Nationally known sports nutrition expert Leslie J. Bonci will present “Fuels of Engagement: Nutrition Trends That Should Stay and End” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in Grant Auditorium at the Falk College complex.
Bonci is the featured speaker of the sixth annual Ann Selkowitz Litt Distinguished Speaker Series. The lecture is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served at 5:30 p.m.
“I am so honored and excited to speak at Syracuse University and honor the legacy and memory of a colleague, a pioneer and a wonderful sports registered dietician, Ann Litt,” Bonci says. “My topic is ‘Fuels of Engagement,’ which will focus on how to strategize, optimize and realize goals through food choices and eating habits activation.
“How can we tune out the misinformation, create order out of chaos, eat within our means and make progress without unintended consequences?” Bonci adds. “Individualization with food choices should nurture, empower, enable and complement lifestyle, health, and well-being in an affordable, available, accessible and actionable manner.”
Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN, is the owner of Active Eating Advice, a nutrition consulting company, and co-founder of Performance 365, a sports nutrition consulting company. Her clients include the National Dairy Council, California Dried Plum Board, Bayer USA, Produce for Better Health Foundation, National Peanut Board, Gatorade, GoodSport, Ready Nutrition, General Mills and KLEAN Athlete.
She is currently the nutrition consultant for the 2020 Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Fan Controlled Football (FCF) indoor league. She was previously the company nutritionist for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and sports dietitian for Carnegie Mellon University athletics and the WNBA, NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, and Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays and 2019 World Series champion Washington Nationals.
To get a sense of Bonci’s presentation April 14, watch these videos on the Active Eating Advice website to observe Bonci working with athletes to help them be their best, mentoring children to help them cultivate and create an atmosphere of food appreciation, and communicating general wellness strategies around fueling for activity.
Bonci received a Bachelor of Science degree in biopsychology from Vassar College and a Master of Public Health degree in nutritional epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh. The author of several popular fitness and nutrition books, Bonci is a regular blogger for U.S. News & World Report’s Eat + Run webpage and hosts weekly television and radio segments for KDKA television and radio in Pittsburgh.
A sought-after national and international speaker, Bonci is an advocate for programs that address food and nutrition insecurity, and an advocate for agricultural biotechnology and sustainability. She is a firm believer in evidence-based practice over sensationalism and incorporates equity, diversity and relevance into her presentations and practice.
Here are the details:
What: Sixth annual Ann Selkowitz Litt Distinguished Speaker Series.
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14 (light refreshments at 5:30 p.m.).
Where: Grant Auditorium in the Falk College complex at Syracuse University (campus map).
Who: Sports nutrition expert Leslie J. Bonci will present “Fuels of Engagement: Nutrition Trends That Should Stay and End.”
Parking: Free parking is available in the Stadium Lot off Raynor Avenue. (Directions to Stadium Lot).
For more information and accommodations requests, please contact Annette Hodgens at ahodgens@syr.edu or 315.443.9816.
About the Ann Selkowitz Litt Distinguished Speaker Series
Ann Selkowitz Litt ’75 (1953-2007) was a nationally known nutritionist who helped children and adolescents with eating disorders and assisted developing athletes in reaching their full potential. The nutrition consultant to CosmoGirl magazine, Litt was the author of The College Students’ Guide to Eating Well on Campus, Fuel for Young Athletes, and the American Dietetic Association Guide to Private Practice. She was the nutritionist for the NFL’s Washington Redskins and served as spokesperson for several media campaigns during her career, including the Got Milk campaign. After her death, the Ann S. Litt Foundation, Inc., was created to support nutrition education. Through a generous gift from this foundation to Falk College, the Ann Selkowitz Litt Distinguished Speaker Series was created at Syracuse University in 2015.