Last week I was at the American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) in Boston. Over 10,000 dietitians from around the country got together to learn, network, and check out the latest food products. If you were following me on Twitter, you probably saw many posts from my 4 days away, and if you didn’t, check out #FNCE to see what everyone was tweeting.
Here is a (very) brief rundown of the highlights of my trip:
- Tweetups. I had the opportunity to have dinner with some of my Twitter friends in person, including Emma, Janel, Corinne, Robyn, Jill, and Deanna (and more!). It was so much fun to meet these great dietitians who I already felt like I knew!
- Going green. One of the best sessions I attended was the Green Revolution presented by Kate Geagan and Jackie Newgent. These women are so passionate about the topic and it really came through in their presentation, including a cooking demo. Among other things, I learned from Kate that dairy and beef are the two most important food categories to eat organic, and Jackie taught us some great ways to be eco-friendly when cooking. I especially loved Jackie’s green cuisine terminology like “microroasting” and “lid cooking.”
- Food, glorious food. It took me 3 days to get through the entire food expo and check out new (and old) food favorites. There were many “nutrition bars” featured, including new flavors of Lara and Cliff bars; people were going nuts for pistachios, almonds, and my friends at the walnut booth; avocados were hot, especially red velvet avocado cupcakes!; and “gluten-free” and “natural” are two buzz words that you can plan on seeing more of in the next year.
- Kids Eat Right. The ADA and the ADA Foundation announced their new initiative, Kids Eat Right, at the conference. The primary goal of the campaign is to prevent childhood obesity and promote healthy eating in kids and teens.
Have you ever been to a food conference?
nutritioulicious™ 