8. Librarian
7. Medical records technician
6. Dietitian
5. Seamstress or tailor
4. Tenured university professor
3. Jeweler
2. Hair stylist
1. Audiologist

And the top ten more stressful careers was:
10. Taxi driver
9. Police officer
8. Newspaper reporter
7. Senior corporate executive 
6. Public relations executive
5. Event coordinator
4. Airline pilot
3. Firefighter
2. Military general 
1. Enlisted military personnel

The lists are kind of weird and can be criticized. I think that all careers have their own challenges and job stress depends much on where you work. And, definitely Dietitian is a challenging profession and I like that in some way. If we analyze the report´s 11 aspects, we usually have deadlines and work in the public eye. There is also certain competitiveness (e.g, other professionals) and dealing with people health problems, working with them to change habits is not a very relaxed task!  Don´t you think?

Romina

Have you ever wondered how is to spend the Holidays under the heat? with temperatures between 90 and 100º F? Well, that’s the temperatures we are having in South America for Christmas. It’s summer in the south Hemisphere, so Australians, for example, have similar temps, but not the same traditions.

In Argentina, we have a mix of cultures. Food traditions are a combination of native cuisine and immigration influences from Europe. That’s what makes us different from other Latin American cultures. For example, from the Italian migration influence, dishes such as pasta and pizza are part of the everyday cooking. But, since Argentina is a big producer of high-quality beef and has the largest beef consumption rate in the word, the most typical dish is the asado (beef grilled on an open fire pit) from the gaucho heritage.

So, for the Holidays we eat high calorie foods and treats, typical from Italy and Spain, and also native dishes like asado. Seven out of ten Argentineans celebrate at home for Christmas and New Year’s both Eve and Day to eat some of these specialties: parrillada (mixed barbecue that includes sausages and organ meats), pavita (oven roasted turkey), vittel thoné (chilled veal in a tuna sauce) with ensalada rusa (russian salad), lechón (roasted suckling pig), and matambre arrollado (rolled stuffed thin flank). It may vary depending on the part of the country and on the family heritage, but according to a TNS Gallup survey, 64% of Argentineans prefers these cold meats (maybe for the hot temps), followed by asado. Usually these dishes are accompanied with wine (like the Argentinean Malbec!), and by the end of the meal, dried fruits, nuts, pan dulce (pannetone), and turrón are served with champagne or cider (heritage from Spain and Italy). Pan dulce is a Christmas must have, according to 85% of us. Dinner at Christmas Eve must last at least till 12am, to make a toast for Baby Jesus Nativity and also it´s the time when Santa Claus (Papá Noel) drops the presents while fireworks play in the sky.

In these hot days we should eat more lightly, with plenty of fresh summer fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of non-alcoholic beverages. Instead, people tend to have a huge Christmas dinner, unusual for hot summer days. It is something cultural and we as dietitians should encourage moderation, portion control and light options to share in our Holiday table.

How you celebrate in your country? Please share your favorite dishes!

-Romina

This is the post you will find at Food and Nutrition Magazine blog "Stone Soup" from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:


Stevia: What is it?
People usually think of stevia as the increasingly popular non-nutritive sweetener that is relatively new in the food industry. But actually, stevia is a genus of about 240 species, and only one of them is naturally sweet: Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, also known as sweetleaf.

The stevia leaf contains two kinds of compounds: steviosids (200-300 times sweeter than sugar) and rebaudiosides (300-400 times sweeter than sugar). The compound that is being used as a tabletop sweetener or general-purpose sweetener in foods is called rebaudioside A. In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration approved rebaudioside A — purified from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni — as a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) substance due to the fact that there has been no evidence of any health risk associated with its consumption. However, the FDA has not approved the use of whole-leaf stevia or crude stevia extracts as a food additive. In the U.S., whole stevia leaves are sold as dietary supplements under the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act of 1994. 

Where it comes from and its history? 
The stevia plant is native to South America, especially Paraguay, but also the northeast region of my country, Argentina.

As I said, stevia is now commonly used in the food industry, but its use dates back to Pre-Columbian times. Theguaranies — indigenous people from this region of South America — used the plant as a sweetener for matetea and other drinks for hundreds of years, but it didn't attract the attention of Spanish colonizers at that time. It wasn't until later, in 1884, that the guaranies presented stevia to Swedish scientist Moises Bertoni. With the collaboration of his friend, Ovidio Rebaudi, Bertoni performed the first studies on stevia and described and named its active compounds, rebaudiosides and steviosids. Since then, the stevia plant has been introduced in other countries like Japan, France, Spain, the U.S., Canada and China, one of the main producers of stevia today.

What are stevia's benefits and risks?
Stevia has the same benefits other non-nutritive sweeteners have, which are that it contains no calories and has no effect on blood sugar, making it ideal for people losing weight or with diabetes. It's also used as an herbal supplement — supported by low-quality studies that suggest health benefits such as management of hypertension and high blood sugar. (See conclusion from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence Analysis Library).

On the risk side, after years of research, there is no conclusive evidence about the potential dangers of stevia for human health. In animal trials, however, stevia was associated with an increase in infertility.

Bottom line
Remember that all sugar substitutes have some good and bad features, and that natural is not the same as safe (poisons are natural and can kill you!). Even natural sweeteners can be unhealthy, especially if used in excess. Rebaudioside A is safe when used, in moderation, as a non-nutritive sweetener. 

I was about to write this post about our trip to beautiful Mendoza, when I heard on the news that Mendoza is a finalist city on the New7Wonders Cities campaign.

I´m not surprised! With the snowed Andes in the background, the architecture of its squares and design of its parks, as well as the wine and gastronomy “routes” make this city one of top ones in Argentina and in the world!

For food lovers like me, Mendoza is a destination not to miss. The Mendoza region is well known for its excellent wine industry (it is one of the Great Wine Capitals of the World) and also for its earthy and world-class cuisine. Mediterranean crops like olives, grapevine and many other fruit trees, meats like goat (chivito), lamb and veal as well as salmonidae like trout, salmon and pejerrey are some of the local specialties. The Eat Well Argentina app is a must to get to know Mendoza and guide you on where to eat fresh.

The breath-taking landscapes represent an ideal context to enjoy a glass of wine with a picnic made of local products. Besides ruta del vino (wine route) you can also visit farms and travel around rutas gastronómicas (gastronomy route). Mendoza City is an ideal base for exploring these fascinating sites and towns.

I was in Mendoza city for just 3 days. But I get to know it pretty well. My husband and I rented a car and travel around with our 18 months baby girl. She did awesome from her car seat! If you have only few days to spend in Mendoza I recommend you some must see places and the following itinerary:

DAY 1:                                               

·         After breakfast (most hotels include continental breakfast) visit wineries near Mendoza city, especially in Maipú or Luján de Cuyo (land of malbec). I recommend doing a guided tour to Catena Zapata or La Rural winery. Make sure to book ahead.  We had lunch at Casa de Campo, a tribute to homemade food! Delish!

·         In the afternoon visit Parque San Martin, with its enourmous gates! Here you can go up Cerro de la Gloria and take a picture at the big monument of San Martin, go to the zoo, botanical garden or do sport activities.

·         For dinner, have some great homemade pasta at La Marchigiana.

 

DAY 2:

·         Continuing with the wine route, you don´t want to miss the highest wineries in the world. Right in the Andes in the Valle de Uco, we went to Salentein. The landscape is spectacular..as well as the winery architecture and art center. After the tour and wine tasting (AR$ 60) have lunch at their restaurant Killka.

·         After lunch, we went back to the city. Remember that here people take religious naps between 2 and 5 p.m. all shops are closed. Perfect for you to take a nap too and replenish energy!

·         Before dinner, take a walk around downtown Mendoza where you can do some shopping (I recommend you to stop and try homemade chocolates La Cabaña, where you can also buy gifts, olive oil and other local food products). Relax and have a coffee at Sarmiento street (pedestrian)

·         Have dinner at Don Mario, one of the best parrillas (steakhouses). Meat portions are huge!

 DAY 3:

·         Start early and have a quick breakfast to be on the road at 9 am and do an all day trip to Puente del Inca and Aconcagua (highest mountain in the Americas). Traveling along route 7, visit the villages of Potrerillos and Uspallata, and enjoy gorgeous views of the Andes. See stunning natural sights like the Puente del Inca, a rock bridge over the Vacas River and marvel at the peak of Aconcagua. I recommend you to deviate a little and have lunch or afternoon tea at a mountain restaurant called Mosqueta.

·         You will be back in the city by 5 or 6 pm. Relax and prepare to have dinner downtown. I suggest Azafran, which I found on the guide Eat Well Argentina.