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Message from the President |
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Welcome to the New Jersey Dietetic Association Welcome to the New Jersey Dietetic Association (NJDA) website. We are an affiliate of the American Dietetic Association, the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. We have approximately 2000 active members (Registered Dietitians - RD’s and Dietetic Technicians, Registered -DTR’s) in New Jersey who are committed to promoting the optimal nutrition, health and well-being of our consumers. We serve as the resource of food and nutrition information that is scientific and evidence-based. Our members can be found in acute care, long term care, private practice, business, schools, community settings as well as in research and educational facilities. | | We continue the vision to empower our members to be the state’s food and nutrition leaders. This is encompassed through educational and networking opportunities throughout the year. For the public, this website provides a wealth of reliable nutrition information and resources for you to make better food and health choices. We encourage you also to visit the site of the American Dietetic Association found at www.eatright.org. For our members, we are striving to make this site your go-to resource of up-to-date information about what we at NJDA are doing for you. This includes a job bank, current educational resources and networking opportunities and seminars throughout the state as well as our current legislative initiatives. Please stop by often and check out what is happening at NJDA!
Rosemary L.O’Dea, MA, RD
President – NJDA |  |
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Childhood Obesity—Be Part of the Solution in New Jersey |
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It has been nearly 10 years since the Surgeon General’s report identified childhood obesity as an epidemic in this country. Rates remain high; there is a new level of urgency to end the childhood obesity epidemic. First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign has highlighted this issue and reminds us that each one of us has the responsibility to see that our children have the healthy future they deserve. In New Jersey, NJDA has become a partner in the Shaping NJ initiative in which many of our members are working on strategies to help implement environmental and policy change to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Because we are the nutrition experts in New Jersey, NJDA members are in the unique position to be part of the solution to end childhood obesity in this state. Schools can play a critical role in reshaping social and physical environments and providing information, tools, and practical strategies to help students adopt healthy lifestyles. NJDA members can help by providing local support for nutrition integrity in schools. Please consider offering your expertise to your local school district by: - Providing professional development to educators and others in the community
- Educating school board and local government decision makers
- Assessing the school nutrition environment for developing plans with the school for improvement of specific areas
- Sharing expertise with school nutrition staff to help ensure student access to tasty and appealing foods that meet nutritional standards
- Advocating for improvements in the school breakfast program, bringing successful strategies to the attention of schools and community groups, and joining/building coalitions to work for school breakfast expansion
- Serving on school wellness committees or school health advisory councils.
Imagine the impact we can have if we had an NJDA member serving on every school wellness council across the state! To help you make this impact, NJDA and our Shaping NJ partners in the School Setting Workgroup have put together a Toolkit to provide you with a variety of resources that you can use in working with your local school district. |
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