SPRING 2014

This has been a busy spring for Blue Ridge dietitians! Dietitians, interns, and chefs throughout the district
hosted National Nutrition Month events in March, and the Annual Meeting Planning Committee, led by Dave
Stebbins and Laura Cason, planned and hosted an incredible meeting April 6-8 in Charlottesville. Some of our
Blue Ridge members joined other dietitians from throughout the Commonwealth and the rest of the nation at
the Public Policy Workshop in Washington D.C. March 30-April 1.

Public Policy Workshop 2014
This annual event is hosted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as an opportunity for participants to
learn about nutrition-related issues in the U.S. Congress and visit our elected representatives. Speaker
sessions included inspiring topics such as the Power of the Spoken Word, messaging strategies, and an
interactive session with dietitians who have held or are currently holding an elected public office. The three
pieces of legislation on which the Academy is currently focusing are the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, the
Preventive Health Savings Act, and the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. Blue Ridge dietitian and
VAND Public Policy Coordinator, Lesley McPhatter, organized the visits with all the Virginia Congressmen on
behalf of the 13 dietitians from VAND who attended PPW. One of the key takeaways I received from the
various speakers is that politics is still personal, said Christine Gries, VANDs State Regulatory Specialist and
PPW 2014 participant. Speakers stressed the importance of showing confidence with the subject matter and
being able to bridge the conversation back to the nutrition-related topics when needed. As we met with the
legislative aides on the last day of the conference, I was able to immediately put into practice the tips that I
learned during the first two days.

The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (H.R. 2415, S. 1184) is a bipartisan, bicameral bill that was introduced in
2013 in the 113th Congress. The bill aims to effectively treat and reduce obesity in older Americans by
increasing Medicare beneficiaries access to qualified practitioners, including Registered Dietitians. If you
havent already responded to the Academys Call to Action for this bill, please do so at the Grassroots Manager
page under the Public Policy tab at www.eatright.org.


The Preventive Health Savings Act (H.R. 2663/S. 1422) will allow policymakers to more accurately assess
legislation that would prevent chronic disease. This legislation would permit leaders in Congress to request
that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate the long-term health savings that are possible from
preventive health initiatives. Congressional leaders would be able to request an analysis of the two 10-year
periods beyond the existing 10-year scoring window, for a total of 30 years. Within this extended window,
CBO would be required to determine based on its review of credible and publically-available epidemiological
projection models, clinical trials or observational studies in humans whether the initiative would result in
substantial savings outside the normal scoring window. This change would offer significant recognition to the
role prevention plays in saving taxpayer dollars.

Older Americans Act in the 113th Congress
Authorization for the Older Americans Act expired on September 30, 2012. Congressional leaders are expected
to work toward a reauthorization of the Older Americans during the 113th Congress, and a few different
versions of bills in both the House and Senate have been proposed to enact this reauthorization.
Priorities of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for OAA Reauthorization
1. Support the bipartisan development of an OAA reauthorization bill in both the House and the Senate.
2. Ensure language that qualified nutrition staff, including registered dietitians, is included at the local,
regional, state and federal levels of the aging network so that cost-effective nutrition services and evidence-
based programs result.
3. Include language that supports a strong evidence-based nutrition and health component through programs
that include targeted nutrition screening, assessment, nutrition counseling and education.

Blue Ridge dietitians and VAND President, Angie Hasemann, and President-
Elect, Wendy Phillips, met with Representative Robert Hurts legislative
aide, John Lange. They discussed the various practice areas of Virginias
dietitians and answered his nutrition questions. He expressed support for
the Academys legislative priorities and stated he would discuss with Rep.
Hurt, along with acknowledging the important work of dietitians in
promoting the health of Virginians and preventing chronic disease. When
Angie told him there are 2,100 RDs in Virginia he exclaimed I had no idea
there were that many dietitians in Virginia!


Lesley McPhatter discussed the three bills with Rep. Eric Cantors aide. As
House Majority Leader, Congressman Cantor is very influential in the
legislative process.












Wendy Phillips and Angie Hasemann joined the Academys Director of Consumer
Protection and Licensure, Julianna Smith, to meet with Governor McAuliffes
legislative aides in the D.C. office. One of Mrs. McAuliffes legislative priorities
includes childhood nutrition and reducing hunger in Virginia. If anyone is interested
in helping VAND work with Mrs. McAuliffe on these issues, please contact VANDs
State Policy Representative, Nancy Farrell, and vand.publicpolicy@gmail.com

National Nutrition Month, March 2014


UVA dietitians and interns hosted weekly booths in the caf to help
customers and staff Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right! Check out the
last page of this newsletter for more information and a recipe that
was featured in the UVA cafes during the month!











Wendy Phillips, Eva Delaney, and Alison Atkins educated 5
th
grade students at
Brownsville Elementary school in Crozet about portion sizes and how to make their
plates healthy. Wendys son, Austin, loved helping his mom teach his friends!


On March 27th, I had so much fun dressing up as a banana! Renal dietitian
Carol Jones said. Chiquita visited my son, Caleb's first grade class at Hugh K.
Cassell Elementary School in Augusta County. We talked about the importance of
covering half of your plate with fruits and vegetables and then I asked them to
taste one fruit and one vegetable of each color of the rainbow. I brought foods
they normally would not have on a daily basis such as mango, blackberries, kiwi
and purple cabbage. Not only did they try all ten of these foods, they CAME BACK
FOR MORE! It was amazing to watch them clean the container out! (Keep in
mind, we had lunch prior to this, so they should not have been hungry.) Chiquita
had a lot of fun introducing new foods to students (and teachers). The kids went
home with a handout showing their parents the new foods they tried (and liked!) at
school that day. Little steps...creating change...moving mountains.




For the 9
th
year in a row, Lesley McPhatter has taught a
nutrition lesson at Elon Elementary School in Madison
Heights, VA. Pictured here is her youngest daughter,
Kallena, in her banana costume with her friends. Lesley
uses the costumes to get the kids engaged in the lesson
and discuss which foods are healthier choices.










Registered Dietitian Day, March 12, 2014
Amy Mentrikoski worked with the BRAND board members to plan and host a wonderful reception to celebrate
RD day. Morrison chefs Denis Callinan and Charles Bruce treated the 50+ dietitians and interns in attendance
to an entertaining cooking demo and appetizers.















Eat Like a Greek:
Morrison Celebrates National Nutrition Month
Submitted by Ielyzaveta (Lisa) Shkoda, UVA Dietetic Intern
Morrison celebrated National Nutrition Month with a variety of events in March,
including weekly Taste of Mediterranean displays where chefs, dietitians, and
dietetic interns provided healthy and delicious Mediterranean food samples and
discussed the benefits of Mediterranean diet with the UVA Health System
employees and visitors.
The first week of March highlighted Greek cuisine. Participants were able to learn about traditional Greek
foods, such as Tzatziki (yogurt-cucumber dip), Horta Vrasta (boiled leafy greens with lemon juice),
Spanakopita (spinach pie), and Fassolatha (white bean soup), as well as to sample traditional Fava dip. Try
making it yourself and share with your family and clients this delicious, heart healthy Fava Dip recipe
traditionally prepared with yellow split peas.
Greek Fava Dip (recipe courtesy of Morrison Healthcare)
8 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup dry yellow split peas
2 cups water
cup yellow onions, diced
tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/3 tsp salt
5 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Directions:
1. Place lentils in a pot with water and cook for 40 minutes or until tender. Add onions and garlic half way
through cooking. Watch the water level and add more water if needed to keep lentils submerged.
2. Drain cooked lentils and reserve the cooking liquid. Transfer cooked lentils into a food processor and
add back enough cooking liquid to puree lentils into a hummus consistency. Add olive oil, fresh
oregano, lemon juice, and salt. Mix to blend.
3. Serve cup of Greek Fava dip with whole wheat pita bread and vegetables.
Nutrition Information: 1/4 cup Fava dip, 1 oz pita bread, 2 oz vegetables
229 calories
Total fat: 9.3 g
Saturated fat: 1.3 g
Sodium: 209 mg
Carbohydrates: 30 g
Fiber: 11 g
Protein: 8.9 g
Blue Ridge Dietitians Host VANDs 85
th
Annual Conference in Charlottesville, VA
April 6-8, 2014

Blue Ridge dietitians and interns presenting posters:

Alison Atkins, UVA intern, and Wendy Phillips
EVALUATION OF A CLOSED ENTERAL FORMULARY IN AN ACUTE CARE
SETTING





Eva Delaney, UVA intern, and Wendy Phillips
THE EFFECT OF MALNUTRITION ON READMISSION RATES

Kirsten Boestfleisch, James Madison University
DO THE EATING BEHAVIORS AND FOOD PREFERENCES OF CHILDREN AGES 2 TO
18 RESEMBLE THOSE OF THE MOTHER OR FATHER?




Lisa Shkoda, UVA Intern, and Rachel Cornett
THE EFFECT OF PRE-EXISTING MALNUTRITION AND TIMING OF
ADEQUATE NUTRITION ON PATIENT RECOVERY AND OUTCOMES
FOLLOWING SURGERY FOR HEART TRANSPLANTATION OR LEFT
VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE PLACEMENT





Megan Salloway, James Madison University student, Melissa
Rittenhouse, and Jeremy Akers
THE USE OF ERGOGENIC SUPPLEMENTS IN MALE COLLEGE STUDENTS












Kaylyn Pratt, UVA intern, and Mary Lou Perry
VEGAN DIETS: HOW THE SHARED MEDICAL APPOINTMENT APPROACH
CORRELATES TO POSITIVE LIFESTYLE CHANGESA MIXED METHODS
CASE SERIES PROJECT















Christy Fielden, UVA intern, and Kelli Hughes
SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY: DOES SIZE REALLY MATTER?








Bailey DeBarmore, UVA intern, and Christie Moulder
NUTRITION MANAGEMENT OF THE OPEN ABDOMEN: A RETROSPECTIVE
REVIEW











Rebecca Reifsnider, Bridgewater College
THE MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUSTAINMENT OF
LIFESTYLE CHANGES NECESSARY FOR WEIGHT LOSS MAINTENANCE






The First Lady of Virginia, Mrs. McAuliffe, spoke
at the conference about her interest in reducing
childhood hunger and obesity in Virginia and
how we can partner with her to achieve her
goals. She met with BRAND RDs Wendy Phillips,
Lesley McPhatter, and Angie Hasemann to learn
how nearly 1600 members serve the citizens of
our Commonwealth through the promotion of
optimal nutrition, health and well-being.


Featured Speakers from Blue Ridge:
Workshop 1: Nutrition Support Workshop: Where Evidence Meets Practice
Joseph Krenistky, MS, RD and Carol Rees Parrish, MS, RD











Workshop 2: Effective Counseling Skills: Satisfaction for You, Success for Your Patients
Melanie Brede, MS, RD, CSSD, Mary Lou Perry, MS, RD, CDE, and Ashleigh Sellman, RD, CSP

Workshop 3: Fueling the Elite Athlete: Eating and Hydration Strategies to Enhance Athletic
Performance
Adam Korzun, MS, RD, CSSD and Randy Bird, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS



Nutrition & Dietetics Education for Future Practice: What Does the
Evidence Show?
Ana Abad-Jorge, EdD, MS, RDN, CNSC









What is New in Renal Nutrition: Insights in Optimizing Patient Care
Lesley McPhatter, MS, RD, CSR







Digital Dietitians: A Panel Discussion Exploring Nutrition
Promotion Through Technology
Rita Smith, MS, RD, CDE







Gaining a Competitive Edge in Your Career: Advancing Your Education and Professional Credentials
Student Dinner and Roundtable Discussions
Sponsored by Morrison Healthcare, Featured Speaker: Ana Abad-Jorge, EdD, MS, RD, CNSC





Point, Counterpoint: Weight Bias-The Last Acceptable Form
of Discrimination? (LNC 3030, 4010, 4090, 5370)
Angie Hasemann, RD, CSP and David Stebbins, MBA, RD









Congratulations to Tamara Karosanidze,
MS, RD, CNSC! She was honored as
BRANDs and VANDs Recognized Young
Dietitian of the Year award for her
excellence in clinical nutrition and service
to the community and field of dietetics.
We are very proud of you Tamara! She is
pictured here receiving her award from
Dana Cullen, BRANDs Awards Chair.