Agricultural News
OK Beef Council Joins Neighbor States in Hosting Dieticians at 2017 Nutrition Adventure with Beef
Tue, 13 Jun 2017 11:21:31 CDT
The Oklahoma Beef Council, in partnership with the Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri beef councils, hosted a select group of 27 registered dietitians from 10 states in Kansas City, for Nutrition Adventure 2017. The checkoff-funded event emphasized beef's nutritional profile and culinary versatility through practical applications and immersion experiences. The attendees were selected given their high level of involvement on social media and blog platforms. To view a video from the event, click here.
Attendees at the checkoff-funded event learned about beef nutrition, including lean cuts of beef, optimal protein levels in the diet and emerging human nutrition research.
Registered dietitian Holley Grainger provided the group with practical solutions to help families prepare for mealtime through interactive demonstrations. Afterward, the dietitians were tasked with utilizing unique and trendy ingredients to maximize taste, flavor, and eating experience of beef dishes in a hands-on cooking competition.
In addition, there was a discussion on the signals of appetite and how this affects nutrition. The group also took part in a hands-on session covering food photography, live videos and promotion to showcase recipes on their blogs. For Cheryl Mussatto, dietitian and columnist at Eat Well to Be Well, the program emphasized beef's nutritional value. "We don't need to be scared of beef. There are nearly 40 cuts of lean beef and it's leaner than it used to be. Beef is such a high-quality food with so many nutrients, consumers don't need to be afraid of beef. They can buy it for their family and serve it at home."
A high point for many participants was a tour of Tailgate Ranch near Tonganoxie. There, the group mingled with area beef producers and heard firsthand from a panel made up of Kirk Sours, a cow-calf producer and manager of Tailgate Ranch; Dan Thomson, a veterinarian from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine; Jack Klosterman, a feedyard operator with Grass Valley Feeders in David City, Nebraska; and Angie Siemens, vice president of food safety, quality and regulatory with Cargill Meat Solutions in Wichita. The dietitians spent several hours asking the panelists questions. Topics varied from factually defining conventional, organic, natural and grass-finished beef to growth hormones.
For Jana Mowrer, dietitian from Fresno, California, the panel discussion provided insight to the beef production cycle. "We have a disconnect with our food. We sat next to farmers and saw first-hand what was going on. It's completely opposite of what's in the media and documentaries." She added that the experience was beneficial because "dietitians are the ones working with people to help make their diets and create meal plans so we have to be able to talk with and give the correct information to consumers."
Oklahoma was pleased to have an excellent group of dietitians on the tour including:
- Tiffany Grant, MA, RDN/LD, Chickasaw Nation, Get Fresh! Nutrition Education Program
- Ashley Smith, MS, RD/LD, blogger and a regular contributor to Newsok.com
- Heather Steele, RD/LD, Reasor's, 19 store retail chain in Oklahoma
- Amanda Ford, MS, RDN/LDN, Family & Consumer Sciences Educator at OSU Extension
According to Heather Steele, who is one of four dietitians on staff responsible for nutrition outreach with Reasors' customers, "First let me thank you for the invitation to the Nutrition Adventure last week and for hosting such an amazing learning opportunity for all of us. I know I will be able to use the information almost daily in my interactions with customers at the store level at Reasor's. I truly appreciate how well organized and communicated this event was from the start all the way to the last day! I know how much hard work had to go into the planning and execution of this event, so thank you!"
Source - Oklahoma Beef Council
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
