Luise Russell's take on Latest health statistics for the UK

This week, we have a blog post/article from  UK student Dietitian : Luise Russell.
So glad to have the Brits on board with L-Plate!

Lúise Russell (@Grittykit) is a final year Nutrition & Dietetic student from the University of Chester, UK. She has an interest in public health and how health inequalities are linked to socio-economic factors – conducting her dissertation around improving health knowledge to improve health in deprived communities.

Here is Luise's blog on the sobering health statistics just relased by the UK Government:

Latest health statistics for the UK

Last week the UK Government, via Public Health England (PHE) revealed up to date health statistics through a new website – “Longer Lives” for use by local authorities and the public. Depending on where in the country you live it can make for sobering reading. Find your local authority to reveal the top causes of avoidable early death ranked against other local authorities.

With public health issues now under local government jurisdiction these health statistics aim to support that role and inform the best decisions for reducing premature death for their local population.

How is this useful to health professionals? It is important to know your local area and what the major health risks are. Perhaps you are seeing these statistics reflected in your patient types and the projects you are involved with already. As health professionals there is a duty of care to keep knowledge up to date. Whilst these high level statistics may not form the basis for evidence-based practice within a workplace, they are the basis on which local government policy is formed which can affect the services we provide.

 

 

These figures are also readily available for public consumption which can then generate questions from service users – be prepared!

 

Links

 Press Release

Longer Lives

 

How to navigate the grocery store - by Rohan Krehbiel MS, RD, LD

This week we have a great blog/article from Rohan Krehbiel.

Rohan Krehbiel is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, living and working in Lexington, KY. Rohan is currently working as a community dietitian with an emphasis on providing nutrition education to the low-income population and coordinating several kid-friendly feeding sites. Rohan joined the team at God’s Pantry Food Bank in 2011. She coordinates the Kids Café and BackPack programs, writes monthly nutrition newsletters for the senior programs, provides nutrition education classes for the community and began the successful staff wellness program.

Rohan is a member of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Bluegrass Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Greater Cincinnati Dietetic Association and the TWEENS coalition. She was recently asked to serve on the University of Kentucky’s Coordinated Program Advisory Board. Rohan obtained her master’s degree in nutrition from Appalachian State University in 2011, where her thesis research focused on wine’s antioxidant effects in smokers. The presentation of this research won her the North Carolina Dietetic Association Foundation Graduate Research and Creative Activity Award in 2011.

 

I love Rohan's article as it includes real life/practical tips :) Read on......

 

How to Navigate the Grocery Store

10 for $10!

2 for $5!

Loyalty card members only; I have extra fiber; I have lower sodium; I’m healthy!

My, there are a lot of things being said at the grocery store other than, “What should I make for dinner?”

Grocery stores have become very overwhelming with all the marketing ploys and new food items that are glaring at you right at eye level. This makes it difficult sometimes to stick to your list and diet, if that’s your goal. So, what can you do to help yourself save money and your waistline from the marketers’ devious schemes to get you to purchase things you didn’t want or need in the first place? Willpower. However, willpower can be difficult when the oh-so delicious freshly baked cookie smell is wafting through the store. Cookies are a weakness of mine, so my willpower was sent back to the car as soon as that smell entered my olfactory senses.

Ok great, you say. How do you get your willpower to return and to stick with the healthy list you’ve made?

Here are my tips to stick with your willpower and list.

1.       Actually make a list of things you need.

a.       Take inventory of the foods in your house to prepare you for your shopping trip.

b.      Think of the meals you will be purchasing for and how many people you will be feeding at those meals. Are you going to be making everything from scratch? Or will frozen meals be part of your week?

c.       Now compare and contrast (remember that from middle school?) the list of meals you’ve made with the inventory list you took of your cupboards.

d.      Odds are, you need a few things. These things make up your grocery list, right? Easy peezey.

2.       Go to the store with a calm mind and full stomach.

a.       If you are able to take a little longer in the store and aren’t rushed or focused on other things, your experience will be much more worthwhile and you’ll make better choices.

b.      With a full stomach, you are not as likely to give into your cravings and wants, and will be more inclined to stick to your list.

3.       You will pick up something that’s not on your list, and usually, that’s ok.

a.       Our mind is a funny thing. Either we remember an ingredient in our favorite dish that we forgot to put on the list, or a meal idea comes to us in the middle of the store.

b.      When picking up something not on your list, check in with yourself. What purpose will this product serve? What are my conclusions about the nutritional quality of the product from looking at the label? Is it more money than what I am willing to spend?

4.       Cross things off the list as you put them in your cart.

a.       This is simply a good tracking method and can help you get in and out faster.

b.      Getting through the store quicker means less time for you to lose your willpower.

5.       Go through the check-out line and smile a big victory smile as you walk away, pushing your cart full of items that you know you need, rather than just want.

 

I hope these tips help you stick to your willpower when that freshly baked cookie gets within reach.

Questions for you: How do you stick to your list at the store? What are your steps to take to stick with your willpower, either at the store or in other aspects of life?

 

FAQs about LPlate

I've been having a few questions re LPlate and thought I'd take the opportunity to answer the most frequently asked.

What is LPlate about?

Really, LPlate is just an idea of mine, which came about after being a Dietetic and Nutrition lecturer in the UK, before arriving back in Brisbane, Australia this year. One of my modules had a professional skills component, so I spent some time teaching about social media and writing for the internet (blogging etc). Many students were unsure, didn't feel they had enough knowledge or just didn't know where to start. Lots felt they could try one article but didn't think they had enough time or confidence to start their own.

Having only recently started writing for "the web" myself, I have looked around a lot of nutrition/diet content on the internet and feel very strongly that Dietitians and degree Nutritionists should be more visible and the "first port of call" for nutrition information for the public. There is so much unqualified and misleading stuff out there!

So, I thought I'd just try a platform for students, new nutrition professionals or those new to writing for the web to "give it a go". Some people just want to try a "one off", some might want to try a few. Either way, it is supposed to be a safe place for people to try writing, read others' blogs and articles, chat about new and exciting nutrition news and generally be a casual place to touch base with other nutrition professionals. For the public, it's a place to read great nutrition articles from a fresh perspective.

Do I contribute articles or just the link to my new blog?

Some people have already started a new blog, and that's great! For LPlate, we would like to have a collection of articles for people to read but are happy to link to new blogs. All we ask is that you write a small article for us and then we can pop it on here, with a link to your blog. This also applies if you start one after being a contributor here on LPlate.

Do I have to write an article?

No, you can do a product review, quick blog, recipe, "day in the life of"...whatever you like!

Is this just for Australian/UK etc nutrition professionals/students?

No, this is international...that's the beauty of it. You can see great stuff from your peers from around the world. We are, however, an English speaking blog.

Do you have a commercial business plan for this blog/what are the commercial benefits for me?

Yes, someone did ask me this. This isn't a commercial venture, it's just a blog. The benefits for anyone contributing are - experience, name and work on "the net" as a starter, links to other new writers, links to new blogs and whatever else you would like to get out of it.

How do I contribute?

All you need to do is send a short bio, your work for the blog and any links you might like to add...to amdietetics@aol.com


What happens if no-one contributes?

Well, if this happens, I guess it's better to have "given it a go" than not and we will disappear into the blog graveyard. Worth a shot though, don't you think!

On the matter of photos

Just a quick mention about photos and nutrition blogging. Just about every blog website will tell you that adding the right picture is a "big one" when it comes to writing an engaging blog. The right picture sets the scene and draws the reader in. If the reader can relate to your picture, they are more likely to read on!

When it comes to pictures, don't be tempted to copy from google images. You may be leading into all sorts of copyright issues. This is also true if you have found a picture associated with your recipe....hands off.

The best solution? Take you own picture. You may be a natural or could even look into finding a food photography course ....what a great goal for your CPD.

Or, if you are like me and not so artistic, you can buy images from websites such as i-stock photos or shutterstock. There are probably more stock photo companies to try. If anyone has any good experiences or tips to share, please comment.

And note, I've not put a photo on this blog. Shame on me.