November 2015

The Bite
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
It's that time of the year again where
we all feeling that pressure from
coursework. Keep working hard
because we are just weeks away
from Thanksgiving break....we all
know what that means, a whole lot
of delicious food. More importantly
this season is about being thankful
for what we have and spending time
with our loved ones. Exams may be
still upon us but don't forget to take
that time and give a little gratitude to
not just yourself but your family and
friends.
In this issue, we have some of our
lovely ladies in our program, Laura
Duggan, enlightening us about the
world of RD bloggers and the

spotlight this
month is on
none-other
than the
competitive
boxer and
aspiring
dietitian, Ms.
Tope Pedro.

THISISSUE
ISSUE:
ININTHIS
1. Calendar
2. Letter from the Vice President

SEEMA PATEL

I am proud to
say we had a successful turnout at the
dietetic internship workshop this year and
want to thank everyone that showed up
and helped participate! Also before our
week off from school, don't forget to attend
Dr. George's Digestible Book Club. See
you all at our next SDA meeting and
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

CALENDAR
November 14

November 19

World Diabetes Day

Digestible Book Club 1-2pm

BH 302

November 18

Diet et ics
Program
Newsl et t er

Diversity Club Meeting 3-4pm

Miele lab

November 23-27

SDA Meeting 3-4pm

Thanksgiving Break
Guest Speaker Lori Nguyen, Ph.D,
UC Davis student

3. Diabetes Awareness
4. RD bloggers
5. Student Spotlight
6.. Farmers Market Committee
7. Digestible Book

CONTRIBUTORS
L aur a Duggan
Alissa Orcutt
Tope Pedro
M ichelle Schlaen

BLOG
www.sfsu-sda.com

EMAIL
sda.sfstate@gmail.com

LETTER FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT

We are more than halfway through the semester and the countdown is on to
Thanksgiving break, a time for food, fun, freedom, and an entire week dedicated
to living in stretchy pants! In spirit with the holidays, we would like to gives
thanks for the wonderful turnout at our October SDA meeting, as well as our
2015 Dietetic Internship Workshop. We appreciate your positive feedback from
our events.

MICHELLE
SHLAEN

Please join us for our next meeting on Wednesday, November 18, f rom 3 - 4 pm
in BUS 104. Our guest speaker is Lori Nguyen, a Ph.D. student at UC Davis who
not only works in community nutrition, but also looks at vitamin A levels using a
skin pigment scanner. She is graciously driving all the way from Davis, and will
speak about graduate school opportunities, research, and community nutrition.

NATIONAL DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH

By Seema Patel & Michelle Shlaen

The American Diabetes Association strives to promote a life without diabetes and to do this raising
awareness is the goal behind National Diabetes Month. One way to help combat this epidemic is to
raise awareness about the amount of sugar in sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages. Did you
know that one 20oz can of cola, for example, has 17 teaspoons of sugar, the same amount of sugar in
6.5 Krispy Kreme doughnuts?! Both a 20oz bottle of a sports drink and a 20oz glass of 100% orange
juice contains 13 teaspoons of sugar, the amount found in 40 gummy bears! Even more surprising, a
supposed healthy drink like Vitamin Water contains 8 teaspoons of sugar, the same amount of sugar
found in 40 Skittles! To reduce the over-consumption of sugar, switch to healthy hydration options
like water and low-fat milk.

29.1 mil l ion US adults have diabetes? and 1 out of 4

don't know they have it.
At least 1 out of 3 people will develop diabetes in their
lifetime.
Medical costs for people with diabetes are t wice as
high as for people without diabetes.
Risk of death for adults with diabetes is 50% higher
than for adults without diabetes.

MOTIVATION THROUGH RD BLOGS!

by Laura Duggan

Though during a busy semester at school, I rarely have time to read or listen for pleasure, there
are a few fun blogs and podcasts I try to make time for. I enjoy reading blogs written by
Registered Dietitians because they inspire me to keep moving forward towards the goal of
becoming an RD. Additionally, many of these RD bloggers specialize in interesting health areas,
and advocate for the ever-changing profession. Since Thanksgiving break is coming up, perhaps
you will take a little time to indulge in a bit of rest and relaxation, and if you are looking for
some inspiring reads, I encourage you to check out the following blogs and podcasts!
The Real-L ife RD: Robyn Coale is an RD, Registered Nurse (RN), and is studying to become a
Nurse Practitioner in New York City. Both her blog and private practice, Nutshell Nutrition,
focus on helping women overcome disordered eating and reducing stress around food. She
leverages her blog, as well as Instagram, YouTube, and Periscope, to build a community and
connect with her readers. Blog: thereallife-rd.com The Ancestral RDs Podcast: Laura, RD, MPH
and Kelsey, RD, MS, put together these podcasts every few weeks to help people find real food
solutions to optimize health. They focus a lot of their discussion on gut health, adrenal fatigue,
autoimmune disorders, and the mind-body connection. They integrate clinical study research into
each episode, and are not afraid to point out limitations in the research.
You can download their podcast for free on iTunes.
Hummusapien: Alexis is an RD, MS based out of Columbus, OH, and she works in
food-service. She co-founded Alchemy Juice Bar and Cafe, an innovative health food concept
that intersects health care and food. Alexis?s blog, which is often written with a good dose of
humor, gives a peak into what it?s like to work as an RD in food service. She also specializes in
recipe development and nutrition communications, and has written for CNN and The Huffington
Post. Blog: hummusapien.com

TOPE PEDRO

"100% ment al f ocus and at hl et icism"

About me...
I am a 2nd bachelors dietetics student with a B.S. in biochemistry and
an MPH and currently work at a non-profit health and college access
program, Huckleberry Youth Programs, as a Brand Ambassador for Hint
Water, and also assist with various events at Fork and Spoon Catering
Company. I teach cardio boxing classes and boot camp at my gym,
volunteer at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, and intern with the
American Heart Association.
How did you get into Boxing?
I was at the boxing gym one day and I went in the evening rather than
the morning, which was when I would typically go. I saw girls
sparring and I was like ?I want to that.? And it just kept going from
there. I started training 2 years ago and I had my first fight 2 years
ago.
Tr aining Schedule?
Successes?
I train 6-7 days a week. Typically in the mornings I do a form of
I am currently the 7th ranked
cardio, strength, endurance, and speed work. In the evening it?s
lightweight amateur boxer in the
all about boxing. Jump roping, shadow boxing, bag work,
country. I went to a national
sparring, punch mitts- just one or all depending. On the weekends
tournament in January and I fought
it is a longer training sessions that is typically focused on both
newly crowned lightweight 016
cardio and boxing.
Olympian Mikeala Mayer.

Diet and Nutr ition

UPCOM I NG FI GHT: " Beautiful

Br awler s" November 14th Pacifica

I aim to eat a well-balanced, healthy diet when I am not preparing for a fight. Veggies,
lean protein, starches, and fruit. I have a weak spot for chocolate and chocolate chip
cookies... and wine. I have gradually developed lactose intolerance so I?ve pretty
much had to cut out dairy. I fight at a weight that is pretty low for me, so leading up to
the fight, I have to cut back on calories, and carbohydrates and sodium (because the
hold in or retain water) so that I can make my fight weight. Right after weighing-in the
goals is to rehydrate fluids and electrolytes so that I can feel strong getting into the
ring to fight. Post-fight can be difficult to maintain a healthy diet.

Farmer's Market Commit t ee

For those interested in exploring the community side of nutrition education, the Farmer's Market
Committee is a great way to get involved! We run a table at the Farmer's Market on campus every
Thursday from 11am-2pm. Our committee goals are to promote health and nutrition on the SFSU
campus, spread awareness about the Student Dietetics Association, and give students an opportunity
to gain valuable volunteer experience.
Each week, we cover a different nutrition topic. Coming up in the end of the semester, we will be
covering topics such as plant-based protein sources, healthier holiday eating, seasonal winter
produce, and more!
We can always use volunteers to help run the table at the Farmer's Market (Thursdays from
11am-2pm). There are also other ways to volunteer if you are unable to attend Thursday tabling. We
would love to hear any ideas you might have that could help get SFSU students excited about
nutrition.
Please contact either Vivian Lee
(vlee3sfsu@gmail.com) or
Alissa Orcutt (alissaorcutt@gmail.com)

THE DIGESTIBLE
DR. GRETCHEN GEORGE'S BLOG FOR STUDENTS!!!
Focusing on easy to understand information about food, nutrition, and energy balance.
Sign up today for the November book club discussion at http:/ / www.thedigestible.com/
Deat h by Food Pyramid: How Shoddy Science, Pol it ics, and Special Int erest s Ruined Your Heal t h , 1st Edition
Denise Minger, PhD, Health Writer
November 19t h, 1-2pm
Summary:

This book helps dietitians (or those interested in health) look back at the history of the American food and
nutrition guidelines and how they evolved. Expos on McGovern?s congressional nutritional guidelines, Yudkin?s
and Key?s research as well as many others, and how research can be manipulated. The author also looks at the
various popular eating patterns.
"Her main message is look at the science, look at what works for you, and don't just take anyone's word for
anything." SC