Branch Chain Amino Acids: The Next Breakthrough in Sports Nutrition?

By Victoria Martinet

Athletes are always looking for a competitive edge, be it through specialized coaching methods, equipment, training, or through diet and supplements. People are often attracted to ingestible products that guarantee them an advantage, as if taking a supplement or drinking the newest beverage will improve their performance just enough to overcome the competition.  While much of what’s out there for the public is probably not helpful (and all too often can contain additives that can increase weight gain), are some supplements worth considering? Continue reading

Posted in Features, Winter 2011 | 1 Comment

Hot Topic: Supplements for Memory

By Ryan Renaud

Americans currently spend an estimated 28 billion dollars a year on dietary supplements (1). Though many medical professionals question their effectiveness and safety, they have become an increasingly popular choice for consumers looking to enhance their health. Supplements that claim they boost cognitive abilities, known as nootropics, are particularly marketable to a populace in search of enhancing memory and keeping sharp through old age. The question remains, just how effective are these cognitive-enhancing supplements? Continue reading

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Journal Watch

By Caryn Donohue

This fall, the ADA, now the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, released its findings from the Nutrition and You: Trends 2011 public opinion survey, marking the survey’s 20th anniversary. While not conducted annually, this survey gives insight into what Americans think about diet, nutrition, and exercise, and what they’re doing about it.
Below you’ll find a summary of key findings. Continue reading

Posted in Journal Watch, Uncategorized, Winter 2011 | Leave a comment

Alumni Profile: Jill Carey, MS, RD

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New Student Notes

On behalf of The Grapevine and The Program in Nutrition, we would like to extend a warm welcome to… Continue reading

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Book Review: The Kind Diet

By Greta Kollmann
The Kind Diet, written by actress and vegan, Alicia Silverstone, is anything but a diet book. Instead, it’s a guide to eating and cooking healthy, plant-based foods.  Its primarily concerned with how our food choices are reflected in our own bodies and the environment.  One caveat: despite all of these positive attributes, the book does lack in scientific evidence and at times can be a bit more opinionated than factual.  However, it does bring good tips and discussion to the table. Continue reading

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Restaurant Review: Indian Cafe

By Caryn Donahue

A sign in Indian Café’s window caught my eye one afternoon while walking up to campus: 10% off all orders with a valid Columbia University ID card (dine-in only). Not in the mood for another salad, Indian food seemed like a good way to healthfully fuel up before a double header of evening classes – and I’m never one to turn down a discount. Continue reading

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Exotic Tastes: Oktoberfest

By Emily Haracopos

On a flight’s night of sleep, my weekend in Germany began.  A 53-hour European excursion may seem worthless, if not inane, but, any longer and my survival just might have been at stake; my boyfriend and I journeyed to Munich in late September for the sole purpose of attending the world’s largest festival, the legendary, beer-centered Oktoberfest. Continue reading

Posted in Exotic Tastes, Winter 2011 | 1 Comment

Food Day

By Diane May

On October 24th, 2011, Teachers College took part in the first national Food Day.  Food Day is a grassroots movement made up of individuals and organizations passionate about promoting healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. The TC event engaged the entire TC Community and was based around the Food Day school curriculum and featured  the programs and activities of the Center for Food & Environment. The Food Day School Curriculum was developed at TC by Pam Koch and Isobel Contento. Students from the Program in Nutrition, including almost all of the 20 current Dietetic Interns, worked the event and did a great job.  Continue reading

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Projects and Research

By Kathleen Porter, MS, RD

Many Program in Nutrition students only know EarthFriends as a room in the basement where we have a number of our classes.
However, EarthFriends is more than a room, it’s a Program! Since the 1970s, the EarthFriends Program has educated children, teachers, and families about the whole story of food and its connections among health, personal behavior, and the environment. EarthFriends is part of Drs. Isobel Contento and Pamela Koch’s Center for Food & Environment, which focuses on behavioral nutrition research, food and fitness policy and system change, and nutrition education. Continue reading

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