Gratitude

It's Veteran's Day - a day to pay true gratitude to those who have served our country.

When my mother, Michelle LaBrosse, became an Air Force Officer in 1984

Thank you, veterans and families of veterans. Thank you current and former military members. Your service is greatly appreciated.

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

November 11, 2015

Community Outreach

Community outreach came together in a big way this week.

Saturday (Halloween) was the first meeting of the Nutrition Support Group (AKA Don't Go It Alone). We met at Mr. Davis' math classroom, but are in the process of finding a more permanent location. It's Saturdays from 10-11 am.

This upcoming weekend is the Drama, Debate, and Forensics competition in Haines, so we're meeting at Holly Davis' house (Saturday, November 7th at 10 am). She was so kind to offer to host. If you'd like directions, just email me. The weekend after that will be hosted in a public location, but I don't have absolute confirmation on where that will be. I'll post another blog once that gets confirmed.

Poster for Nutrition Support Group

On Monday, I heard back from the Haines Borough Public Library about hosting a 4-part nutrition class about heart health. I'll be teaching that on Thursdays in January (January 7, 14, 21, and February 4 at 6:30 pm). This will even be broadcasted to other libraries around the state if they would like to join in.

Poster for Haines Borough Public Library Heart Healthy nutrition/lifestyle class

Also, another "To Your Health" column should be published in the Chilkat Valley News in the next few weeks. All very exciting for community outreach!

This is also the first full week with the food tags in Olerud's Market. It's fun to go around and see the aisles lit up with blue, orange, and yellow tags.



Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

November 4, 2015

Click-Bait and Pop-Nutrition

I have a confession to make: I click on click-bait nutrition articles. Am I reading them to decide what to tell clients? Absolutely not. But my clients may be reading them for genuine nutrition advice, so I need to be aware of the crazy, crazy things being spewed in pop-nutrition.

The click-bait article I read this morning was from Refinery29 (via Yahoo "News"). It is titled "What’s in Halloween Candy? You Probably Don’t Want to Know". What made me click? In the lead, it said "a primary ingredient in candy corn is dextrose, which is an additive that gives tobacco a longer shelf life".

Having been through basic chemistry, I know that most molecules have more than one name. Their chemical name and their "street" name. Sugar has 3 names - sugar, glucose, and dextrose. 

Please note that it says "the predominant naturally occurring form"

You know what else has multiple names? All of our vitamins. Ascorbic acid gets the finger pointed at it as an antioxidant and preservative - but it's little old vitamin C. Why wouldn't I want to know that that's in my candy? The Refinery29 article points out all of the industrial uses for these typical food additives, trying to instill the fear in us. 

This method is completely bonkers. If you want to instill the fear in us, tell us about how added sugars are increasing our nation's waistlines and type 2 diabetes diagnoses. At least that statement isn't misleading. Is it too scary, even for Halloween season? Maybe.

Fear-mongering is nothing new. One of my favorite pranks was posting this website on my Facebook a few years ago: Facts about Dihydrogen Monoxide. I got comments from a few people legitimately concerned about this conspiracy theory. 

If something is not in your wheelhouse and it's freaking you out, ask an expert in the field. If they're scared, you can be, too. Until then, keep your wits about you and lead a normal life. 

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

October 29, 2015

Tags, tags, and more tags

This is my third day of tagging Olerud's Market. I've made it through the first two floors. I've learned about foods I didn't know existed. I've looked at what feels like thousands of nutrition facts labels.

And it has been AWESOME.

Typically, when Kyle and I go grocery shopping, I love perusing the different options. I like finding new food options and comparing brands and options. He hates doing that - so this activity has been awesome for me.

A Healthiest! tag in its native habitat

I found popcorn with 16 grams of carbohydrate (and 3 grams of fiber!) per 4 cups. I found a huge selection of canned seafood. I found 3 versions of healthier mayonnaise.

Tomorrow and Friday I finish up with the baking section and any other miscellaneous areas. I will continue to check on the tags every few weeks to replace any ones that have gone missing and to make sure they haven't been shifted.

If you're interested in chatting with me anytime, you can find me either in the Klondike Chiropractic office or at Olerud's - and I'm happy to answer any nutrition questions you have.



Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

October 28, 2015

Healthy, Healthier, Healthiest! - A Consumer's Guide

Come one, come all, to Olerud's (orAlaska Meat and Grocery, or Sport Shop Grocery, or whatever else you'd like to call it)! It's across Main Street from the new Aspen Hotel - and right down the street from my office.

Today, I am starting to place Healthy, Healthier, Healthiest! designations on shelved food items. I'll look at saturated fat content, sodium verses potassium, refined or added sugars, and fiber to make my choices.

Foods that strike a balance between all of these will earn one of the three labels I've designed:

Foods that can earn the "Healthy" label will be foods that, although they aren't the best, are fine choices. Still to be enjoyed in moderation, these foods are to be considered a satisfactory option for satisfying a snack craving. Examples include dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, or high fiber snacks like a Fiber One bar. 

"Healthier" foods might be snack foods that, although low in saturated fat and sodium, don't contribute much to nutrition in general (i.e. low fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein). Or they had a higher fiber content than their Healthy counterparts, but lower than the Healthiest! options. 

The items with the bright yellow "Healthiest!" tags make me very excited - these will be used sparingly and for foods that not only have low saturated fat and sodium, but also high nutrition content. Bonus points if they're reasonably priced for the portion size!

As always, fresh fruits and vegetables get the "Healthiest!!!" designation. I plan on placing a large placard in the produce section to let consumers know that these are always great choices. Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for all of these tags as they pop up around the store.

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

October 26, 2015

The Philosophy of Kaiseki

The past few nights, I have been watching Chef's Table - a documentary mini series on Netflix following some of the best chefs out there right now. One of the episodes follows Niki Nakayama of N/Naka in Los Angeles. 

N/Naka servies kaiseki Japanese cuisine - a progression of dishes that feels more like a concert than a meal. Nakayama learned about kaiseki when she moved to Japan and worked at a family member's inn in the countryside. What she had to say about the philosophy of kaiseki struck a chord with me.

"The philosophy of kaiseki is that we're supposed to represent the area in which we're living in. When I was working in the countryside, we took from what was close to us, making the best use of what the season has to offer. I was so in love with the idea that I put a farm like garden in the back of my house.

One of the first things I learned about kaiseki is the integrity of the ingredients should never get lost. In Japanese it's called 'saiseiya' which means to protect the ingredients.

After having this garden from seed and watching it grow little by little to watch the process, to see it struggle, to see it survive, there's this level of appreciation that everything takes time.

Everything takes the right amount of nurturing. Everything deserves effort because it's making an effort. This little tomato took 3 months to grow. And to just toss it or waste it or treat it so lightly, we're not doing our best to appreciate what nature is truly offering, what lessons of life all around us are trying to teach us." 

- Niki Nakayama

Kaiseki philosophy can apply everywhere. Cooking, gardening, starting a new healthy lifestyle - if it's making an effort, it deserves the effort. All of us have that "little tomato" within us, ready to grow. 

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

October 23, 2015

A Lesson From Being a Coxswain - Coming to Terms With Being Assertive

When I was a freshman in high school in Connecticut, I was really small. I stood at 4'8" and weighed 80 pounds. One of my good friends was on our school's crew team and convinced me to be a coxswain.

A coxswain is the small person who sits at the stern of the boat, looks forward, and directs the rowers while they race. Their demeanor is different depending on the team, but for the most part, they are aggressive motivators. They scream "GIVE ME A POWER 10!" - 10 hard rows counted down, and encourage the rowers to row hard through a stretch of the course.

I did not know anything about being a coxswain going into the sport. I was meek but kind, and wanted to make friends. I barely knew what the stern and bow of the boat were - I definitely had difficulty distinguishing between port and starboard.

During the first mock race, I was a coxswain for a boat of 8 junior and senior guys. I used words of encouragement - "you're doing great!", "keep going!", "I know you can do it, just row, row, row!".

These didn't work - the rower closest to me yelled and cursed at me for being too nice. They needed more powerful encouragement. We almost hit a bridge piling during the race and came in dead last. When a boat wins a race, they tip the boat and coxswain into the water in celebration. I stayed bone dry that day.

I stuck it out for the rest of the season, but I was by far the worst coxswain the team had ever seen.

How does this relate to dietetics? This morning I read an article in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics related to health outcomes with people who undergo interventions for diabetes (Franz et al, 2015). If the participants didn't lose more than 5% of their body weight, they didn't see significant health improvements for their cholesterol or blood sugar.

Losing 5% of one's body weight requires intensive instruction, dedication, and perseverance. Its instruction cannot be taken lightly and proper nutrition counseling is a major factor in success. Being meek and kind may not result in better health outcomes; assertion and dealing with difficult topics are necessary for success of the patient.

Moving forward, I will keep my kindness, but I'll be less meek. If a patient expresses that they are disappointed in their progress, I will not shy away from this statement. Rather, I'll explore why they are disappointed and ask them what they think they can do better in the future. I'll focus on their big-picture goals and how health outcomes play a role in their quality of life.

I'll avoid scare tactics (like what kidney disease is like due to diabetes, or what cholesterol can do to blood vessel health) - rather, I will support clients in their health goals and inform them of what they need to know and how to achieve that.

With a fresh perspective, I can help each of my clients row the boat that crosses the finish line in first place.


Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

October 21, 2015