Big Changes Are Coming to RD411

Message from Nancy Collins, PhD, RD, LD/N, FAPWCA

Many of the RD411.com visitors know me personally, and know I tend to think big. I am very excited to announce big, big, big additions are coming to RD411.com this summer. Here is a preview of just four new features:

• All users will be able to create their own blog on the site to share their views, best practices, concerns and ideas about nutrition and health care.
• All users will be able to create a directory listing with a link to their own web site including a description of products and services offered. This feature is going to be especially important because RD411.com was mentioned in a recent Associated Press article as one of the best sites for nutrition information so overall site traffic has skyrocketed.
• All users will have access to multiple professional forums where they can ask their colleagues questions and share ideas.
• All users will be able to post their own videos and podcasts and promote them through the site.

In addition, over 100 new resources are ready and waiting to be added to the site. The RD411.com team has been working tirelessly on this massive expansion. I have to admit that several times, I stopped to question my sanity but it always came back to my basic premise. RD411.com helps you by providing this ever growing library of reliable resources so that you can help your patients. Once the new tools are launched, everyone will be able to share ideas and resources on a much larger scale and help each other. With access to over 25,000 dietitians and health care professionals all sharing ideas, we can all be more efficient and maybe even have some time to relax and enjoy the summer!

As always, I love to hear your comments and feedback. Please email me at Nancy@RD411.com.

Introducing Filippo Berio Olive Oil for Heart Health

We all know olive oil promotes heart health by reducing LDLs and increasing HDLs.  But have you tried cooking with olive oil instead of other fats? Why not receive the heart health benefits (among many others) by using Filippo Berio Olive Oil in your recipes and everyday cooking? Learn how to substitute Filippo Berio Olive Oil for butter, margarine and other cooking oils by clicking here.

NEW Totally Free 2 Hour CPE Course

Ostomy-Wound Management, NuMedix and RD411.com have partnered to bring us a new FREE course entitled The Nutritional Melting Pot: Understanding the Influence of Food, Culture, and Religion on Nutrition Interventions for Wound Healing. This article addresses the food habits of our nation’s largest ethnic, racial, and religious groups and discusses how these diets affect nutrient intake as it relates to wound healing. Click here to download everything you need to receive two free units of continuing professional education while learning about a hot topic.

More FREE Teleconferences

The next topic in the free teleconference series is entitled Hyperglycemia, Diabetes and Wounds: Implications for Healing. Join speaker Kathy Warwick, RD, CDE as she discusses the negative effects of hyperglycemia on wound healing and immune function, and recommendations to help manage and prevent complications. She will also discuss the role of specialized nutrition to help manage glucose levels and support wound healing. Please click here for more information.

Follow RD411 on Twitter

RD411 has joined the Twitter craze! Click here to follow along. Tweets will point out new additions to the site, as well as additional news from the world of dietetics, nutrition, and healthcare. And for good measure, there may be some personal comments and observations—now that should be interesting!

Free Pasta Sample Kit for RD411.com Users!

Can a great tasting pasta have a low glycemic index? Dreamfields Pasta contains only 5 grams of digestible carbs and has 5 grams of fiber.  Like other premium pastas, Dreamfields is made primarily with durum wheat semolina, which is why it has all of the flavor and texture of traditional pasta.  RD411.com users can get a free sample kit so you can taste it and see for yourself. Just click here and a free kit will be mailed to you via the US Mail.

Summer Issue Now Available — Free Marketing Newsletter for Your Own Mailing Lists

RD411.com now offers bi-monthly four-page newsletters that you can use to stay in touch with your own clients and patients. Each newsletter contains timely topics, covering various aspects of nutrition, health, exercise, and well-being. The content meets the same high standards that RD411.com demands, and is peer reviewed and referenced, where applicable. You can download the file and then send it to your own mailing list or you can bring the file to your local print shop if you prefer paper copies. You can even personalize the newsletter with your contact information. Click here to see the new Summer issue and learn more about this new service.

RD411 Book Shelf

Each month Dr. Collins will highlight one book she recommends.

This month I have been reading What’s Your Diet Type by Heather K. Jones, RD. This book uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® to indentify the best diet approach for different personality types. The planners, players, feelers and thinkers all have different personalities and therefore, need different techniques to succeed in losing weight and getting healthy. This book explains how a person can use their natural, innate personality strengths and weaknesses to his or her advantage. For the record, I am a thinker; I require all the facts! Special thanks to Heather for mentioning RD411.com on page 222! It is great to know published authors rely on RD411.com too. For more information on this book, click here.

The RD411.com Mission

The more successful each individual dietitian is, the more successful the profession is as a whole. Think of RD411.com as your virtual assistant. The less time you spend reinventing the wheel, the more time you’ll have for your patients and clients – and yourself. You are welcome to download, modify, and distribute any materials you find on RD411.com for free.

RD411.com is a peer-to-peer network. You are invited to contribute to the site and share your best practices or any materials you have developed with your colleagues.  Just email RD411Office@gmail.com.  Click here to see the long list of contributors!

Let RD411.com save you time so you can get back to the business of nutrition and healthcare.

Medicare Changes to the Hospital Inpatient PPS: Pressure Ulcers - Revised!
Recipe Conversion and Yield Tests In-service
Survey Management: Questions to Prepare Your Staff
Temperature and Cleaning Pocket Reference Cards
Temperatures for Foods: 2008 CMS
Food Record: Check Off Your Daily and Weekly Goals
Monthly Tube Feeding Report
Temperature Log for Cooling Foods
Cookbook Dietetics: How and Why to Avoid It
Orientation Checklist for Dietary Department Aide
Staffing Emergencies in a Health Care Kitchen
Depression and Diet
Heart Disease: Nutrition Guidelines for Prevention
Heart Disease: Nutrition Guidelines for Treatment
Interstitial Cystitis and Diet
Supertasters: How Taste Can Affect Your Nutritional Well-being
Food Cravings: Tips for Managing Them
Overweight and Healthy: An Oxymoron?
Weight Management and Sleep
Muscle Building: Does Protein Play a Role?
Developmental Disability and Nutrition
Skin and Wound Nutrition Guidelines

New Patient Education Materials
Meats: Understanding Beef Labeling
Blood Lipids: Understanding Your Blood Test Results
Drug Nutrient Interactions
Exercise Plans: How to Choose the Best One
Hormonal Contraceptives and Nutrition for Women
Macrobiotic Diet
Mood and Food: Research Findings
Dieting: Why It Might Make You Overweight

New Toddler and Kid Resources
Baby Food: Commercial vs. Homemade
Juice: Is It Bad for Your Child?
Feeding Your Child for Best Health NEW Slide Set

New Career Building Resources
Defensive People: Tips for Dealing With Them
Job Satisfaction Test
Organizational Tips
Personal Growth: Feeling Stuck?

And hundreds of more FREE resources on www.RD411.com

Products News

New Glucerna® bars will provide people with diabetes new flavors to meet their breakfast eating occasion. Glucerna® Blueberry Snack Bar and Glucerna® Cinnamon Bun Mini-Snack Bar are two new additions to the Glucerna® bar line. For more information, visit www.glucerna.com.

Every week, RD411.com users write in with questions about interpretation of lab values.  This is a complicated topic but a very important one because there are so many biochemical indicators that are affected by nutrition. Dr. Mary Litchford, PhD, RD, LDN has written the definitive book on this topic which will surely benefit any nutrition practitioner. Entitled Practical Applications in Laboratory Assessment of Nutrition Status, this 353 page book is a valuable reference which includes biochemical assessment of protein and hydration status, nutritional anemias, and specific information on more than 75 lab tests used for nutrition-related conditions. Dr. Litchford is also the author of several other books including The Advanced Practitioner’s Guide to Nutrition and Wounds; Protein Powders, Potions and Elixirs; and Common Denominators of Declining Nutritional Status. For more information on how to order, click here.

The first annual nutritionDay in the U.S. is planned for November 5, 2009. This event is the first annual single-day audit aimed at improving patient care and helping to reduce healthcare costs by documenting patient nourishment (and related outcomes) in hospitals across the country. In addition to RD411.com, official partners for the event include ASPEN and ESPEN (European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition), and SCCM (Society for Critical Care Medicine). The U.S. event is patterned after ongoing nutritionDay in Europe audits which, in 2008, involved more than 45,000 patients in nearly 1600 units in 30 countries. Each participating U.S. hospital will receive a report showing the current status of its unit with the same specialty in all participating units. Subsequent nutritionDay studies will enable participants to identify successes resulting from improvements made. Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this important November 5th benchmarking initiative! If you haven’t already, register your facility now. Contact nutritionDay in the U.S. National Project Coordinator Gail Gewirtz, MS, RD at nutritiondayus@ymail.com or 847-254-2034.

RD411’s philosophy is simple – the more successful each individual dietitian is, the more successful the profession is as a whole. This is a community site and we welcome submissions, ideas, and suggestions from all colleagues and practitioners. If you have developed a great policy, a helpful form, or have another idea to share, contact Dr. Nancy Collins, PhD, RD, LD/N at RD411Office@gmail.com. Our goal is to get you out of the office and back with patients or clients doing what you do best!