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Practice Trends

Discover the latest trends and advancements in nutrition and dietetics with insights into their impact on patient outcomes and dietetics practice. Stay up-to-date on hot topics in the field, gain valuable knowledge on consumer trends and explore the potential effects of emerging research in nutrition. Enhance your understanding of the evolving landscape of nutrition and dietetics for better-informed decision-making.

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Food as Medicine bagged groceries on table

A Guide to Food as Medicine

While healthy eating patterns can reduce the risk of many health conditions, access to nutritious foods remains a barrier for many Americans. Food as Medicine initiatives work to remove these barriers.

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A container of bovine colostrum powdered supplement laying on its side, with a scoop of supplemental powder next to it.

What Are Colostrum Supplements?

Sometimes known as liquid gold, nutrient-dense colostrum is the first milk individuals who breastfeed produce before their mature milk supply comes in. However, it’s important to note the colostrum supplements currently gaining popularity are not intended for infants.

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Collection of soy based products including soy beans, edamame, soy sauce, tofu and soy milk

The Science on Soy

Soy seems to have an equal number of fans and enemies. Should we go out of our way to eat more soy or avoid it? Unlike some hot-button food trends, there is a lot of research on soy, allowing food and nutrition professionals to offer evidence-based answers to questions and concerns about soy-based foods and beverages.

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Child with measles rash

Use of Vitamin A in the Treatment of Measles

Considered one of the most contagious infectious diseases, the release of a measles vaccine in 1963 led to significantly fewer cases in the United States. However, recent outbreaks have raised the question of if there are nutrition interventions that can be used to treat or prevent it.

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Plate of salad greens with berries, which are part of the MIND diet.

What is the MIND Diet?

Nutrition may be an important modifiable risk factor in the strategy to prevent or delay the onset of dementia and other forms of cognitive decline. Learn about the MIND diet and its potential health benefits.

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Baby with eczema is higher risk for developing a food allergy.

Minimizing Risk of Food Allergy in Infants

According to data collected in 2021 by the CDC, almost 6% of children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with a food allergy, and the percentage increases with age. Although concerns still exist regarding the incidence of food allergies being on the rise, more promising research has been published in recent years focusing on their prevention.

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Different foods have a different glycemic index, indicating how fast the food affects your blood sugar.

A Primer on Glycemic Index

Interest in the glycemic index has increased over the years, as has the number of claims regarding its effectiveness, yet research evaluating its potential role in the prevention or treatment of certain health conditions is still evolving. Learn more, including how RDNs can translate the science when speaking to patients or clients.

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Female dietitian reviews x-rays and notes on nutrition for woman with lung cancer diagnosis.

Nutrition for People with Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the country and has been the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. This article details the different types of lung cancer, risk factors, dietary strategies and the role of registered dietitian nutritionists in treatment as part of the health care team.

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Woman with gout massages her swollen and inflamed ankles and feet.

Is a Purine-Restricted Diet Still Recommended for Gout?

Many factors have been associated with increased risk of developing gout, including age, sex, genetics, medical conditions, overweight and obesity, severe illness or surgery, certain medications, and alcohol consumption. Although particular foods and dietary patterns have been shown to elevate serum levels of uric acid, recent research suggests genetics may play a more influential role in explaining variances in serum urate levels.

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Medical health care professional holding a diagram of the stomach to represent endoscopic bariatric therapies that can be performed for people with obesity.

Exploring Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies

As a less invasive treatment for weight loss, compared to other bariatric procedures, endoscopic bariatric therapies have continued to gain acceptance, especially for patients with obesity who are unable to lose weight or maintain it solely through lifestyle interventions or other methods. Learn how RDNs can support patients undergoing EBT.

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An assortment of grains, nuts and legumes, which research has indicated are high-nickel food sources, a consideration for people with a nickel allergy.

Diet in the Management of Nickel Allergy

Nickel is regarded as one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis, an intensely itchy rash in response to prolonged and repeated contact with nickel in individuals who have a sensitivity to it. While recommendations for adults with nickel allergy may include managing symptoms by foregoing high-nickel food sources, a low-nickel diet is not currently recommended for children.

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Dietitian calculating nutrition needs of patient or client

Adjusted or Ideal Body Weight for Nutrition Assessment

Many of the resting metabolic rate, also known as RMR, equations that are used today by registered dietitian nutritionists are based on actual body weight. Learn about research evaluating the use of adjusted body weight and what to do if RMR can't be measured by indirect calorimetry.

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Measuring Growth for Children and Adolescents

In the pediatric population, both age and sex are important considerations since body composition changes as children grow and can differ depending on their sex and maturity. In the year 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published revised growth charts for "assessing the size and growth patterns of infants, children and adolescents" in the United States.

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Sesame, named the 9th major food allergen in the United States, comes in forms including oil, seeds and more.

Sesame: Ninth Major Food Allergen in U.S.

It is estimated that around 1 million Americans have a sesame allergy. Yet, until recently, sesame was not considered to be one of the major food allergens in the United States; labeling of sesame as an allergen on packaged food products was not required until 2023.

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Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil

After its use decreased in recent decades due to its high saturated fatty acid content, coconut oil has been making a comeback.

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MNT for Pressure Ulcers

MNT for Pressure Ulcers

The recommendations relating to the Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers/Injuries: Clinical Practice Guideline have recently undergone their third revision by the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP), the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP), and the Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance (PPPIA).

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woman expressing horror and regret while sitting in front of laptop

Recovering from a Social Media Faux Pas

There is little benefit in deliberately provoking or dividing your community. Engaging in offensive or polarizing social media behavior can lead to significant losses, such as professional reputation and potential opportunities down the line. Nevertheless, we all make mistakes, and breaching the boundaries of online etiquette doesn't have to be an irreversible act.

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woman shocked and annoyed looking at her computer

Managing Trolls on Online Forums

In folklore, trolls live under bridges and taunt passersby. Today, trolls are no less vile. Like everything else, however, they’ve gone digital, lurking online. Their goal isn’t engaging online communities; it’s enraging them. Here are some tips to manage trolls on online forums.

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hands holding up smartphone with social media apps

The Job You Didn't Know You Lost

Whether you are a student, newly minted RDN or NDTR or a seasoned pro, social media and online comments can have unintended consequences on your career. Check your digital footprint to avoid losing a future job or other opportunity (without even knowing it).

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Understanding Histamine Intolerance

Each person's level of tolerance to histamine is unique and ever changing, so the approach to reduce dietary sources of histamine needs to be individualized for patients or clients with a suspected intolerance.

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Nutrients that Support Eye Health

Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is one of the main reasons for vision loss in older adults and is the most common cause of legal blindness in the U.S. and other developed countries.

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Nutrition Fact Check: Seed Oils

In recent years, the nutritional value of seed oils — often referred to as vegetable oils — has come under increased scrutiny. This brief report summarizes current evidence on the effects of seed oils on health outcomes.

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Food Allergies and Best Practices for RDNs

RDNs can assist patients with food allergies by creating strategies to avoid allergens while focusing on the nutritional adequacy overall with label reading, safe and nutritious food substitution, dining out in restaurants, managing allergens in schools and preventing cross-contamination at home. 

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Nutrition Fact Check: Food Dyes

Synthetic food dyes are often used in processed foods to add and enhance color and visual appeal. While concerns surrounding the use of these additives are not new, recent advocacy efforts have renewed public interest in calling for the removal of synthetic food dyes.

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Nutrition Fact Check: Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have emerged as a growing focus in nutrition science due to increasing evidence that these foods contribute to multiple chronic diseases. Consumption of UPFs has increased significantly, with UPFs contributing over 50% of total calorie intake in the United States, prompting concern from public health experts, dietitians and clinicians alike.

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The Mediterranean Diet

The term "Mediterranean diet" can be used to describe the eating pattern of at least 16 countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, which presents some difficulty in characterizing a Mediterranean diet.

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Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber is undoubtedly an essential part of a healthy eating plan, yet its effect as a nutrient has been somewhat elusive.

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Metrics for Assessing Abdominal Obesity

The ratio of weight to height is measured in body mass index (BMI) and is used to estimate adiposity, however it does not provide information on the distribution of body fat or a full picture on individual health risks.

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Phenylketonuria

PKU occurs when the body is deficient in the enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase, which converts the essential amino acid phenylalanine (Phe) to tyrosine.

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