Date: 6/1/2012 12:00:00 AM

Title: Nutrition Experts Meet in Kansas City to Connect Food, Farm and Science

Nutrition Experts Meet in Kansas City to Connect Food, Farm and Science

(Columbia, MO – AgNewsWire) The Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska beef councils recently hosted “A Nutrition Adventure: Connecting Food, Farm and Science” for forty-three key dietitians from Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, New York, Minnesota, Washington, Utah, Kentucky, California and Florida. These health professionals gathered in Kansas City, Kan. on May 23-25 to participate in a seminar designed to explore the nutritional benefits of beef.

“This event is a unique opportunity for influential dietitians to embrace beef nutrition, production and research from experts within the beef community,” said Kaity Holtman, director of communications for the Missouri Beef Industry Council, and one of the coordinators of the event.

During this three-day seminar, scientific, culinary and consumer research experts led dietitians through beef, from pasture to plate.

On the first day, the dietitians learned about beef and nutrition and how the carcass is broken down into the cuts they find in their grocery stores and restaurants. They then participated in a cooking competition where they all grilled, sautéed or pan-broiled steaks and chose from a wide selection of pantry items at Sysco in Olathe, Kan. That evening they enjoyed a beef and wine pairing class at Pierpont’s at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo.

“There are so many different varieties of cuts of beef and so many things you can do with beef that are nutritious,” said Kristen White, RD, LD, Hy-Vee dietitian in Springfield, Mo. “It’s going to be helpful take this back to my patients and customers with a breakdown of cuts and tips they can use at home.”

The second day began with research presentations. Heather Leidy, Ph.D., from the University of Missouri discussed protein at breakfast in relationship to appetite and satiety throughout the day. Mike Roussell, Ph.D., one of the authors of the new BOLD study discussed beef in an optimal lean diet, study that shows that including lean beef as part of a healthy diet can be heart healthy.

That afternoon, the dietitians visited Tailgate Ranch, a working ranch in Tonganoxie, Kans., and heard firsthand from a diverse panel of beef producers. Kirk Sours, a cow/calf producer and manager of Tailgate Ranch, Ken Real, a feedyard operator and manager of Real Cattle Company in Nebraska, and Patti Dollarhide, a registered dietitian for Cargill Meat Solutions, spoke about their sector of the beef community. The dietitians asked questions of these panelists and other cattle farmers and ranchers to help them fully understand modern beef production.

“From raising the cattle, to the feedyard, to the processing plant, the food safety measures and regulations that are preserving our food supply are really reassuring,” said Janet Baumgartner, MS, RD, LD, and Director of Food and Nutrition Services, Community Memorial Hospital & Sunnyside Health Care Center in Cloquet, Minn. “Beef can be a very valuable protein source that tastes good.”

Tailgate Ranch has hosted this program for three years. “They had great questions and lots of them – pretty rapid fire,” Sours said about the producer panel. “We talked about everything from implants and antibiotics to forage management, genetics, breeding programs, herd health and animal handling practices. We really take a lot of pride in being able to help educate these folks and allow them a chance to see producers on a face-to-face, one-on-one level.”

 The last morning of the three-day event focused on communicating about food and health. Liz Weiss, RD, “Meal Makeover Moms,” led the dietitians through a workshop where they learned to utilize branding and social media to further their nutrition communications. They discussed how to reach more of the public and how to communicate what they learned about beef and nutrition following the program.

 “A Nutrition Adventure has really allowed us to provide food and nutrition experts insight into the beef community, from pasture to plate,” Holtman said. “It is now our hope that we continue to build these relationships and serve as their resource as they counsel their clients and colleagues about the benefits of eating beef as part of a healthy lifestyle.”

 The state beef councils designed the Nutrition Adventure program to educate key nutrition influencers throughout the country about food and nutrition trends surrounding beef. The event already has yielded several blog posts, media stories and 375,244 Twitter impressions under #NutritionAdventure.

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Image file links:

Photo 1 - "A Nutrition Adventure: Connecting Food, Farm and Science" gathered 45 influential dietitians from around the country to learn about beef from pasture to plate.

Photo 2 - Kaiti George, director of nutrition and education for the Nebraska Beef Council, introduces Kari Underly, meat-cutting expert. Underly demonstrates how the cuts of beef found in retail and foodservice are created from the carcass.

Photo 3 - The dietitians at "A Nutrition Adventure" competed in a mock "Chopped" competition where they cooked with beef and a variety of ingredients from the pantry at Sysco in Olathe, Kan.

Photo 4 - At Tailgate Ranch near Tonganoxie, Kan., the dietitians toured the cow/calf farm and learned about modern beef production. 

Photo 5 - Kirk Sours, Ken Real and Patti Dollarhide led a panel discussion to discuss the many sectors of the beef community. The dietitians asked questions pertaining to animal welfare, animal nutrition and feed, technology and economics involved in raising cattle, and more.

Image files are included at the end of this release as hyperlinks. Please contact Kaity Holtman for interview opportunities, local contacts, high res images, or any other information. More photos from the event can be found here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/79612644@N07/