Last month I attended the annual meeting of the California Dietetic Association in Pasadena.  Dairy Council was pleased to be able to support this meeting, which drew over through exhibiting and sponsorship of one of the featured continuing education sessions.

Dayle Hayes, MS, RD, well-known and highly regarded author and nutrition coach, addressed a packed audience on “Healthy Eating Environments: Put Your Best Food Forward.”  In that address Ms. Hayes urged dietitians to focus on the positive, nutrient-rich aspects of food.

Her positive, all-foods approach and rejection of the growing trend towards restricting and villainizing certain foods was a refreshing alternative perspective to what we frequently hear at conference after conference.  While she focused much of her talk on children and the school meals programs in particular, much of her counsel would be applicable across all audiences:

• Build a total diet that fits individual tastes and lifestyles around nutrient-rich foods from all food groups instead of zeroing in on the avoidance of salt, sugar or fats.
• While there may be appropriate times and places to “legislate and regulate” food choices, there is an even greater need to “educate, motivate and inspire.”
• Don’t trivialize the enjoyment of food, when taste and family/cultural traditions influence choices. Food is more than a package of nutrients.  Eating should be a pleasure rather than a duty.

Her upbeat and realistic approach to consumer education on healthy food choices definitely resonated with the audience.  They welcomed “permission” to embrace a positive, “can do” approach vs. the often espoused negative, “must not” dictates that abound.  More information about Ms. Hayes and her work can be found at Nutrition for the Future.

Ms. Hayes’ nutrition philosophy mirrors very closely that of Dairy Council of California; its nutrition education resources for both children and adults are a definite reflection of this inclusive style of empowering consumers to make healthy eating choices that can be sustained over time.  She challenges us all to think about how we can be more positive and encouraging in our efforts to create healthy eating environments.

Mary Anne Burkman, MPH, RD
Director, Program Services