Nutrition Science & Dietetics News

Cynthia Sass, SU alum, nutrition health expert, presents “Stop Counting, Start Living” March 3 at Syracuse University

01/03/11

Syracuse University alumna Cynthia Sass, one of the most well known and respected registered dietitians in the country, will present, “Stop Counting, Start Living,” on March 3 at 7:00 p.m., Heroy Auditorium, on the SU campus. This informative discussion, which is free and open to the public, will explore issues around body image in America, how it relates to nourishing the body and the mind, and how individuals may improve their body images as well as transform their relationships with food.

“In my experience, the emphasis on simply counting calories in other weight loss plans has led people to overlook the quality of those calories, which I believe is critical for both nutritional status and optimal health for students and anyone,” notes Sass. Her lecture will highlight the merits of creating an eating plan that does not require counting calories, points or grams, which she says is cumbersome, and can become obsessive and difficult to continue long-term.

The event, which is sponsored by the Nutrition Education and Promotion Association (N.E.P.A.), the Joan Christy Food and Culture Program, and the College of David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, will include a book signing of Sass’ newest book, “Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches,” which debuted at #3 on the New York Times’ Best Seller List shortly after its release earlier this year. The Syracuse University Bookstore will have copies of Cinch! available for purchase that evening.

“Cinch is like a mini nutrition class, emotional eating and exercise workshop and cooking class all in one. My goal in writing it was to help readers better understand nutrition, how their bodies work, overcome emotional eating, fall in love with being active and to offer a simple, doable strategy that lays out what to eat, why, how much and when” explains Sass. “Within four days of its release, it was #1 in all books on amazon.com .I think it has resonated with people because it’s a simple strategy that clears up the clutter and makes eating healthy easy,” notes Sass.

A three-time New York Times best-selling author and columnist based in New York City, Sass is an often-invited guest and expert resource on shows and networks that include The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Rachel Ray Show, The Dr. Oz. Show, The Biggest Loser, Nightline, CNN, ABC World News Tonight, Fox News Live, NPR, and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. She is now an ABC News contributor and Good Morning America Health’s ‘Food Coach.’

“NEPA members thought it would be beneficial to learn about healthy eating without focusing on being ‘skinny.’ A lot of people think that eating healthy is important to lose weight, but it is important for many other reasons,” says Marissa Donovan, fundraising chair, NEPA.

N.E.P.A is a student-run organization in the Falk College Nutrition Science and Dietetics Program that actively promotes health and wellness on campus and in the community through education and activities that involve nutrition awareness. The organization is active in many local service projects and is currently working with local soup kitchens, and community organizations.

Sass is the co-author of “Flat Belly Diet!” and “The Flat Belly Diet! Cookbook” and authored, “Your Diet is Driving Me Crazy: When Food Conflicts Get in the Way of Your Love Life.” The former nutrition director and Grocery Guru columnist at Prevention magazine, she is a contributing editor, blogger and columnist for Shape magazine. Sass is one of the first registered dietitians to become Board Certified as a Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and is the sports nutritionist for the New York Rangers NHL team and the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team and served as the nutrition consultant to the Philadelphia Phillies from 2007-2009. She also serves as the Food Coach columnist for Remedy magazine, sports nutrition columnist for Tennis magazine, and a contributing editor, columnist and the sole nutritionist for Athletes Quarterly. She serves on the advisory boards of Whole Living, Taste of Home and Healthy Cooking magazines. She maintains a private practice in Manhattan where she counsels a wide range of people, from professional athletes, models and CEOs to new moms, teens and couples.

Cynthia graduated with highest honors from Syracuse University where she earned both a bachelor and a master in nutrition science (MA). She completed a second master in public health (MPH) at the University of South Florida, with an emphasis in community and family health education.

NSD faculty, students, alums present at FNCE

01/12/10

At the American Dietetic Association’s (ADA) Food and Nutrition Conference (Boston, MA, Nov. 6-9), several presentations took place featuring the research and scholarly work of faculty, students and alumni from the Department of Nutrition Science and Dietetics. A poster presentation entitled, “Leadership, Mentoring and Retirement Intentions Among Dietitians in Central New York,” assessed the beliefs and attitudes of Central New York registered dietitians (RDs) on the topics of succession, leadership and mentoring. It also described the retirement intentions and leadership and mentoring needs among RDs employed in Central New York.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted by graduate nutrition students and their faculty member as part of a graduate research methods course. Study variables included: demographic information, current area of practice, beliefs about future employment trends, retirement intentions and attitudes regarding leadership and mentoring. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained prior to data collection. Two hundred forty-two RDs were invited to participate in the electronic survey and complete data were obtained for 121 participants (response rate 50%). Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analyses were performed using SPSS software. Half of RDs were over 46 years old and a majority (77%) had completed some graduate coursework or beyond. Retirement intentions show that most RDs (59%) plan on retiring in more than 15 years, with 6.8% planning on retiring within the next 5 years. While 82% of RDs agreed that mentoring future leaders is important, 56% agreed (and 13% strongly agreed) that RDs in management/ leadership positions are mentoring upcoming dietitians to be future leaders. Overall, since many RDs plan on staying in practice for at least the next fifteen years an opportunity exists for current RDs to adequately mentor future RDs towards leadership/ management roles.

The poster presentation summarized research findings that examined how many RDs were planning to retire in the near future and whether newer RDs are being mentored into management and leadership positions adequately to ensure a solid foundation for future practice. A majority of the RDs agreed or strongly agreed that mentoring was important and most in management-level positions reported that they are mentoring RDs to take on management/leadership roles.

L-R: Qianzhi Jiang (grad student), Collette Powers (former grad student/current dietetic intern), Lynn Brann, assistant profesor, Kathryn DeIeso-Szklany (grad student), Sarah Formoza (former grad student/current dietetic intern), Cindy Chan Phillips (grad student), Debra Connolly (dietetic internship director). Others who participated but were not at the conference: Laura Stuart (former grad student) and Chaya Charles (grad student/dietitian).