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Kate Adamick
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The Why's and How's of School Food Reform
"School food reform" are the new buzz words of the decade, but how
is it done? We all know about School Wellness Policies, but how do we move from
written goals to actual practice? Childhood obesity is threatening the
health of our children and the future of our country, but what can we do to reverse
the trend? School food consulant, chef and attorney Kate Adamick will use
photos and anecdotes from her experience in schools across the country to guide
you through the history of how our school food became a liability rather than
an asset, how the USDA and food service management companies think our children
should be fed, and how real reform can be successfully designed and implemented
in your own school community’s food service program.
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Amanda Archibald, RD
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What you eat can change your landscape
In a time of rapidly disappearing farmland, our landscape
is changing forever. What does this mean to Americans and what
are the consequences. In this thought-provoking presentation,
we examine how the loss of farmland and green space impacts
food production, the economy, and potentially, homeland security.
We will also examine what we can do to maintain our landscape,
keep American farmers in business and help local communities
thrive.
Time, money and real estate: examining the alternative
roots of obesity
We all agree that gaining and losing weight is a matter of
balancing calories in with calories out. But what happens when
the world we live in starts to control where, when and how
we get our calories? What happens when the time we used to
spend at the gym is now spent in our cars, simply getting to
work? The obesity crisis in America is no longer a simple issue
of caloric balance or taking personal responsibility. In this
presentation, we examine other factors that are impacting healthful
food and lifestyle choices and subsequently contributing to
obesity.
Food choice in America: what Americans eat and why
An
insightful look at what motivates Americans to buy the food
they do. Where do parents think their kids eat, and where are
they really eating? Why do some restaurants have lines out
the door, while others are a “no wait” zone.
Why wait when you call ahead? Grass-raised versus corn fed,
who cares. Oh and Fair Trade, so what? This fact packed
presentation will shed some light on why we choose what we
do and what is motivating food choice across America, now and
in the future.
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Chef Ann Cooper
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Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children
Obesity
has reached pandemic proportions in America and the CDC has
stated that Obesity related illness has overtaken Cigarette
Smoking as the number one cause of preventable death in our
country. Changing the way we feed children and changing
school lunch and the paradigm surrounding what we teach children
about food and nutrition must be happen if we are to save the
coming generations from this impending crisis. Our seminar
will explore how unique programs in schools across the country
can help reverse this trend by supplying healthier foods in
school and educating children about their food choices.
What Field to Plate Founder, Amanda Archibald, says about
Chef Ann Cooper
When Ann is around, everyone is energized.
She is passionate about food, passionate about kids, and
passionate about what is possible in schools, in homes and
in communities around America. Ann is a brilliant chef, author
and entrepreneur with a lifetime of achievement, dedication
and selfless service to others behind her. Of course, she
has many visions and missions ahead of her too! In
her work at the Ross School, NY and the Berkley Unified School
District, CA, Ann has proved that it is possible to change
hearts, minds and palates in schools. She has demonstrated
that children will eat fresh, love food and will make a lifetime
of healthful choices if we just give them the right foundation.
Every time Ann talks, audiences will be inspired to change
and know that one mouthful at a time, we can change the way
America eats!
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Chef Liesel Flashenberg
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If It Tastes Good They Will Eat It – helping
children and youth to eat and cook healthfully.
In a time-starved
era replete with fast food choices, how do parents and educators
help children prepare and make healthful life and diet choices?
With a lifetime of experience as a parent, an educator and
a chef, Liesel Flashenberg inspires audiences with her stories
of bringing children and youth to fresh and flavorful choices.
Liesel’s work with parents, children
and communities is a stunning testimony to the power of the
possible.
Cultural Consciousness and Healthy Diets: Improving
the diets of recent immigrants with respect for their culture
and economic limitations
Chef Liesel Flashenberg’s work to improve the health
and economic lives of immigrants in the Washington DC area
is renowned. Her company, Through the Kitchen Door is dedicated
to this cause. Today, 100s of Latino women and youth have found
new meaning in their lives through Liesel’s desire to
make a difference. In this presentation, Liesel will take the
audience on a journey of challenges, successes and cultural
respect for the diversity that is America.
Food as Fuel for Healthy Families and Communities: The
interrelationships between healthy eating, stable families
and robust communities
“It’s not what I teach them, it is what they teach
me.” Over the 20 years that Liesel has been working with
culturally diverse communities, she has developed a training
program that uses food and culinary skills as a medium to teach,
learn and work with women and young people in transition. The
impact of this training is empowerment. Liesel witnessed the
transforming impact that new skills have on building confidence,
building families, building new lives and building robust communities.
In this presentation, Liesel will share heartfelt stories of
how food is a medium for changing lives and subsequently, changing
communities.
From 300 pounds to slim:
a gourmet chef’s story
As a younger woman, Liesel weighed 300lbs. Now older, slimmer
and a gourmet chef, Liesel shares not only her own story, but
how she used her personal journey to create a program that
empowers youth and recent immigrants with healthy cooking skills,
nutrition information and options for healthy life styles and
choices.
What Field to Plate Founder, Amanda Archibald, says about
Liesel
Liesel and her work serve as a continuous
inspiration in my personal life. Her dedication to helping
and empowering others reminds me that giving to others rewards
us personally in so many ways. I attended the graduation
ceremony for one of Liesel’s
culinary programs for women. These women had just acquired
a skill set that allowed them to move forward in life with
greater confidence in themselves, their abilities, and to provide
for their families. These women were crying. I was crying.
I did not understand everything that was said, because the
language spoken during graduation was Spanish. But language
did not prevent me from observing the newly installed pride
that these women felt in accomplishing something that they
never knew they could. These were tears shed for the power
of the possible. Liesel forever remains a catalyst for change
in America.
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Mary-Jo Forbord, MS RD
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Let them Eat Grass: Healthful, Pasture-Raised Foods
from Agriculture’s Leading Edge
Pasture-raised foods are in the news, and in high demand. Health
benefits, environmental benefits, an economic boost for independent
family farms…is it all too good to be true? Find
out what is causing sustainably-minded, health-conscious
eaters to seek out grass-based foods. Explore the science
behind the claims, and last but not least, discover what
a difference a TASTE can make!
Bringing it Home: Sorting out Agriculture for Health
and Taste
In the expansive field of agricultural terms, it’s
easy to become confused and overwhelmed with choices. Sustainable,
organic, Certified Organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised, free
range, natural, locally grown…what does it all mean? What
are the best picks for personal health, taste and the environment? Learn
what you need to know to put your mind at ease, have fun
making connections with the people who grow your food, and
discover the great tastes of place…close to home.
About Mary Jo
Mary Jo Forbord, Registered Dietitian, Executive Director,
Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, Chair-Elect,
Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Practice Group of the
American Dietetic Association.
Mary Jo grew up on a diversified farm in Minnesota, graduated
from the University of Minnesota. She is a 4th generation
American farmer, with farming roots that go back untold generations
in Europe. Mary Jo and her family own Prairie Horizons
Farm in Western Minnesota. The Forbords care for a
herd of Lowline (miniature) Angus cattle and manage the tallgrass
prairie landscape with rotational grazing. Mary Jo
is a Registered Dietitian with experience in many aspects
of the food system, including clinical and administrative
dietetics, community nutrition, nutrition counseling, health
system planning, dairy farming, and working with farmer-owned
cooperatives.
What Field to Plate Founder, Amanda Archibald says about
Mary Jo
Mary Jo is an inspiration to food professionals, consumers
and fellow farmers across America. I have been privileged
to listen to, and read about Mary Jo’s heart-wrenching
stories of raising a dairy herd, and then selling it off,
simply to survive economically. The picking up the pieces
again and, one day at a time with her husband, piece back
together a thriving and sustainable farming business that
nourishes not only the land and community around them, but
also nourishes themselves. When Mary Jo speaks, it is not
because of what she has read, or what others have written,
it is because she literally walked the talk that she gives.
And whenever she talks, it is always with such wisdom and
such deep commitment. We always stop what we do, and we always
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Kate Geagan, MS RD
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What’s the State of YOUR Plate? Your Personal Nutrition
Audit
Conventional wisdom maintains that most degenerative
changes associated with aging are a "natural progression" of
the life cycle. Research now suggests, however, that many
of these changes are due in large part to poor dietary and
lifestyle choices. This seminar explores the latest research
on staying strong, fit and healthy. Learn eating strategies that will
boost your energy and brainpower, and which foods are the best sources of
disease fighting phytochemicals and nutrients.
“I Know What I Should Do But I Just Don't Do
It!”
When it comes to eating better or losing weight,
for most Americans the challenge isn't knowing what do to be
healthier, but it's how to find the motivation to make
change last. No matter what your goals, this thought provoking
session will show you how to identify your own personal
roadblocks to success, and how to break through them to create lasting
motivation for change.
The Mediterranean Diet: A Gold Standard for Good Health
and Good Taste
With all of the conflicting nutrition information
bombarding us in the media, there is one body of data that
continues to grow stronger when it comes to good health and
good taste: following a traditional Mediterranean diet style
of eating is both delicious and salubrious. The research
is clear that people who follow this traditional pattern
of eating that enjoy lower rates of chronic diseases and
higher life expectancies. This session will share the latest
science when it comes to eating and drinking patterns for
good health, and provide some thought provoking dialog on
how individuals, families and companies can incorporate this
into their framework for better health outcomes.
What Field to Plate Founder, Amanda Archibald, says about
Kate
Kate is an entrepreneur, a risk taker and a pioneer
in food and health education in corporate America. I have
had the pleasure of working together with Kate for several
years, both in the USA and in Europe. She has been perfect
partner, a gracious friend, a dynamic speaker and a person
I always turn to when I need the straight-up “skinny” on what’s
hot in food and nutrition. Indeed her expertise and voice have
been sought out around America, as food companies and the media
alike have tapped her for her opinion. They know that when
Kate talks, we all listen! Kate is one of the most dedicated
and compassionate professionals I have had the privilege to
work with.
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Chef Mark Haskell
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The Taste of Sustainability
The word “sustainable” is appearing everywhere
in the media. In this presentation, we will examine how
a sustainable food culture takes hold in the USA. We will also
look at the nourishment aspect of sustainable foods and their
role in a heighten appreciation for taste.
The Essence of Organic: a closer look
In this thought-provoking presentation, we will examine the
organic food culture as it is in America today and provide
answers to the following questions:
- Is organic really more expensive?
- What does “certified organic,” mean and is
it a hindrance or is it helpful?
- How can we make organic a part of our culture instead of
a regulatory law?
- Does organic really taste better and is it better for our
health?
- Does organic always mean environmentally friendly?
- How does organic fit in with the local, fresh & seasonal
trend?
Our United States of Flavor
Our diverse US culture and
constantly changing food dynamics will save us both from a
nutritional aspect, as well as in taste appreciation and in
a world with changing resources.
In this regard, the next generation of Americans will eat differently
from the current generation. But how? Will it be along
lines of economic and cultural segregation? Will pop culture
influence their flavor choices, favorites and more. Join Mark
Haskell in a fascinating investigation of the future of flavor
and taste in the United States.
365 Degrees of Taste
Why what goes into your mouth is
only a small part of how
it got on your fork. IN this presentation, Mark traces how
food gets from the farm to the table and how we as consumers
can influence our own food sources, from what is grown, to
what is sold, to what appears on our plate.
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 Mark Mulcahy
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A walk down the produce isle
Ever craved a mango
and wondered when are they at their absolute best? Or
why red peppers cost more? Perhaps you’ve pondered what’s the difference
between organic and conventional produce? You’re not alone. Many
folks have these same questions. Wouldn’t it be great if you had your
own personal produce expert to answer these and all of your other seasonal
produce questions in fun yet intelligent manner? Well now you do. Mark
Mulcahy brings his 25 years of produce experience (20 in the organic industry)
to this fun, lively and interactive session
Organic 101
What is organic? How do you know if something is really organic? Does it
really taste better? Why is it more expensive? After this session you will
have a strong working knowledge of organic industry and why it is growing
at 20% a year.
Is organic produce really better?
So you have tried it and it tastes good, but how do know if it is better
for the planet, your health, your family? Find out the latest research and
statistics that will give the confidence to have this discussion with even
the biggest skeptics. |
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Laura Plunkett
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Raising Wholesome Children in a Fast-Food World: A Framework
for Creating Family Health
Having helped her family manage and
ultimately grow stronger from her son’s diagnosis of
juvenile diabetes, Laura Plunkett offers a unique perspective
on family strategies for living in our fast-paced culture.
Some of the issues she addresses are:
- nutrition—eating well as a family, expanding your
children’s ranges of acceptable foods, enjoying healthy
foods
- family unity—fostering a strong family identity based
on cooperation, communication and teamwork
- exercise—replacing television and computer time with
fun, creativity, and fresh air
- support—finding medical, nutritional, physical, and
emotional resources to reduce stress
- teaching opportunities—strengthening your children’s
sense of themselves and their resilience
- self-reliance—educating yourself and advocating for
your family
- acceptance—relaxing into your role as a parent
Drawing upon anecdotes and her experiences, Laura infuses
these important issues with hope and optimism.
Laura Plunkett is the author of The Challenge of
Childhood Diabetes: Family Strategies for Raising
a Healthy Child. She
has a BA in Psychology with Honors from Brown University and
had a thriving therapeutic private practice for fourteen years
with families, individuals and couples. Her avocation since
her son’s diagnosis has been doing research on nutrition
and the latest developments in diabetes. She is a member of
the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and resides in Marblehead,
MA.
What Field to Plate Founder, Amanda Archibald says about
Laura
Laura understands food, deeply. She understands
the challenges of migrating children and adults from a diet,
narrow in flavor and food experiences, to one that is rich,
dynamic, flavorful and nutritionally rewarding. Indeed, I
was stunned when I heard Laura describe how she taught her
family about food, essentially starting from a simple framework
and building upon flavor and texture experiences from there.
Laura applies the very approaches to food choice that we
have been teaching through Field to Plate for years. Her
motivation: the diagnosis of her son, Danny, at the age of
6 with juvenile diabetes and the impact of that potentially
life-threatening disease on her family. Laura
speaks and writes with passion about the journey she and her
family have taken. She has a way of captivating you with her
presence, her inspiration, her motivation and her passion to
share what is possible for children.
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