FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, UNITED STATES, June 21, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Our lifestyle plays a huge role in the prevention of disease, specifically our nutrition.
Dr. Julie Garden-Robinson is a food and nutrition specialist for the NDSU Extension Service and a professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences at North Dakota State University, where she develops and coordinates nutrition and food safety research and education projects throughout North Dakota for children through adults.
“Nutrition is highly complex,” says Dr. Garden-Robinson. Each mineral and each vitamin has a different function. There are so many components of food for which we haven't yet discovered what they do, so it’s about helping people find information that is correct and safe.”
Driven by a love of nutrition, Dr. Garden-Robinson is an expert in food preservation, food preparation and basic food science, nutrition and technology.
“I come from a small Scandinavian town where food was always a big topic growing up,” recalls Dr. Garden-Robinson. “We grew our own food, so I was involved with food preservation, helping raise our food. We weren't taught about nutrition in school. It was our family’s thing. I didn't know that it could be a career.”
Dr. Garden-Robinson says a great way to start healthier habits is to simply be aware of what you are eating and what you are not. The biggest issue in nutrition is probably inadequate fruits and vegetables in the diets of most children and adults.
“Any fruit and vegetable is a good addition to our diet,” says Dr. Garden Robinson. “In particular, any dark green or dark orange or gold vegetable will be highly rich in nutrients. It's better to eat more whole forms of fruit than fruit juice, and one of the best fruits you can have is apples. If people want to focus on something, I would say, eat more vegetables as part of a balanced diet.”
Of course, no one is a perfect eater, says Dr. Julie Garden-Robinson, but we can all work to balance nutrition with physical activity. It comes down to people needing to decide for themselves if they're ready to change, and helping them understand where they are in terms of their own eating behavior, and set actionable goals for themselves.
“Instead of ‘Eat this, don't eat that,’ we should aim for variety,” says Dr. Garden-Robinson.
Dr. Garden-Robinson advocates for a program called “The Family Table” to encourage families to eat together more often. Families that eat together are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables and eat an overall, very balanced diet.
“I hope that I've made a difference in the lives of the kids and adults that I've reached,” says Dr. Garden-Robinson.
Close Up Radio will feature Dr. Julie Garden-Robinson in an interview with Jim Masters on June 23rd at 12pm EDT
Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio
If you have any questions for our guest, please call (347) 996-3389
For more information, visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension/food
Lou Ceparano
Close Up Television & Radio
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