Hi everyone!  Sorry my posting schedule has been a little erratic, it might be that way for the next month or so, hang in there with me!  As you know, Thurs- Tues I was in Atlanta, Georgia for the Food and Nutrition Conference hosted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  I really loved the city, actually yesterday I posted some pictures of just the city.  I feel like I’ve been non- stop for the last week, well I always feel like that, but it was a good feeling.

(PS There is an awesome little giveaway at the end of this post!)

 

The first day was particularly exciting because I took a food photography class hosted by Regan Jones and Liz Weiss.  I was excited to meet both of them because Regan is co-founder of the Recipe Redux which has been such a blast to participate in and Liz is an inspiration with her site focused on family friendly meals.  I learned SO MUCH about food photography during the class, plus I had a blast!

(Unfortunately, due to poor planning on my part I won’t be participating in the Recipe Redux this month.  I really encourage you to check out some of my favorite redux blogs like  Anne’s and Kara’s.  The theme is a really good one I’m sorry to miss: Spooky Spices! )  

This photo was taken with my iPhone under horrible lighting for practice.

And edited to this using snapseed, not so bad (not great but much improved photo).

Just a few tips I picked up:

• Food always looks better wet and sexy!
• Ideally at least 1/2 the dish should be seen
• instagram pictures using no filters are doing better right now
• iphone photo apps- shoot in Camera Plus and Edit in Snapseed
• Use your iphone for overhead shots
• To prevent “camera shake” set the timer to delay your shot for 2 seconds

Those were just a few of the many tips I picked up, if you ever have a chance to take this pre-FNCE workshop I would HIGHLY recommend it!

The rest of the conference was a world wind of so much good information.  Of course, I had a lot of fun at the social media booth as well.

 

Dress from target and jacket from express 🙂 Okay maybe I had a little too much fun.

 

I’m also the social media coordinator for the Arizona Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (shameless plug: follow us on twitter and facebook) so I loved getting to know some Arizona Dietitians and Students better at the networking events and at the sessions!

Terri, Melinda (AZAND President), Wesley (Academy Spokesperson), Gillean (Marketing Coordinator), Me, and Tammy

One of the most interesting sessions I attended was on how the bacteria in the gut can affect obesity.  Here are some facts I learned:

• Obesity can be effected by an alteration in gut microbiota.
• In mice, simply changing their gut microbiome can induce weight gain.
• Gut Microbiota may play a role in metabolism and insulin sensitivity
• An alteration in gut microbiota after bypass surgery may be a reason why insulin sensitivity improvement is seen before weight loss.
• Artificial Sweeteners may play a role in altering the microbiota leading to weight gain and insulin resistance.
• Exposure to antibiotics earlier on in life (infancy and childhood) is most important for establishment of the optimal gut microbiome
• Strategies to promote healthy gut microbiome include avoid excessive use of antibiotics, use probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, genetically  modified bacteria, bacterial components, and microbiota transplantation (fecal transportation)

Another session I attended regarding Integrative and Functional Nutrition touched on probiotics and prebiotics briefly touched on the following:

• Probiotics- are actual bacteria used to recolonize, but are only effective while you take them.
• Prebiotics- usually fiber sources are food for the the bacteria and could be more useful in establishing gut microbiome over time.

Giveaway:  Heart Healthy Cookbooks

 I snagged these awesome cookbooks for you guys! Enter to win them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you have a great rest of your day!  I’m off to physical therapy, clean the house, get some work done!