Nutrition Science & Dietetics News
Study to investigate nutritional implications of eating alone in Korea
Data from the National Statistical Office (NSO) shows that the number of single-person households in Korea, totaling 539,800, comprised 27.9 percent of the total number of households in 2016. This has led to many socio-cultural changes, including dietary habits, as more and more Koreans find themselves eating alone.
“The prevalence of eating alone can be explained from two perspectives: demographic perspective of increased single-person households and a cultural perspective of the expansion of individualism,” says Dayeon Shin, Ph.D., R.D., Assistant Professor in the Falk College Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition. “Korean society has long been dominated by collectivism and community, but lately has seen an expansion in the ‘alone generation.’ These individuals are those who eat, drink, and travel alone. Eating alone, however, is not simply a matter regarding food, but rather is an outcome reflecting the structural and cultural changes in Korean society, such as changes in social relationships, long working hours, and a deepening individualist culture.”
Yet, in the midst of this growing trend, there is a lack of research surrounding the subject and its implications. Dr. Shin will help build this much-needed body of knowledge as co-investigator in a study led by principal investigator Chul-Kyoo Kim, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Sociology at Korea University, thanks to a $13,252 grant from the Youlchon Foundation in South Korea.
“This study conducts two empirical analyses to discover the implications of eating alone in terms of actual daily life, health, and social relationships,” says Dr. Shin. “First, the dietary patterns of adults who eat alone will be identified in association with health outcomes. Second, an in-depth study is conducted among the youth population as the target group, as they can be regarded as the main generation involved in the studied phenomenon.”
For more information about research at Falk College, please visit Falk College Research Center website.
Falk College Marks Child Nutrition Day with Food Demo, Tasting at Bernice M. Wright Lab School
A rainbow.
This multi-colored food kaleidoscope supports a deliberate effort known as “eating the rainbow” to help children make healthy food choices. Thanks to a grant from the American Culinary Federation (ACF) in support of Child Nutrition Day in October, associate teaching professor and ACF chef Mary Kiernan, presented a mini food demonstration and tasting of the rainbow with children at the Bernice M. Wright (BMW) Lab School.
Childhood Nutrition Day celebrated on or around Oct. 16 each year focuses on fostering and promoting awareness of proper nutrition. Recently, children at the BMW Lab School, a part of Falk College’s Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS), worked in small groups led by Chef Kiernan and Falk nutrition major Mary Mik, who is also a Susan R. Klenk Learning Assistant. The demonstration engaged children ages two through four on such topics as how many taste buds a person has and why the foods they sampled that day are important to good nutrition.
Nutrition News 2017 now available
From the latest news and events in the Nutrition program to highlights of student and faculty projects, read the latest edition of Nutrition News covering the nutrition, nutrition science and dietetics programs in Syracuse University’s Falk College.
Falk College welcomes prospective students at New York City
On Sunday, October 1, Falk College will welcome prospective students and family members in the greater New York City metropolitan area to an informational program at 12:00 noon at Syracuse University’s Lubin House, 11 E. 61st Street. A parking garage is available adjacent to the Lubin House building. In addition to the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Falk Admissions Office staff, the program will provide an overview of the college’s academic programs for undergraduates in Food Studies, Human Development and Family Science, Nutrition Dietetics, Nutrition Science, Pre-Health, Public Health, Social Work, Sport Analytics, and Sport Management.
Undergraduate Fall Orange Preview Days are scheduled for Monday, October 9 and Friday, November 10. Online registration for all programs is accessible at on Syracuse University’s website.
Falk College welcomes new faculty and staff
Falk College is pleased to announce the appointment of one new faculty member, Dayeon Shin, as well as three visiting faculty members, Kate Clancy, Indu Gupta, and Sreekumar Nellickappilly, all joining the the Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition. Falk also welcomes new staff members who have joined various departments of Falk College in the past academic year, including the Department of Human Development and Family Science, the School of Social Work, and the Office of the Dean.
Congratulations Class of 2017!
Dean Diane Lyden Murphy, along with the faculty and staff of Falk College, congratulates the Class of 2017! We are excited to see where your careers take you. Remember that you are “forever orange” and will always be a part of Falk College and Syracuse University.
We invite you to stay in touch and connect through social media, on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
As alumni, you will now receive FalkTalk, Falk College’s email newsletter for alumni, parents and friends. FalkTalk keeps you up-to-date with news headlines, student highlights, and upcoming events delivered to your inbox at the end of each semester.
Learn how to stay connected to the ‘Cuse Community in regions all around the world
Answer these quick questions on how to reach you after graduation
We have many photos to share that recap some of the celebration events of this past week:
- Falk College Convocation & Reception
- BSSW Awards Celebration
- MSW Graduates Headed to Europe
- Human Development and Family Science Celebration
- Public Health Food Studies and Nutrition Awards Presentation
- Public Health Posters
- Marriage and Family Therapy Graduation Luncheon
- Sport Management Senior Reception
- Convocation photos from Sport Management
Check out more photos of commencement weekend on Collage or at #SUGrad17.
Creating meaningful food system and policy change
Presented by the chair of the nominating committee for the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, the presentation, “Cooking Skills: This Missing Ingredient in Health Eating?” focused on how food and cooking skills can be empowering, and the important role a food systems approach plays in health and dietary change. Of the presentation, Wilkins notes, “the presenter gave a clear call to action to professionals to become involved to create meaningful food system and policy change.”
And so, Wilkins ran for—and was recently elected—vice president of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB). Her three-year term will guide the organization’s mission to promote effective nutrition education and healthy behavior through research, policy and practice. This role may offer exciting opportunities for students to get involved as well. “I can foresee a strategy for engaging nutrition and food studies students in ideas for program content and modes of program delivery. Engaging students as session organizers and speakers could be another way to provide exciting leadership opportunities and professional experience,” says Wilkins.
Outside of her new leadership role in SNEB, key projects Wilkins is currently involved in include a master’s project focused on revisions to the Thrifty Food Plan to include a sustainability criteria and analyzed to assess impact on price of the market basket and availability of specific foods in it. She is currently working on a nutritional analysis of the first regional food guide in the United States, the Northeast Regional Food Guide (now updated as MyPlate Northeast) that she created. This guide promotes healthy eating, sustainability, and local food systems. She continues development of a transdisciplinary approach to recommendations for animal food intake based on a maximization of the services farm animals can provide in an integrated farming system.
Dr. Wilkins joined Falk College in 2014 from the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University where she remains a visiting professor scholar. Her applied research includes: consumer and food system implications of regional dietary guidance.
Joan Christy lecture series presents “Adding Flavor to Heart Health” April 10
The Falk College nutrition program will host “Adding Flavor to Heart Health,” a culinary demonstration and tasting with Cindy Chan Phillips ‘14, MS, MBA, RD, director of nutrition education for the New York Beef Council, Monday, April 10, 2017 from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. in the Nutrition Assessment, Consultation and Education (ACE) Center demonstration kitchen, Falk 204, as part of the Joan Christy lecture series.
“Adding Flavor to Heart Health” will discuss the role of protein in managing both weight and overall health, as well as demonstrate how to incorporate lean beef into healthy meals to meet the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and add flavor without superfluous sugar, salt, and fat. Recipes to be used in “Adding Flavor to Heart Health” include an easy Mexican beef cornbread muffins breakfast, and a cook once, eat twice dinner of pepper-crusted sirloin with garlic-sherry sauce and Korean-style beef and rice bowl.
“There is no doubt about it, the consumption of beef is a very controversial topic in the U.S.,” says Tanya Horacek, Ph.D., RD, professor in the Falk College Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition. “Dietary guidelines and dietitians have been recommending that the general public reduce their intake of red meats as one way to improve health outcomes. The reality is most Americans are still eating a lot of meat and as dietitians, we need to figure out how to meet them in the middle.”
Cindy Chan Phillips is a registered dietitian, health communicator and currently the New York Beef Council director of nutrition education. She received her master of science in nutrition science from Syracuse University, her MBA in marketing in San Diego State University, and a chef certificate from Mohawk Valley Community College’s hospitality program.
Cindy has experience in both clinical and community nutrition. She was the primary dietitian of the Critical Care Unit at St. Luke’s Hospital where she provided medical nutrition therapy and nutrition education to improve the clinical outcome for critically ill patients, or patients with acute or chronic disease conditions.
“Cindy Chan Phillips, a Syracuse University alumna, has an elegant way of sharing how we can have beef in a healthy way,” Horacek adds. “Her presentation is engaging, myth busting, and shares some important information and tips for the general public and dietitians working with them.”
The Joan Christy lecture series is made possible by The Christy Food and Culture Fund, established in 2005 through the generosity of Syracuse University nutrition alumna Joan Christy ’78, G’81 to provide support for a lecture series in the nutrition program at Syracuse University.
Tour the Susan R. Klenk Learning Café and Kitchens
Take a virtual tour of the Susan R. Klenk Learning Café and Kitchens, a new hands-on learning laboratory to prepare students with traditional and emerging professional competencies for careers in food, nutrition, dietetics, and public health. The facility includes an experimental food lab kitchen, commercial kitchen, baking nook and café. A video camera system allows faculty and chef instructors to broadcast classes, food demonstrations and seminars from Falk College to anywhere on campus and across the country.
A generous and visionary gift from Falk College alumna, Susan R. Klenk, made the learning café and kitchens possible. A dual major in the School of Education, Klenk pursued a teaching career with the Syracuse City School District. Because her career always revolved around supporting students to help them be successful, she created the Susan R. Klenk Learning Assistantship in September 2009 that allows them to take a leadership role, provide support for classmates and gain valuable management experience.
“Susan Klenk is a true advocate for student learning and a generous visionary whose on-going support makes Syracuse University an extraordinary place to study food. With the opening of the Klenk Learning Café and Kitchens thanks to Susan’s commitment and support, Falk College, which began offering courses in food and nutrition in 1917, is leading the way in preparing students for expanding career opportunities in food,” says Diane Lyden Murphy, dean, Falk College.
The learning café and teaching kitchens set the stage for industry-leading, forward-thinking approaches to food and culture, nutrition, research, and food studies development. Its design fosters creativity and collaboration across a variety of departments, schools and colleges, creating interdisciplinary partnerships that support teaching innovation, student learning, research and scholarship. In addition to unlimited faculty-supervised hands-on experiences, this dedicated space will provide an ideal environment for student-faculty research projects and educational community partnerships that set the SU programs apart.
Nutrition students learn, explore, network at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo
This October, 30 undergraduate, graduate and dietetic intern students attended the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) in Boston, MA and afterward, attended a Syracuse University nutrition alumni reception.
At FNCE, students attended a variety of the 270 educational sessions, explored hundreds of vendors and networked with both dietetic professionals and alumni. “The students were inspired by the breadth and depth of our field and returned with some new ideas and a passion for how they can contribute as nutrition professionals as they move forward,” says nutrition professor Tanya Horacek.
“Attending the 2016 FNCE conference was by far one of the most valuable and exciting experiences of my career thus far as a nutrition dietetics student,” says nutrition student Abigail Moore ‘18. “I met countless inspiring individuals and had a ton of fun getting to speak with other people in the field. I also felt so privileged to be able to sit in on the sessions where the most knowledgeable nutrition professionals in their respective fields spoke about the most current and relevant studies, trends, ideas, and practice applications.”
There were 100 attendees at the alumni reception. “It was so nice to be able to visit with alumni from the various years and see them interaction with current students and dietetic interns,” Horacek adds. The Syracuse University nutrition program will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2017.
The nutrition department supported 9 students with grants to cover the cost of attendance.
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