A portfolio about nutrition, issues surrounding nutrition, and generally healthy lifestyles.
Fad Diets and Healthy Recipes
Bright colors, an attractive logo, and a variety of topics all make this registered dietician’s blog a go-to for simple nutrition advice. The name of this blog is simply named Abby Langer Nutrition. For this blog, Abby has chosen to take a very general approach to the topic of nutrition. Included in her blog are recipes, reviews of various dieting strategies, approaches to nutrition behaviors, as well as tips to make her readers more mentally healthy. On top of that, nutrition counseling services for individuals and companies are also available. This attractive site has a little something for everyone.
Looking over Abby Langer’s blog, I can see that she has gone with a fresh and clean design by using calming, non-aggressive colors like pink and white. Pictures of delightful looking recipes are strewn across the page, further drawing the viewers in. At the top of the page is a menu bar with all the different pages you can click on, but for the most part, I have stayed on the homepage where her blog posts are housed. The navigation of the site is exceptionally easy with everything you might need just a click away. Want to contact Abby? Her email is on the top right. Want to see her topics and archive? Scroll down about halfway and they are on the left. Want to check out her Instagram? Check out the left side of the homepage. A specific feature that I enjoyed about this site is its archive. We can clearly see that this blog is current, with about 5-8 blog posts per month.
In order to get a feel for the blog’s style and how it addresses the audience, I chose to check out January 31st, 2018’s blog post titled, (Diet Review) Tom Brady’s TB12 Diet Majorly Drops the Ball. Just from the title, I can see that I am going to like the post because she is not a Tom Brady fan, but I can also tell that she pulls from current events to garner interest with her informal and laid-back style. Her writing is filled with wit and humor which allows her to connect with her readers, as well as convey the intended information.
“Eating healthy doesn’t have to involve a $200 wooden-bound nutrition manual, over-hyped nutrition myths, and the n=1 anecdotes of a celebrity NFL player.” – A quote from Abby Langer’s post, (Diet Review) Tom Brady’s TB12 Diet Majorly Drops the Ball
After exploring the blog for quite a while, it becomes obvious that Abby Langer does know what she is talking about and she has the extensive background and experience to prove it.
If it is not already obvious from my writing, something which resonates with me is the relatively informal style that Abby Langer uses. I believe it allows her to relate more towards her audience, as well as more effectively transcribe her information to a level that the common person can understand. All in all, this blog is a great source of nutrition information, especially concerning fad diets and healthy recipes.
Go check her blog out at: https://abbylangernutrition.com/
For the specific blog post I referenced: https://abbylangernutrition.com/diet-review-tom-bradys-tb12-diet-majorly-drops-ball/
Brochure Review Post
Coming from the Produce for Better Health Organization, the brochure I chose covers the topic of getting more fruits and vegetables in order to obtain a more healthy and vibrant lifestyle and it is targeted towards families. The brochure starts off with an attractive cover which lays out the topic with an attractive font: More Fruits and Veggies Matter, A Guide to Good T.A.S.T.E. Immediately, there is a quick introduction where the acronym T.A.S.T.E. is broken down into the following.
T=Try something new!
A=All forms of fruits and veggies count!
S=Shop smart! Look for the logo!
T=Turn it into a family activity!
E=Explore the bountiful variety!
Next comes the section where the benefits of increasing fruit and vegetable are introduced. It briefly touches on how fruits and vegetables help to maintain a healthy weight as well as fight disease. It also mentions that increasing physical activity must also take place in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The next page touches on how to get variety in a person’s vegetable and fruit intake. It mentions getting an assortment of colors and trying to incorporate them in new ways which may not have been thought of before. Next, it seeks to alleviate some common myths about fruits and vegetables by addressing the form in which they come. Is the fruit fresh? Is the vegetable frozen? It doesn’t matter because it is still healthy. Lastly, this brochure is very helpful in that it gives examples of key nutrients as well as what they do. Below each of them, it has about 8-10 fruits of vegetables in which the nutrient is contained. This makes it a helpful resource for anyone unsure about the nutritional value of fruit, even myself.
This brochure is filled with good information. In particular, there are two things that I find interesting about this brochure. First, I like how they use the acronym T.A.S.T.E. in order to help families remember to get variety and have a good time with their food. Second, I think that the way they highlight certain nutrients, say what they do, and give examples of fruits and veggies that have those nutrients is of great value to families interested in making any kind of change.
As someone who wants to be a nutrition educator someday, this is a resource that I would use to help my clients with their behavior. In my opinion, this resource would be good for families with young children who are either interested in adding more fruits and vegetables into their diet or educate their children about fruits and vegetables. I feel like the language and concepts represented in this brochure are appropriate for the target audience. In truth, the material this resource contains is probably much easier for parents/adults to understand, but there are some ideas that children should be able to grasp. All in all, this brochure is helpful, attractive, and simple. It does have the power to help families understand the world of fruits and vegetables that they may otherwise overlook.
For the website the brochure came from, visit: https://pbhfoundation.org/pub_sec/edu/nut_cat#brochures
For the brochure itself, visit: https://pbhfoundation.org/pdfs/pub_sec/catalog/TASTEWEB.pdf
PSA progress report #1
Group #3 members: Will Daubenspeck, Kate Minnich, Desirea Kreiser, Andrea Reed, Jennifer Harvey
TARGET AUDIENCE, NEEDS ASSESSMENT, INCORPORATED THEORY, & GOALS
The target audience for this PSA is low-income senior citizens living independently that need assistance in weight management. Low-income senior citizens face health problems including malnutrition, diabetes, and heart disease.¹ Malnutrition and low ideal body weight are associated with increased illness, longer hospital stays, and more hospital readmissions. The target audience has needs based on their available resources. They are also faced with a reduced income and often a loss of social support when living alone.² Although educated about general healthy eating, these low income senior citizens have concerns about how to eat right for their medical needs or medication interactions.³ Research also shows these individuals struggle to accurately assess their portion size.⁴ The lack of ability to assess portion size is a combination of education and partially a decline in cognitive function. These individuals also are at an age where they are losing their friends and spouses leading to depression and reduced intake. Aging also results in a reduction in sight, smell, and taste discouraging them from eating.²
To address the needs of the target audience, the presentation will highlight “stretching the dollar” due to low income. This part of the presentation will include foods that tie into eating healthy on a budget, a plan of action, such as making a shopping list and balanced easy to make meals that fit into the budget. Material from MyPlate.gov will be incorporated in order to help participants gain more self-confidence and efficacy, a demonstration for meal prepping will be incorporated. The presentation and PSA will both incorporate the use of “hand measurements” to teach an easy method to understand portions. The goal is to instill knowledge and confidence in a population of low-income senior citizens that will help them have more perceived control.
The Theory of Planned Behavior explains the stronger the intentions the more a behavior is affected. Giving a population more control is likely to strengthen their intentions. The stronger their intentions, the more likely they are to successfully manage their weight. These intentions are shaped by attitudes, social or subjective norms, and perceived control over their behavior. This model is responsible for helping us to understand the “why” of eating. The individual’s intentions determine the strength of their commitment. The attitude about the behavior is influenced by how much control in the individual beliefs that they have.⁵
PSA OUTLINE
The focus of the PSA will be a video presenting portion sizes. The video will highlight how to correctly measure portion sizes without having to rely on the use of weighing or measuring devices. This method was chosen because there are no additional costs or equipment required. Seniors with reduced cognitive function can estimate portion size easily without any additional tools or having to record numbers. The low burden placed on the senior citizen makes it more likely for that individual to be compliant. The PSA video will consist primarily of visual material to limit speech in order to convey the lesson on visualizing portion sizes. The goal of the PSA is to clearly demonstrate portion sizes to the elderly in a way that they can understand and use.
GROUP ROLES
Within this PSA group, Andrea Reed acts as the executor. The executor is responsible for proposing ideas and actions that be acted upon. In addition, Andrea organizes aspects of the team’s work that is detailed oriented and set up timelines to keep the project progressing. Desirea Kreiser and Will Daubenspeck function as the team builders by keeping team members focused on end goals. They will help facilitate interactions among team members and encouraging others to actively participate. The strategist, Kate Minnich, will be responsible for thinking through “what if” scenarios. She will convey her thought progress to the team to order to make clear decisions. She will also offer up ways to achieve the desired outcome. Jennifer Harvey will plan team meetings as the influencer. She will be responsible for working through conflicts and misunderstandings among the group. She also motivates the team towards the end goal.⁶
Citations
1. Healthy aging data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.
https://nccd.cdc.gov/aging_data/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=DPH_HAP.ExploreByLocation&rdRequestForwarding=Form. Accessed February 27, 2018.
2. Psychosocial needs of the elderly. Kahsa Web site. http://www.kahsa.org/files/public/PsycosocialNeeds.pdf. Published September 2007. Accessed February 28, 2018.
3. Jung SE, Shin YH, Kim S, Hermann J, Bice C. Identifying underlying beliefs about fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income older adults: an elicitation study based on the theory of planned behavior. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2017;49(9): 717-723. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2017.05.343.
4. Ervin RB, Smickilas-Wright H. Accuracy in estimating and recalling portion sizes of foods among elderly adults. Nutr Res. 2001;21(5):703-713. doi: 10.1016/S0271-5317(01)00288-3.
5. Bauer KD, Liou D. Nutrition Counseling and Education Skill Development. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning; 2016.
6. Surviving group projects. University of Minnesota Web site. http://teamwork.umn.edu/content/step-one. Updated 2018. Accessed February 8, 2018.
Battle for your own heart
If you live in America and watch the news or even just speak to people, then you have probably heard about heart disease. Heart disease is an overarching term that describes illnesses of or pertaining to the heart and other large blood vessels within the body.2 It is an easy thing to not think about or think that it cannot affect you. Unfortunately, this realization can come too late for some people.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1 out of every 4 deaths in America is caused by heart disease and many more have symptoms that are heading in a very unhealthy direction.3 This is not the way it has to be. People do have the power to take charge of their health and not let themselves get to that point. This brings in the matter of risk perception. A family history of heart disease was the biggest cause of worry among people, even if they have other things like high blood pressure or diabetes in their medical history.1
As with most health problems, heart disease can have a direct relationship with nutrition. Most people who have heart disease are everyday people who do not eat healthy enough Maybe they eat too many snack foods, maybe they eat too much food at once or maybe people just don’t know the correct foods to eat.
Saturated fat is a big part of the typical American diet and is found in quite a few foods. Snack foods, cakes, butter, and most unhealthy foods contain saturated fats.4 These kinds of fats are broken down into bad cholesterols and can add to clots in arteries. Mono and polyunsaturated fats are what people should focus on. A simple tip to incorporate those into a diet is cooking with olive oil instead of butter. In addition, try switching dairy products to skim or low-fat options.
Another nutrient to look out for is sodium. Most food items in America has sodium in it. Watch out for canned or preserved items and instead try to eat as many fresh, unprocessed foods as possible.4
An important phrase to remember is focus on fiber. Fiber is found in whole fruits and vegetables, oats, and whole grains.4 The reason why fiber is so important is that it does well at satiating people, making them feel less of the need to eat people. Instead of having a bowl of cereal for breakfast, try having a bowl of oatmeal with some fresh fruit. The last thing to do is to increase exercise to at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.5
References
1. Sandy Lu, Mark F. Harris. Prevention of Diabetes and Heart Disease. Australian Family Physician. 2013; Vol 42. https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1430424963?pq-origsite=summon&accountid=13158. Accessed March 22nd, 2018
2. Mayo Clinic. Heart Disease. Mayoclinic.org. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353118. Accessed March 22nd, 2018
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease Fact Sheet. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_heart_disease.htm. Accessed March 22nd, 2018.
4. Healthfinder.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Heart-Healthy Foods: Shopping List. https://healthfinder.gov/HealthTopics/Category/health-conditions-and-diseases/heart-health/heart-healthy-foods-shopping-list. Accessed March 22nd, 2018
5. American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM Issues New Recommendations on Quantity and Quality of Exercise.acsm.org. http://www.acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/news-releases/2011/08/01/acsm-issues-new-recommendations-on-quantity-and-quality-of-exercise. Accessed March 22nd, 2018
Progress Report 2
PSA PRE-TEST
Andrea
Feedback #1: I read through the script with my boyfriend. He really liked the visual aspect and the physical showing of measurements and foods. He thought it was a great point of comparison. He used the word “relatable” for the method or presentation. When presented with white screen idea he did not like that. He suggested seeing Will do it instead. White screen may lack personal connection. The foods chosen for the examples were good.
Feedback #2: I explained the project and script to a friend who knows nothing about nutrition. I got another positive review about the visual presentation. She thought it would be “easy” for anyone. She doesn’t eat...any ...vegetables so it wasn’t as relatable as that would not alter her eating habits. But she liked how it was presented. She did question if the PSA focus was diabetes or weight management. She thought limiting on camera distraction so viewers focused on hand gestures would be ideal. I asked her about doing it on campus with minimal props or actual kitchen and she thought doing it out of a kitchen would be less than ideal.
Jen
Feedback #1: My grandma who has diabetes really loves the portion size theme. She said, “us old people” like visual instructions. Meaning that having one person talk while doing the demonstration will be beneficial for the viewer. She also commented on making sure that the video itself isn’t too flashy and thought that having a food from each food group was really a good idea. She is looking forward to seeing the final product.
Feedback #2: My grandpa on the other hand thought the idea of having one person (Will) talking and another person being the model/demonstrator would be a nice touch. I asked about having 2 “models” and he thought that may be too much, and distracting from Will, the narrator. He also, really liked the idea of portion sizes because since my grandma has had diabetes, this is something that they have tried to hone in on. However they struggle because it requires too many tools…. Or so they think.
Kate
Feedback #1: My friend thought that the first half was informative, however it’s quite a bit of information. He didn’t think the script was very persuasive. He thought it gave little incentive to actually take action. He suggested that we could add one more thing at the end that would be “catchy”. He also thought we could minimize the amount of “one fist” portions (there are a lot). The nutrient rich foods could be expanded on and tell them what maybe qualifies foods as “superfoods”. Overall, he said it was good, however it could be more focused.
Feedback #2: My other friend gave me minimal feedback. He said he liked the overall message of our script and said that it fit for nutrition. I asked if he could follow the messages and he said “yes”. He’s also not an older adult and finds it hard to relate to.
Des
Feedback #1-Mitchell-I think it was effective of informing on statistics and prevention techniques of type 2 diabetes. Maybe introducing the slides as examples of the five different food groups would make it clearer. I like that you clearly state your target audience in the opening sentence.
Feedback #2-Roommate-How many calories would the elderly need to consume-since it is less than what we consume as college students. The message is clear, but maybe all of the hand signals should be presented since only some of them are used. Overall she liked the message and thought that it was a good idea.
Will
Feedback 1# - Mom - Very simple script. Depending on how we produced the video the script may be too simple. However, after I explained that we will be using a lot of visuals during our video presentation, my mother said that the script is adequate.
Feedback 2# - Brother - My brother listened to me giving the script while I went through the hand motions. He mentioned that it was a simple method of measuring portions that he thought everyone could use, not just elderly adults. It could be more tailored to elderly adults.
CHANGES TO PSA BASED ON FEEDBACK
Based on the feedback, we made sure to approach the weight management topic and focus less on diabetes. We are going to make sure to introduce the food groups and not just examples from each. We are going to incorporate low income by adding prices based on a national retailer (eg. Walmart). We simplified the introductory facts from the initial script. We are going to add photos of produce/grocery store or a video to make it more interesting and vary from all the portion sizes/gestures.
PROBLEMS TO DATE
Initially when we filmed we did not focus enough on the low-income factor. We filmed in a real trailer and chose low cost foods (eg. avoided almonds for snack, chose popcorn) but did not directly address this fact. We are fixing it by adding in pricing information and additional video footage.
RESEARCH ARTICLE #1
Identifying Underlying Beliefs About Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Low-Income Older Adults: An Elicitation Study Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior
When studying older adults and their fruit and vegetable consumption it has been found that it is low¹. This is more common in older adults that are low-income¹. The purpose of the study was to use Theory of Planned Behavior to identify the beliefs of low-income older adults when it comes to fruits and vegetables and see if it has a correlation as to why they do not consume enough fruits and vegetables¹. The study involved 25 low-income adults aged 60 or older living in Alabama¹. They used two facilities for the study which included a local senior center and a low-income living complex¹. To begin the study the participants were asked seven open-ended questions that were used to figure out their beliefs on fruits and vegetables¹. The results showed that 85% of the participants lived alone¹. It also showed that most of the participants realized that fruit and vegetables had great health benefits, and could help them with health problems that they tend to get as they age¹. Some concerns that they had were that the amount of natural sugars in fruits and the high sodium in canned vegetables that could cause problems with their diabetes and hypertension. There was also a concern that certain vegetables would interfere with their medications¹. The article helped in the creation of the PSA by making sure that when we talked about vegetables. We included vegetables that would not mess with their medications, and it helped us to get an understanding about what issues they have with fruit and vegetables in general so that we could work around that.
RESEARCH ARTICLE #2
Accuracy in estimating and recalling portion sizes of foods among elderly adults
This study examines how well advanced aged individuals are able to estimate and remember how much food they have actually eaten². In addition, this article also explores the different methods of food estimation and dietary recall². This article states that the elderly are generally unable to accurately recall or even estimate the proportion of the food that they are eating². In order to combat this issue, measuring tools have been have been made and they have been shown to help with the estimation of foods that the elderly may be eating, however it does not seem to be helpful in remembering foods and amounts eaten². Essentially the conclusion the article comes to is that senior citizens rely on pre-existing knowledge about the amounts of food in order to assign an estimate to the mental picture of the food they ate². The major problem is that cognitive functions vary greatly from person to person, making food amount estimation and recall a big issue with the elderly². We used this article to create our content focusing on a simple method that doesn’t rely on memory or tools to estimate portion size accurately.
RESEARCH ARTICLE #3
Individualizing recommendations for weight management in the elderly
This article discusses how there is a need for individualized nutrition plans for the elderly population³. They are not the same as adults and their bodies function differently³. One individual could have a different energy expenditure than another and it has the capacity to influence their diet or portion sizes³. It discusses how low-carbohydrate diets help people lose weight, which could be tied into managing portion sizes³. Reduction should not be the prime focus, but rather finding a balance that is right for each person³. This article also addresses weight management in regards to underweight and malnourished senior citizens³. One concern is often insufficient protein³. Knowing this, teaching the target audience how to accurately assess protein portions, could help them get the correct amount.
RESEARCH ARTICLE #4:
Overweight and obesity, weight perception, and weight management practices among supplemental nutrition assistance program--education (SNAP-Ed) participants in Georgia: a needs assessment
This article talks about how low-income populations tend to be more overweight/obese and have more problems with weight management⁴. Weight management problems can still be found in all socioeconomic statuses, races, and genders even though it is more prevalent in low-income and minority groups⁴. It was found that more than 2/3rds of the adult population in the United States have problems with weight management which can lead to being at a risk for more chronic diseases⁴. The purpose of the study was to examine how people perceived their weight status, perception, and management to help develop curricula for a low-income populations about obesity⁴. This helps with the Theory of Planned Behavior because it is taking the participants ideas about weight management, perception, and status teaching them a lesson, and then seeing if their ideas change⁴. It allows them to relate their beliefs with their actions and what they are taught to make a difference in their lifestyle and to see how their weight perceptions caused them to make/not make a change⁴. It helps with the needs assessment because it allows us to know how many people have issues with weight management, and what populations have the most issues with weight management. This helps us understand how to combat the problem and relate to the specific population.
REFERENCES
- Jung SE, Shin YH, Kim S, Hermann J, Bice C. Identifying underlying beliefs about fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income older adults: an elicitation study bases on the theory of planned behavior. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2017;49(9). doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2017.05.343.
- Ervin R, Smiciklas-Wright H. Accuracy in estimating and recalling portion sizes of foods among elderly adults. Nutr Res. 2001;21(5):703-713. Doi:10.1016/s0271-5317(01)00288-3.
- Chau D, Cho LM, Jani P, St.Jeor ST. Individualizing recommendations for weight management in the elderly. Ovid. 2008;11:27-31. http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/sp-3.28.0a/ovidweb.cgi?WebLinkFrameset=1&S=NEJIFPIKHIDDGEDCNCFKFBIBNLJHAA00&returnUrl=ovidweb.cgi%3f%26Full%2bText%3dL%257cS.sh.22.23%257c0%257c00075197-200801000-00006%26S%3dNEJIFPIKHIDDGEDCNCFKFBIBNLJHAA00&directlink=http%3a%2f%2fovidsp.tx.ovid.com%2fovftpdfs%2fFPDDNCIBFBDCHI00%2ffs047%2fovft%2flive%2fgv024%2f00075197%2f00075197-200801000-00006.pdf&filename=Individualizing+recommendations+for+weight+management+in+the+elderly.&pdf_key=FPDDNCIBFBDCHI00&pdf_index=/fs047/ovft/live/gv024/00075197/00075197-200801000-00006. Accessed March 26, 2018.
- Bailey C, Lee JS. Overweight and obesity, weight perception, and weight management practices among supplemental nutrition assistance program--education (SNAP-Ed) participants in Georgia: a needs assessment. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2017;49(5):422-426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2017.02.007. Accessed March 26, 2018.
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