Next week, on January 20th, I have the wonderful opportunity to moderate a webinar on an extremely relevant topic, Food Intolerances, How to Distinguish Between Fad and Reality.

This event features three highly qualified speakers:

• Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD
  
• Julie Miller Jones, PhD, CNS, LN
  
• Jeanette Keith, MD

During the webinar we will discuss the continuum from unrestricted eating, to mild intolerance, allergy or disease that requires complete avoidance of a particular food. The focus of this webinar is food intolerances, specifically gluten and lactose, rather than allergy or disease.

It seems to be increasingly common to hear consumers state that they are dairy or wheat intolerant or are avoiding these foods for health reasons. Just the other day I heard an athlete say that her trainer told her if she really wants to kick things into high gear, she needs to give up bread & dairy – and from the tone in her voice it was clear she didn’t want to follow this advice! Somehow avoiding these foods has become fashionable or the “thing to do” to achieve a health benefit.

While this fad form of restriction exists, it is also true that some individuals genuinely suffer uncomfortable symptoms from eating foods such as dairy or wheat. Some have mild symptoms and can manage to eat small amounts of the troublesome foods. Others must avoid the food completely in order to manage their symptoms. Our goal as health professionals is to encourage eating patterns that are diverse and include as many foods as possible from the five food groups and this webinar aims to help facilitate this goal.

The webinar co-sponsored by the Dairy Council of California, the Society for Nutrition Education and The Grain Foods Foundation. The event is free for members of the Society for Nutrition Education and the Dairy Council of California is sponsoring the registration for the first 200 that sign up. We have had a huge response to the initial mailings and the free slots have all been taken. For those who are currently registering, the event costs $25.00, which is an excellent value. The event has been pre-approved for 1 hour of CE credit from the American Dietetic Association.

To learn more about the event or to sign up check this page in the Education Center of our website.

Maureen Bligh, MA, RD
Registered Dietitian