The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics will kick off the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo on Saturday in Philadelphia. The four-day event is expected to have more than 10,000 attendees, including dietitians, nutritionists, policymakers and foodservice professionals. The lineup of workshops, sessions and speakers will address hot topics in the nutrition and foodservice industries and tackle prevalent questions, such as how Americans can reconcile the need for convenience and a love of food with health and nutrition. Some special sessions to look out for:
- FNCE begins with an opening keynote speech from Dean Karnazes, an endurance athlete and author of “50/50,” in which he chronicles his quest to run 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days.
- On Sunday, Pennsylvania State University professor and Guthrie Chair in Nutrition Barbara Rolls will lead the session “Is ‘Eat Less’ the Best Message? When Bigger Portions Can Be Better,” in which she will discuss how increasing the portion size of some food, such as fruits and vegetables, might be the answer to cutting calories and increasing satiety.
- Later that day, nutritionists from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service will talk about how we can inspire children to make healthy eating decisions in “Making MyPlate Their Plate: Research-Based Messages for Children” at 1:30 p.m. This session will review how MyPlate lessons can be used in schools to teach children about nutrition while also acting as a tool to teach core subjects such as English, math and science.
- At 8 a.m. Monday, a panel of five internationally acclaimed speakers will discuss how healthy eating and an active lifestyle work together, in the session “Energy Balance: Where Nutrition and Exercise Meet.” Topics that will be addressed include the role of diet and exercise in weight management and the effect of a high-protein diet on athletes versus non-athletes.
- At 3:30 p.m. Monday, head over to “Time to Socialize: The Ins and Outs of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn” to hear from two nutrition consultants about how social networking can open doors for registered dietitians and how to pick which social media platform is the best fit for your brand and your life.
- On Tuesday, check out “Food Allergy Nation and the Role of RDs” to learn the latest news and legislation about the ever-increasing population with food allergies.
Which sessions and speakers most interest you? Tell us in the comments. Be sure to check out SmartBlog on Food & Beverage for more FNCE coverage throughout the week!