Hot Topics: Keeping Up-to-Date

Whether working as an RD, completing an internships, or working on the DPD classes, it's difficult to stay up-to-date with the current nutritional research and articles.  I receive monthly issues of Nutrition Action, The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Food and Wine, and I’m lucky if I manage to read one of the three before the next month’s issues arrive on my doorstep.  I desperately wish I could keep up, but at the same time, I also find myself wishing for more sources of nutrition and food studies publications.  

I’ve found my ultimate source (kinda) - Twitter.  Two months ago, I was strongly opposed to the site.  From what I knew about Twitter (formed mostly through conversations with my students), it was a global chat room,where individuals talked to the world about what they were doing during the various moments of their day, ranging from important moments, humorous moments, private moments and the very, very, very mundane moments.  Recently, a colleague explained that he used the website to keep in contact with local organizations, while another used Twitter to reach out and connect with to others involved in his profession.  Slowly,  I started to warm up to the idea of testing out the site. So when I joined this blogging community, I also became a part of the Twitter community so that I could keep up with all that is food.  (Follow me AAI_blogger_AP )

Through Twitter, I learn about specials at Whole Foods, updates about NYC public health policies, Marion Nestle’s ideas, and extra “Food and Wine” suggestions.  And through Twitter I began following the  “This Is Why You’re Fat” (TIWYF) website.  The website is a public blog, based off of the TIWYF books.  Here is where anyone can submit photos and recipes of the craziest, fattiest, sugary, Diabetes inducing, HEART ATTACK initiating, eatable concoctions, that as a dietitian you hope are only a bad dream.  But, oh no, these foods are real, and somebody is eating them.  Would you like to try “The Bacon Bar,” which contains cooked bacon and ground pork surrounded by a layer of chocolate?   Or perhaps try the “Doughnut Upside Down Cake,” which is a base layer of brown sugar and butter, topped by a layer of 12 mini hostess doughnuts baked inside cake mix and covered with heavy whipped cream and more brown sugar.  If the descriptions aren’t enough, you’ve got to see the pictures.  It should also be noted that about 50% of the foods pictured were actually found on the menus of American restaurants, while the other 50% are insane ideas created in the privacy of someone’s kitchen.  

Although the blog is humorous and I am thoroughly entertained when exploring the archives for longer than I’d like to be,I wonder how many people out there see this site as a challenge to create (and then consume?) these foods? Someone is making these foods, displaying them, and I’m assuming consuming them.  I wonder if anyone tries to recreate the culinary masterpieces they see in these postings or are some people just cooking these foods as an art, for shock and awe, so there pictures could make it online?  What foods are not being displayed?  I worry that the competition of creating the “unhealthiest” foods is not the game we want to win and will actually create an acceptance of these foods in everyday society and perhaps becoming the norm.  A similar trend is happening in terms of being overweight.  It has becoming a norm, and a now a sort of competition (refer to Laura’s posting about the 1,000 lb women).  But take a look at This is Why You're Fat you’ll be rubbing your eyes - hoping America wakes up.

(However, do check out the Pie vs. Cake NCAA bracket - I would have different number one seats.)