3/14/25: How Climate Change Affects HEALTH; Question in our DIABETES group; Photos from RDday; Build Up Mini Meet Up @ASPEN
Nutrition News You Can Use
💪🏽These are tough times. It’s becoming evident that we will need to work harder than ever to #stand4science and speak up. This is what the Build Up Dietitians community is here for - to provide you with resources, information, connections, encouragement and support. While the idea of #MAHA (Make American Healthy Again) may sound appealing (why would dietitians disagree with making people healthy?). The devil is in the details, and the “details” look like they’re going to include:
-encouraging skepticism of the need for and efficacy of vaccines
-reducing funding for school meals and farm to school programs
-possibly revising (?) the Dietary Guidelines?
-elevating the importance of supplements (instead of vaccines) in treating diseases
-decreasing funding to research that will affect nutrition research
Since it’s National Nutrition Month we’re going to make this newsletter FREE to read — but please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. If you become a paid ANNUAL subscriber by March 31st we’ll give you 20% off your subscription!
🌎Climate Change & Health
We got a question this week about the term “climate change” by a dietitian wondering, what does this has to do with health?
Here is a good list from The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment. A changing climate can have a myriad of effects on health. Here are a few (more in hyperlinked article):
-Increasing temperatures can affect crop growth, insects and diseases.
-Increasing rainfall and flooding can affect crops, spread diseases, affect water quality and displace residents.
-Forest fires and increasing temperatures can affect air quality and compromise health for those with respiratory issues.
What do you think?
🗓️Build Up Mini Meet Up @ ASPEN
Interested in coming to the Build Up Mini Meet Up at ASPEN in Columbus, OH? We’re doing lunch hosted by Carol Ireton Jones in the ASPEN Exhibit Hall at 12n- 1:30pm on Sunday, March 23rd. We’ll have Build Up Dietitians PENS and some FREE swag from Donut Season. RSVP by 3/20 to builduprdns@gmail.com
🤳🏽RD Day photos
We got over 20 photos sent to us from RDs around the U.S. As Katie K. commented when we posted these to our Facebook page: “…Thank you all so much for sharing these pics. It is easy to get isolated in our own little corners of our work in any healthcare. Feel proud seeing you all doing your darndest , just like me..”
❓Question in our DIABETES group
Answers:
Julie L. “…I’m a BC-ADM, CDCES, RD plus living with Type 1 and grew up with good teachers and healthcare providers. I know how to calculate insulin to carb ratio, I know how to calculate insulin sensitivity factor, and I know how to calibrate basal insulin. Just all sliding scales and no basal insulin usually does not work for diabetes management. Diabetes Management is different every day.”
Lacie F. “Even if students learn it, they don’t know it. As a CDCES and BC-ADM I’ve had to clean up many life-threatening issues thanks to HCP who don’t know what they are doing. I don’t think a credential is the only indicator of knowledge,…someone doesn’t just “know” how to dose and adjust insulin. Also, people should stop using the term sliding scale insulin. That is a less accurate term.”
Sharon S. “It's a rather naive statement given the disparity in RD training today regarding internships/work experience as well as how courses are taught. Additionally, SSI and CHO counting aren't always tied together. SSI itself is not widely favored and is used primarily in hospitals and long term care facilities. The ADA Standards of Care discourages its use and addresses this. The RD who made this statement should be more familiar with this. There are things that any RD can do to provide care and education for those with diabetes….”
🎁RD Gifts from Donut Season
Looking for gifts for your RD, RD2Be friends for National Nutrition Month? Check out Donut Season (owned by dietitian Miranda Regan) Use promo code NNMBUD25 or go directly to the Build Up Dietitians affiliate link: https://donutseason.com/?ref=BuildUpDietitians for a 15% discount on all regularly priced items (minus gift cards, clearance, and bundles). (Note: Build Up Dietitians receives a small commission (2%) on items sold and we use these funds for events like our Build Up Meet Ups and Mini Meet Ups and biannual honorariums for moderators for our groups.)