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The role of nutrition and dietetics professionals across all areas of practice is more vital than ever, given the current global landscape in the context of climate change and resource scarcity. Shared values and goals connect nutrition and dietetics professionals across the world in learning, research, and nutrition practice. It is now possible for the nutrition and dietetics profession tomove boldly into the sphere of food systems and sustainability, offering unique expertise and leadership for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on nutrition and health in aging women in the United States. In this context the statistical information on the population of women 85 years of age and above from 1900 to 2000 is identified. Key nutrients in the older woman's diet are elaborated upon as part of the discussion in the article. Discussion on nutrition screening and counseling is also undertaken. In its recent report, The Role of Nutrition in Maintaining Health of the Nation's Elderly, the Institute of Medicine (TOM) observes that 86% of the estimated 34 million Americans over age 65 have at least one chronic condition, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, or diabetes, that might be helped by nutrition counseling. The report concludes that nutrition counseling could improve the health of many Medicare beneficiaries and offers a series of recommendations for removing the barriers to providing coverage for nutrition services in the outpatient or home care setting, where intervention is often most appropriate.

Part II. Deals with issues surrounding body fat and the thinking in weight management theory and practice as of January 1999. Health risks associated with obesity; Tips on healthy eating.

The article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of fat as a nutrition element. Like carbohydrate and protein, fat is an essential nutrient, but with all the negative press about fat, it is easy to over look some of its benefits. Fat is the most concentrated source of energy in the body. It provides a continuous energy supply so the body's lean tissue is not depleted. Fat is a carrier for the fat-soluble vitamin A, D, E, and K and aids in their absorption from the intestines. Fat provides essential fatty acids that are required for growth and development. Fat helps maintain the structure and health of all cells. Fat is a precursor of the prostaglandins that regulate many body processes. Fat stored in the body's adipose cells insulates the body and supports and cushions the organs. Fat is composed of the same three elements as carbohydrate, namely, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The image of a nutrient can change over time and this has certainly been the case with fat. At one time, foods high in dietary fat, such as meat, dairy products, and oils, were symbols of prosperity and prominent contributors to the economy. Fats favorable reputation began to tarnish with the advent of research demonstrating its negative effects on health.

Discusses the support paper of The American Dietetic Association (ADA) and The Canadian Dietetic Association (CDA) for the promotion of women's health and nutrition. Cardiovascular disease; Cancer; Osteoporosis; Weight; Diabetes mellitus.

Nutrition is on the leading edge of disease prevention and health promotion. This growing prominence has prompted leading women's health advocates. Unfortunately, the depth and breadth of nutrition education in medical school does not yet reflect the critical role nutrition can play in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Today's patients have more food and nutrition questions than ever before. Sharing some basic nutrition guidelines with patients can help them build a foundation of facts so that no matter what new information or controversies arise, patients will be able to make informed and sensible decisions. It is known that more than 40 different nutrients are needed in sufficient quantity and in the right proportion to prevent nutritional deficiencies or excesses that can affect health. The first dietary guidelines were published in 1980 in response to a growing awareness of nutrition's relationship to a number of chronic diseases in the U.S. Revisions in the most recent version of the dietary guidelines reflect evolving scientific knowledge as well as Americans' changing attitudes toward health and food.

Of the almost 200,000 people who die each year from diabetes or its complications, almost 110,000 are women. Compared with breast cancer--the disease women fear most--diabetes exacts more than twice the toll in lives. This article, the first of two on women's nutritional health and diabetes, deals primarily with the impact of diet and exercise on type 2 diabetes and with the major complication of diabetes, heart disease. "For every person in the United States who has diabetes and is diagnosed, there is one who is not," says Lesley Fels Tinker, a nutrition scientist at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and a member of the American Dietetic Association's Nutrition & Health Campaign for Women advisory board. Obesity, a chronic disease in itself, is also a major risk factor for diabetes, especially for women. "Although type 2 diabetes is largely genetic," explains Roger Mazze, senior vice president at the Minneapolis International Diabetes Center, "obesity will set it off." INSETS: IMPACT STATEMENT: DIABETES;GLUCOSE FOR COMFORT;TALKING THE TALK;RECAP OF THE DIABETES CONTROL AND COMPLICATIONS TRIAL (DCCT)

This article focuses on the significance of healthy eating to address stress-related complaints among women. Women are proficient multitaskers, and with many roles to fill, it is no surprise that many women are stressed out and tired almost all the time. Among working mothers, for instance, stress hormones rise each morning and stay high until bedtime. Adaptive mechanisms, such as stress hormones, were intended as short-term alerts. When the body is exposed to chronic unresolved stress, energy stores are depleted, and the body begins to show signs of wear and tear. Chronic stress and debilitating fatigue have become virtually interchangeable. The American Institute of Stress reports that 75 to 90 percent of all doctor visits involve stress-related complaints. A U.S. survey conducted in 2000 revealed that four of five women feel less energetic than they did 5 years ago. Nearly 9 of 10 said they need more physical stamina to get through the day. More than 80 percent of the surveyed women named feeling tired and weak as their biggest complaint, and when women rank their problems in the workplace, too much stress ranks first in the list. to influence their energy levels. Healthy eating usually refers to preventing future disease, but healthy eating also means feeling energetic. How effectively cells produce energy depends in large part on patterns of daily food consumption. For example, rigid dieting dehydrates the body, increases psychological stress, promotes muscle loss, and decreases oxygen consumption as the body slows down breathing in an attempt to conserve calories. On the other hand, eating small meals throughout the day, starting with breakfast, gives the body a steady supply of fuel and helps eliminate fatigue.

The article discusses various trends in nutrition and health for the 21st century. A deep interest in the integration and balance of body, mind, and spirit was one of the most profound changes manifested by the late 20th century consumer. This expanded view of health is certain to continue and have deep repercussions on how health professionals deliver their services. The western biomedical model is based on several concepts: that mind and body are distinctly separate, that the proper focus of medical science is the body, that the body is like a machine and the physician its mechanic, and that each disease has only one cause. For many patients, however, this view has become far too limiting. Most consumers who have embraced alternative therapies have done so as an adjunct to their traditional treatment. This complementary approach places more emphasis on the whole person and supports such values as self-care, prevention, and personal responsibility. In the realm of nutritional health, the body-mind-spirit paradigm has introduced many positives and a handful of negatives as well. Clearly, more people have become interested in nutrition as a way to prevent disease and enhance well-being. Unfortunately, however, things are still a little wild on the new frontier, with some dubious product claims and questionable information in the media and on the Internet.

The article presents interview on women's health and nutrition with Linda Gilbert, president of HealthFocus Inc., IA-based marketing consulting firms that specializes in the healthy foods market. Gilbert publishes the biannual HealthFocus ® Trend Report, which is used by food and pharmaceutical companies around the country as their finger on the pulse of what is happening with consumers. Gilbert also designs custom research and consults with companies on specific topics, such as product launches or marketing strategies. In addition, she maintains a busy speaking schedule, appearing at food and health industry conferences from coast to coast. On the question related to overview of of people's attitude towards health and nutrition, Gilbert said that she began to see some significant shifts in consumer attitudes toward health and nutrition. People are becoming more demanding of benefits and results and less willing to make compromises. The most defining trend for health and nutrition choices today is the evolution of a sense of entitlement.

The article focuses on the Nutrition & Health Campaign for Women launched by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) in 1993. The goals of the campaign include continuing to educate women about the role nutrition plays in risk management and the treatment of disease, especially those diseases to which women are particularly vulnerable, such as heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis, obesity, and diabetes. It aims to advocate for research on the role of nutrition in women's health and educate women about the importance of food as the first line of defense in risk management and health promotion, in combination with supplements or pharmaceutical interventions when appropriate. The ADA's work on the Nutrition & Health Campaign for Women will not be over until every woman understands how to make the informed food choices that are so critical to her well-being now and in the future. The ADA's task is not finished until the healthcare providers who treat and advise women place nutrition high on their Iist of risk management strategies, and the ADA will continue its efforts until researchers have filled in the blanks in women's health and have taken women's nutrition research to its zenith.

Discusses the support of The American Dietetic Association, the Society for Nutrition Education and the American School Food Service Association for school-based nutrition programs and services. Rationale for universal nutrition programs and services in schools; Description of comprehensive school-based nutrition programs and services; Limits and potential of programs.

Comments on the role and achievements of the Nutrition Screening Initiative, a coalition serving multiple interests. Launching in 1989 to promote routine nutrition screening and better nutrition care; Achievements in research; Education activities; Public policy efforts.

Since its release in 1992, the Food Guide Pyramid has become one of the most recognized nutrition education tools in US history. As such, it has been subject to criticism, particularly in several recent media reports that implicate it as the culprit in America’s current obesity epidemic. What these reports often overlook, however, is that the diets of many Americans do not adhere to the dietary guidelines illustrated by the Pyramid, refuting the notion that the Pyramid is the cause of the nation’s obesity problem. Data indicate that the more likely causes of escalating obesity rates are increased per capita caloric consumption and larger portion sizes, along with a lack of adequate physical activity. Although the Pyramid graphic was designed more than a decade ago, it still communicates three key concepts that continue to be the cornerstone of federal dietary guidance: variety, proportionality, and moderation. As such, it remains a viable and relevant nutrition education tool, especially when used by dietetics professionals as a component of individualized, comprehensive nutrition education and behavior modification interventions. As the United States Department of Agriculture begins to investigate whether the food intake patterns illustrated by the Pyramid are in need of updating, research is urgently needed to determine how nutrition education tools, including the Pyramid, can be most effectively implemented to help consumers adopt healthful eating behaviors and to improve the public health of America. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]