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Healthier Children, Healthier Nation
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS President’s Page
Healthier Children, Healthier Nation
I
T IS AN HONOR FOR ME TO SERVE as the Academy’s 2017-2018 President. This honor is even more special because 2017 is our Academy’s Centennial year. Since the Academy’s beginning, food and health systems have continued to evolve, becoming more global and complex. These challenges also create unprecedented opportunities for innovation and collaboration. During this year, I plan to write about the registered dietitian nutritionists and the nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered, of the 21st century: What will we be doing? How will we promote nutrition and health in the coming years and decades? Where do we find innovation and creativity? Who are our role models? In future columns, I’ll spotlight members who are already leading the way, doing the jobs of the future. I hope to ignite a year-long conversation: How can we best honor the spirit and legacy of our founders and, in our Second Century, create a profession that lives up to their inspiration?
NO GREATER CALLING Especially during the past year, I was inspired by the former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. I truly believe there is no greater calling than to be able to teach children to live a healthier life. It is always a joy and a privilege to have leaders in this country who share the same passions as the members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In my capacity as a school nutrition director, I had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with Mrs Obama on several occasions, and to attend the October 2016 White House celebration of the Let’s Move! initiative and help with the final fall harvest of the White House Garden. What an honor it was to celebrate the accomplishments that happened as a result of Let’s Move! I could not be more proud of what is going on in this country to improve the health of our children, and I have often reflected that I could not have a better job. Each day, I get to teach children—who then go home and ª 2017 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
teach their parents—what a healthy meal looks like. The children in my county eat over 65 different fruits and vegetables. They are growing up eating wholewheat bread and actually prefer it to white bread. Student-athletes no longer struggle through practice because they are getting the after-school snacks and supper meal they need to fuel them through their training. Our Farm to School program has had a huge impact, not only in our lunch room, where we have been able to double the fruit and vegetable intake by students, but also in our ability to help local farmers and lower our carbon footprint. The success of our Farm to School program led to creating the firstever local farmer’s market in our community. I could tell you much more! As a parent, grandparent, taxpayer, and registered dietitian nutritionist, I could not be happier to see what we are doing for children. Nutrition and health for kids is a nonpartisan issue, and one that all of us can get behind and celebrate. We share a passion for molding a future for children that will endure for their lifetimes. Healthier children really do make a healthier nation.
“SETTING THE TABLE” On this page is a photo I took of one of the most interesting and inspiring parts of the White House Garden—a table created by faculty and students at the University of Virginia. The table and
other structures in the garden “used wood sourced from throughout the United States, including wood from significant sites in American history,” including Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, James Madison’s Montpelier, James Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland, and (a welcome sight for this lifelong Georgian!), Martin Luther King Jr’s home in Atlanta.1 As I looked at the table, I also thought of the Academy and our leadership in the world of food and nutrition. We often describe this leadership role by saying “We are at the table.” Then it occurred to me—we are not just at the table, we are setting the table and inviting others to join us. For me, that idea captures the meaning of our Second Century and the part we will play in creating it. Finally, my deepest thanks to my predecessor Lucille Beseler, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE, FAND, who has been an amazing President. It is a privilege to succeed her. And I look forward to making our Second Century a reality with you. Donna S. Martin, EdS, RDN, LD, SNS, FAND [email protected] http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.04.003
Reference 1.
Newman C. Michelle Obama’s White House kitchen garden gets UVA-led facelift. UVA Today. https://news.virginia.edu/content/ michelle-obamas-white-house-kitchen-gardengets-uva-led-facelift. Accessed April 21, 2017.
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
837
Healthier Children, Healthier Nation
I
T IS AN HONOR FOR ME TO SERVE as the Academy’s 2017-2018 President. This honor is even more special because 2017 is our Academy’s Centennial year. Since the Academy’s beginning, food and health systems have continued to evolve, becoming more global and complex. These challenges also create unprecedented opportunities for innovation and collaboration. During this year, I plan to write about the registered dietitian nutritionists and the nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered, of the 21st century: What will we be doing? How will we promote nutrition and health in the coming years and decades? Where do we find innovation and creativity? Who are our role models? In future columns, I’ll spotlight members who are already leading the way, doing the jobs of the future. I hope to ignite a year-long conversation: How can we best honor the spirit and legacy of our founders and, in our Second Century, create a profession that lives up to their inspiration?
NO GREATER CALLING Especially during the past year, I was inspired by the former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. I truly believe there is no greater calling than to be able to teach children to live a healthier life. It is always a joy and a privilege to have leaders in this country who share the same passions as the members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In my capacity as a school nutrition director, I had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with Mrs Obama on several occasions, and to attend the October 2016 White House celebration of the Let’s Move! initiative and help with the final fall harvest of the White House Garden. What an honor it was to celebrate the accomplishments that happened as a result of Let’s Move! I could not be more proud of what is going on in this country to improve the health of our children, and I have often reflected that I could not have a better job. Each day, I get to teach children—who then go home and ª 2017 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
teach their parents—what a healthy meal looks like. The children in my county eat over 65 different fruits and vegetables. They are growing up eating wholewheat bread and actually prefer it to white bread. Student-athletes no longer struggle through practice because they are getting the after-school snacks and supper meal they need to fuel them through their training. Our Farm to School program has had a huge impact, not only in our lunch room, where we have been able to double the fruit and vegetable intake by students, but also in our ability to help local farmers and lower our carbon footprint. The success of our Farm to School program led to creating the firstever local farmer’s market in our community. I could tell you much more! As a parent, grandparent, taxpayer, and registered dietitian nutritionist, I could not be happier to see what we are doing for children. Nutrition and health for kids is a nonpartisan issue, and one that all of us can get behind and celebrate. We share a passion for molding a future for children that will endure for their lifetimes. Healthier children really do make a healthier nation.
“SETTING THE TABLE” On this page is a photo I took of one of the most interesting and inspiring parts of the White House Garden—a table created by faculty and students at the University of Virginia. The table and
other structures in the garden “used wood sourced from throughout the United States, including wood from significant sites in American history,” including Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, James Madison’s Montpelier, James Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland, and (a welcome sight for this lifelong Georgian!), Martin Luther King Jr’s home in Atlanta.1 As I looked at the table, I also thought of the Academy and our leadership in the world of food and nutrition. We often describe this leadership role by saying “We are at the table.” Then it occurred to me—we are not just at the table, we are setting the table and inviting others to join us. For me, that idea captures the meaning of our Second Century and the part we will play in creating it. Finally, my deepest thanks to my predecessor Lucille Beseler, MS, RDN, LDN, CDE, FAND, who has been an amazing President. It is a privilege to succeed her. And I look forward to making our Second Century a reality with you. Donna S. Martin, EdS, RDN, LD, SNS, FAND [email protected] http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.04.003
Reference 1.
Newman C. Michelle Obama’s White House kitchen garden gets UVA-led facelift. UVA Today. https://news.virginia.edu/content/ michelle-obamas-white-house-kitchen-gardengets-uva-led-facelift. Accessed April 21, 2017.
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
837