Wow!  We just completed a very successful National Nutrition Month!  March kept us busy as we celebrated Nutrition Month with the Elizabeth City community.   Take a look:

Monday March 2nd – John and I provided a Nutrition Presentation for the P.W. Moore Elementary faculty members.  We followed this with a “Wellness Wednesday” nutrition and fitness tip each Wednesday during the month that was read during the morning announcements. 

Monday March 16th:  Angie presented a Nutrition Presentation to twenty five girls between the ages of 8 and 12 at Girls, Inc. in Elizabeth City.   

Friday March 20th:  John joined host Sheila Lee for the “Morning Joy” gospel radio show on ECSU radio WRVS 89.9.

Tuesday March 24th:  John and I participated in a radio interview in which we talked about the role of nutrition in chronic disease prevention with Letitia Evans on ECSU radio 89.9 WRVS.  (A special thank you to Host Greg Sampson for giving our son a tour of the station and allowing him to do his homework at your desk!  He is loving the “Parliament” CD!). 

Thursday March 26th:  John presented “Just Give me the Facts:  the Nutrition Facts”  for the Elizabeth City State University Drug Information Center.   

Saturday March 28th- Angie exhibited and participated in the “Ask the Expert” forum at “Diabetes Day:  A Three Rivers Healthy Carolinians Conference for People with Diabetes” at Edenton Baptist Church, Edenton, NC.

Tuesday March 31st:  Nutrition Pair (John and Angie with the help of our fellow RD/CDE, Kelly McCombs) exhibited at the Elizabeth City Chamber of Commerce Business Expo.

Here’s to a great month!  We’re looking forward to the 2010 celebration!

It’s Your Health!  It’s Your Life!  Make That Change!

 ~ Angie

Today, Tuesday, March 24th is American Diabetes Alert Day.  The American Diabetes Association has indicated this day as a “wake up call” to the seriousness of this disease. 

24 million adults and children in our country have diabetes.  About 25% of these do not even know that they have it.  However, early diagnosis is critical to treatment as uncontrolled blood sugars can lead to:

• Heart Disease
• Blindness
• Kidney Failure
• Stroke
• Lower limb amputations
• Death

Diabetes prevalence in the U.S. has more than tripled over the past 25 years.  Research has shown that obesity is the main reason for this increase.  Besides obesity, additional risk factors for diabetes include:

• Sedentary lifestyle
• Unhealthy eating habits
• Age over 45 years
• Family history of diabetes
• African American, Latino, American Indian, Asian American or Pacific Island ethnicity
• Women who have delivered babies weighing 9 pounds or more at birth.

Could you be at risk?  Take the free Diabetes Risk Test at www.diabetes.org/alert or call 1.800.342.2383.  If you have diabetes or are at high risk of developing diabetes, working with your physician and a Certified Diabetes Educator will help you to be better able to control your blood sugars.  Doing so will prevent the complications that can occur when blood sugars are uncontrolled. 

Nutrition Pair, LLC is a married couple of Registered Dietitians and Certified Diabetes Educators who, along with the care of your physician, can help those who have diabetes, prediabetes or who are at high risk for developing diabetes.  We know diabetes on both a professional and personal level as John has had Type 1 Diabetes for the past 18 years.  Contact us at http://www.nutritionpair.com/index.php?link=contact .

It’s Your Health.  It’s Your Life.  Make That Change!

~ Angie

Happy Registered Dietitian Day!  Today marks the 2nd annual Registered Dietitian Day sponsored by the American Dietetic Association (ADA).  Look for the ADA to ring the Opening Bell for the NASDAQ stock exchange tomorrow morning, March 12^th in recognition of National Nutrition Month and Registered Dietitian Day. 

What makes you unique?  We all have our own distinctive traits that make us different from the person sitting next to us. This is what makes us special.  And, this is why personalized service is so important.  It gives us the freedom to choose what we want when we want it.  Our MP3’s are loaded with OUR favorite songs.  Our DVR’s tape our favorite sports or shows so that we can watch them at a time that is most convenient for us.  Even children are getting into personalization.  They can go to “Build a Bear Workshop” and fashion a bear that reflects their own special interests. 

You are unique.  You deserve individualized attention. 

When it comes to improving health, it should be no different.  Look for a program that can be customized for your lifestyle:   your schedule, your health goals, your medical history, your meds, your culinary skills, your own cultural foods and your financial situation.    Personalization can make the difference between success and failure.  This is why diets don’t work.  They don’t tell you what to do when you go to eat at a friend’s house and they are not serving Week 2’s Thursday Supper Meal.  Diet books don’t talk back to you and are not always written by Nutrition Experts, or Registered Dietitians.  You need the knowledge and skills to make your flexible choices on your own terms. 

An eating plan should fit your lifestyle, not the other way around.  This is where a Registered Dietitian (RD) comes in.  We get personal.  Find yourself a personal nutrition coach, a Registered Dietitian. We can create a customized plan that fits your own unique lifestyle and values. Working on-on-one with your own RD to develop a plan together, taking in your own wants and needs can be exciting.  RD’s help people who want customized plans because of our in-depth training and knowledge of nutrition, medical issues, and food.  We are uniquely qualified to assess and counsel an individual with any kind of medical history or lifestyle.

Nutrition Pair will work with you on your terms, on your time schedule with your own goals in mind.  No diets allowed.  Contact us to set up an individualized on-line, phone or face-to-face appointment!

Great news in nutrition and chronic disease prevention!  This past Thursday, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation held a media event with the American Dietetic Association, medical associations, health insurers and major employers.  This was to kick off the Alliance Healthcare Initiative, an effort to combat childhood obesity in the U.S.  The plan is to offer comprehensive health benefits to children and their families to help prevent, assess and treat childhood obesity.  In doing so, children and their families will be allowed Medical Nutrition Therapy with Registered Dietitians as part of their health insurance coverage.  

As a result of this collaboration, several health insurance organizations have already added this expanded coverage, including Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and WellPoint.  Corporations who have joined forces to offer these benefits to their employees are Owens Corning, PepsiCo and the American Heart Association.  This initiative and coverage will include at least 4 visits with an RD and will be available to targeted groups in selected states.  North Carolina is among one of these states.   

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a joint effort between American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation.  The goal of the Alliance is to decrease the prevalence of childhood obesity in the U. S. by 2015 and to empower children to make healthy lifestyle choices.  The Alliance strives to create a positive atmosphere in environments that impact children’s health such as homes, schools, restaurants, doctor’s offices and communities. For more information, you can visit their site at www.HealthierGeneration.org .

I am so thrilled that health insurance companies are beginning to realize how important it is to cover prevention of medical conditions.   For so long, it has been only a reactionary approach.  For example, Medicare will cover the cost of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) but only for those who have a diagnosis of diabetes or chronic kidney disease.   However, if Medicare were to reimburse for the cost of MNT in conditions such as obesity, hypertension or pre-diabetes, it is very likely that these beneficiaries would never develop a chronic disease such as diabetes or kidney disease.  MNT works.  We know this.  It works by reducing chronic disease, slowing disease progression, decreasing symptoms and reducing both hospitalizations and prescription drug use.   MNT also works by reducing health care costs.  In fact, a 2001 Massachusetts General Hospital study found $4.28 in health care savings for every $1 spent on MNT. 

If we can prevent problems before they occur, health care costs will be so much less.  That is why this new initiative is such great news.  Hopefully, other health insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, will realize this and follow suit.  

It’s Your Health.  It’s Your Life.  Make That Change!

~ Angie

 Nutrition Pair participated in the North Carolina State Medical Assistants (NCSMA) Winter Seminar, “Bridging the Gap to Healthcare” held January 17^th at College of the Albemarle here in Elizabeth City.  There were 86 medical assistants from across the state in attendance. 

We exhibited at the conference and John provided the nutrition presentation “Discovering Your Path to Wellness”.  In it, he reviewed the current health of our nation as well as that of North Carolina.  For example, in North Carolina, 61% of adults are overweight or obese and 27% of adolescents are either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight (CDC, 2003).  Focusing on the health risks associated with poor lifestyle choices, John discussed ways for the attendees to improve their own health as well the health of their patients.  He stressed how important it is that we serve as healthy role models for our clients.  We also encouraged referring to a Registered Dietitian for Medical Nutrition Therapy for chronic disease management as well as prevention.  The NCSMA is a fun and lively group and we enjoyed being a part of their winter seminar.

It’s Your Health.  It’s Your Life.  Make That Change!

~ Angie

Nutrition Pair Exhibit at NCSMA

"Discovering Your Path to Wellness"