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NANP 2017 Bonnie Fisk-Hayden Student Scholarship Recipients

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Bonnie Fisk Hayden, Frances Holmes and myself at the NANP conference in 2011. This was the last conference Bonnie attended and I have great memories of a wonderful event with her.

Each year the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) has an annual conference to discuss the latest research and methodologies in the field of nutrition. With the NANP conference around the corner in May, it is time to acknowledge the recipients of the 2017 Bonnie Fisk-Hayden Student Scholarship. This scholarship originated after the passing of my dear friend Bonnie Fisk-Hayden in August of 2011 from autoimmune hepatitis. She was not only a dear friend, but we both shared the passion of nutrition. We met in 2004 at the first NANP conference and chatted voraciously all weekend.

These pictures are from our walk down to the beach at that very first NANP conference in 2004. It was held at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin Headlands

We continued to share, encourage and support each other from then onwards. We would meet for walks, lunches and at conferences around the country, and spend hours on the phone discussing new books, new research and anything food and nutrition-related.  She even gave me constructive feedback when I presented at a big Las Vegas conference and read my book The Antianxiety Food Solution cover to cover before publication, offering input and encouragement.

Bonnie was an amazingly passionate nutritionist who went back to nutrition school when she was in her 60s. She was very active in the NANP and served as a director on the board, headed up the Publications committee and helped design the conference program and other NANP materials (she was a very talented graphic artist too!) Bonnie once said, “joining the NANP as a student was one of the best things I did for my nutrition business.” 

I decided to offer a student scholarship the following year. It felt like a really good thing to do to honor Bonnie’s influence and dedication to the NANP.  In 2012 and 2013 one student scholarship was offered and this has now grown to 3 students being been awarded the Bonnie Fisk-Hayden Student Scholarship, thanks to two anonymous donors (who are appreciated). 

The 2017 recipients of the scholarship are: Johanna Setta, Rajesh Shah, and Celeste Burrows.  I know Bonnie is smiling and cheering them on!

Johanna Setta

Johanna is a student at Bauman College and will be graduating this year. As a Food Access Coordinator for a small community hospital, Johanna has played an integral role in Northwest Vermont food systems and primary food focused prevention. Health Care Without Harm has recently elected Johanna as the Healthy Food in Health Care Ambassador for the state of Vermont. 

Helping folks take their health into their own hands through whole foods and mental health has been Johanna’s life mission. Johanna is “eager to attend the NANP conference to network with other like-minded individuals and glean any cutting edge knowledge and resources.”

 

Rajesh Shah

Rajesh believes Holistic Nutrition plays a vital role in the healing and treatment of chronic illness and disease. After having completed two B.S. degrees in Engineering and an MBA, Rajesh decided to follow his true calling and embark on an MS in Holistic Nutrition at ACHS. Rajesh states “I am driven not only by my passion for wellness and for deeper knowledge, but also by a desire to use my gifts to help people eat and live better.”

In 2009, Rajesh became a Registered Yoga Teacher and ever since has been teaching weekly yoga classes in his hometown of Louisville, KY. Through Rajesh’s yoga practice and through leading others, Rajesh has witnessed the positive effects on the mind and body. In late 2016, Rajesh also began performing Nutritional Counseling with a number of clients whose goals range from weight management to cancer prevention. Rajesh believes the student scholarship will be instrumental in helping to achieve his goal of inspiring people through mindful eating and healthy living.

 

Celeste Burrows

Celeste began following nutrition and alternative medicine back in the 1970’s and was inspired by the conferences (mostly NHF) she attended then. Celeste is now a student at Bauman College and will be graduating in 2018. Celeste has witnessed the health of her older friends and associates decline rapidly from preventable causes and their treatments and medications. This observation and her desire to gain credibility led to Celeste’s decision to return to school to pursue nutrition consulting as a profession.

Celeste is involved in the Village movement (supporting seniors who want to age in their own homes) and is an active member of Ashby Village. Celeste helped with the development of the Healthier Aging Initiative where she plans to provide a series of talks on Nutrition for Healthy Aging as well as consultations with individuals.

Celeste is eager to attend the NANP conference because “I expect it will provide a good immersion in the culture and practice of nutrition consulting, and a valuable three days spent with leaders in the field, fellow nutritional consultants, and vendors.”

I’d also love to acknowledge my dear friend Frances Holmes  pictured above with Bonnie and I. She knew Bonnie well and was such a comfort to me after Bonnie’s passing and her work is so fitting for those who have suffered a loss. Frances is a Certified Nutrition Consultant who has combined her real life experiences of grief and loss with her nutritional knowledge to create a recipe for balancing the somatic aspects of grief with nutrition. Her training as an Integrative Grief Practitioner and in Yoga for Grief Relief provide additional tools for managing the body centered effects of grief.

With skillful communication Frances offers simple pragmatic tools to assist in choosing foods that nourish, ground and promote well-being. She specializes in helping the bereaved address the accompanying emotional mood swings related to loss of any kind. She is passionate about assisting her clients make the connection between what they eat and how they feel.

And thanks to Susan Yuen, MS, for helping me gather this information into a blog!

If you’d like to join the collaborative community of holistic nutrition professionals, students, educators, and organizations, gathered together to learn and share how we can positively impact today’s healthcare delivery system you can find details and registration information here. This is a practitioner-only event and runs May 4-7, 2017 in Portland, Oregon.

Congratulations to all of the recipients of the Bonnie Fisk-Hayden Student Scholarship!  Enjoy the conference and wonderful opportunities that the NANP offers.  I wish you well and look forward to hearing how you continue to have an impact in the nutrition world! 

CA Assemblymember Jerry Hill speaks at NANP conference lunch – part 2

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This is a continuation of the presentation given by CA Assemblymember Jerry Hill during the lunch at the NANP conference, where he mentioned a number of CA nutrition/legislative matters that are near and dear to the hearts of our members, and are encouraging for the health of all Californians.

In this article I’ll be sharing information about California Healthy Food Financing Initiative and school lunches, the award and the delicious menu. The “Let’s Get Healthy California Task Force”, labeling of GMOs and the tax credit for farmers who donate fruits and vegetables to food banks were covered in part 1.

(1)  The introduction of the California Healthy Food Financing Initiative (AB 581) to expand access to healthy foods in underserved communities.

According to the author, AB 581 will increase access to healthy and nutritious foods to underserved urban and rural communities in California.  Known as “food deserts,” regions of California without access to healthy food generally have a higher incidence of certain types of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, heart disease, and premature death.

You can read the whole bill here.

(2)  First Lady Michelle Obama is championing the cause of improving the health of our children. The California Department of Education will work closely with school districts as they make school lunch improvements

“These new standards will help put more fresh fruits and vegetables in school lunches, which means healthier children in our classrooms,” State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson stated.

This is a great start and we do have a way to go as Congress wants to keep pizza and french fries on school lunch lines, fighting back against an Obama administration proposal to make school lunches healthier.

Assemblymember Jerry Hill wrapped up by saying “thank you for everything you are doing” and awarded an Assembly Certificate of Recognition to NANP:

I am pleased to recognize and commend the NANP for its advocacy on behalf of holistic nutrition professionals in support of their right to practice.

recognition from assemblyman jerry hill
Recognition from CA Assemblyman Jerry Hill

And then we all enjoyed a delicious organic locally sourced lunch that was free of gluten, corn, soy, canola, white or artificial sugars and included raw dairy and wild-caught fish.  You can see all the menus here. Here is the lunch menu:

Tossed Arugula and Baby Spinach, Dried Figs, toasted Walnuts with Balsamic Vinaigrette (Dressing on the side)
Poached Salmon with Watercress Reduction
Brown Rice Lentil Pilaf
Braised Spinach with Extra Virgin Olive & Herbed Roma Tomato
Gluten-free Bread
Raw Butter
Seasonal Fruit with Fresh Whipped Cream
Vegetarian Option: Roasted Eggplant Stuffed with Mediterranean Vegetable Ragout with Quinoa Pilaf

May all Californians (and everyone everywhere) be healthy and happy and have the means to eat delicious and healthy food like this. Thanks Assemblymember Hill for joining us and doing your part!

[Note: I say “we” on behalf of NANP and the legislative committee, which I chair]

CA Assemblymember Jerry Hill speaks at NANP conference lunch – part 1

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Assemblyman Jerry Hill luncheon address at NANP conference

It was a real pleasure to have CA Assemblymember Jerry Hill (who  represents the 19th district) join us for lunch at the NANP conference.  We had met him and invited him to join us during the recent CA lobby days. We are so pleased he joined us and we thoroughly enjoyed his wonderful presentation.

Assemblymember Hill started off by saying “You represent everything that is good” and endorsed the conference theme of Holistic Nutrition Through the Ages, saying “what you are doing is so important”.

Assemblymember Hill then went on to mention a number of CA nutrition/legislative matters that are near and dear to the hearts of our members, and are encouraging for the health of all Californians:

(1)  On May 3, Gov. Jerry Brown  drafted a “Let’s Get Healthy California Task Force” to develop a 10-year plan to improve Californians’ health and reduce health-care costs.

Preventable and chronic health conditions are detrimental to every Californian’s quality of life, cause disproportionate social and economic burdens, and result in California spending 80% of the state’s total healthcare dollars on just 20% of the population.

The NANP and our members can be a big part of this, distributing wellness and nutritional information and helping people make informed decisions about their own health.

(2)  The labeling of GMOs was added to the CA ballot on May 2

In victory rallies across state today, supporters celebrated as the California Right to Know campaign filed 971,126 signatures for the state’s first-ever ballot initiative to require labeling of genetically engineered foods. The huge signature haul, gathered in a 10-week period, is nearly double the 555,236 signatures the campaign needs to qualify for the November ballot.

If passed this November, Californians will join citizens of over 40 countries including all of Europe, Japan and even China who have the right to know whether they are eating genetically engineered food.   

You can read why we need this GMO labeling to ensure the safety of food for California families and children and that even chickens refuse GM corn (or mielies as its called in South Africa)

(3)  California legislators enacted a tax credit for farmers who donate fruits and vegetables to food banks.  Here is information on AB152 prior to the bill being passed: http://www.cafoodbanks.org/docs/AB%20152%20Full%20Factsheet.pdf

Every dollar in credit leverages approximately 10-20 pounds of fresh healthy food for low-income Californians. California growers want to do their part to help low-income Californians eat more fresh healthy food. California would be following the lead of several other states, including Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, and Oregon that offer tax incentives to encourage fresh produce donations from growers to emergency food providers.

You can read this great post by Amy Winterfeld: what lawmakers in other states are doing to encourage better eating and support local economies.

Assemblymember Hill also shared information about California Healthy Food Financing Initiative and school lunches and this, together with the award and  menu  will be covered in part 2.

[Note: I say “we” on behalf of NANP and the legislative committee, which I chair]

NANP 2012 Golden Carrot awards for Impact, Service and Going Up: Trudy, Liz and Sara

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Each year the National Association of Nutrition Professionals / NANP (www.nanp.org) awards three Golden Carrot awards during the annual conference:

  • IMPACT: awarded to a member who has obtained visibility in the wider world during the past year. It could be a book, a TV show, testimony before a Senate Committee on Health Promotion, or other project that they executed with impact
  • SERVICE: awarded to a member whose efforts at mentoring and building connections that grow the holistic nutrition community deserve recognition
  • GOING UP: awarded to a member, in professional practice for one year or less, who has already begun to obtain visibility, success and distinction in their business.

I was honored and humbled to receive the 2012 Golden Carrot Award for IMPACT.

Nicole Hodson, NC shared this heart-felt story before making the award announcement:

“Trudy Scott is the reason I am here today, as Executive Director of NANP.  Trudy became my nutritionist when I turned to her for help with weight loss a number of years ago.  Although I had been reading up on nutrition and trying to make changes on my own, I didn’t see the results I wanted until I began working with Trudy.  Most importantly Trudy was able to advise me on the holistic approach to some of my difficult hormonal health challenges.  In fact, Trudy was such an inspiration to me that I decided to pursue an education in holistic nutrition myself.  Trudy continues to inspire me as she tirelessly pursues new educational and growth opportunities.”

I’m smiling as I write this …as I have grown in my nutrition career I have been inspired by so many before me and it is truly wonderful to be able to inspire others! And to inspire someone like Nicole, whose has done so much for the organization, is truly wonderful!

Nicole continued:

“I would like to announce that Trudy Scott, CN is the 2012 NANP IMPACT winner. Trudy has done everything that fits this award’s description. Trudy obtained visibility in the wider world by being a focused leader as the past president of the NANP and organizer of the fight against CA AB575.  She is the current chair of the legislative affairs committee and continues to support our members to protect their right to practice. In June 2011, she released her first book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help you Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings (New Harbinger) and has been presenting on food and mood at the national level and has become known as the Food Mood Expert.  She demonstrates passion and commitment on all levels and has the time to help anyone who needs it. Trudy truly is a passionate leader and a supporter of others.”

trudy scott and impact award with nicole
Trudy receives the 2012 NANP IMPACT Award from Nicole

I am so honored to be in the company of the other amazing award winners, Liz Lipski, Ph D, CCN, and Sara Edison, Certified Nutrition Consultant.

Liz received the SERVICE award:

“Liz Lipski, a nationally known clinical nutritionist, author of Digestive Wellness, and speaker has been an inspiration to the nutrition community for many years. She” is the founder of Innovative Healing,  “implemented a mentoring program for recent graduates and is the Director of Doctoral Studies at Hawthorn University. In 2012, Liz became an advocate for our industry as seven states attempted to pass licensure bills that would restrict or prevent holistically trained nutritionists from practicing. Liz helped connect individuals with attorneys and national organizations and recommended courses of action to those in need. She continues to contribute to NANP – most recently by sharing her knowledge of the legislative process with members in the Nourishing the Nutrition Professional teleconference.”

Sara received the GOING UP award:

“Sara Edison graduated from Bauman College in the spring of 2011 and has launched a private practice called A Stone’s Throw to Health. She also has a BS in Exercise Science from Skidmore College. In addition to starting her own practice, Sara is working with a colleague to build The Scoby Collective. This group is bringing together nutrition professionals interested in working collaboratively, i.e. peer to peer mentorships, sharing communal workspaces, and organizing informal gatherings to build nutrition knowledge and help recent graduates build confidence.

I plan to continue making an impact and sharing my food mood message! I know Liz well and I know she will continue to be a mentor and be of service!  She has always inspired me!  I have not met Sara and look forward to meeting her and watching her continue on her upward path leading people to optimal health!

Life and passion of nutritionist Bonnie Fisk-Haydon honored with student scholarship

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With my friend Bonnie is 2006
With my friend Bonnie in 2006

In order to honor the life and passion of my dear friend Bonnie Fisk-Haydon, I decided to set up a student scholarship for the 2012 National Association of Nutrition Professionals conference.

Bonnie passed away August 26, 2011 and was a very special friend to me (you can read my tribute to her here)

Bonnie was an amazingly passionate nutritionist who went back to nutrition school when she was in her 60s! She was very active in the NANP and served as a director on the board.

We met at the very first NANP conference in 2004 when she was still a student and I remember her saying “joining the NANP as a student was one of the best things I did for my nutrition business.”

So creating a student scholarship felt like a really good thing to do.

It is with great pleasure that I’d like to announce that the first Bonnie Fisk-Hayden Student Scholarship will be awarded to Kelly Marie Sullivan, NE and Bauman student.

In her application, Kelly said: “I wanted to obtain my NC Certificate before my 50th Birthday and l will! l just put my two sons through the California State College System and now it was my turn to experience learning on a formal level. It was finally my time to follow my heart, with my love of healthy nutritious foods to take on the level of formal learning. This is a whole new life/career path for me. I finally have time to pursue my passions”. Kelly has passed the NE Program at Bauman College and is currently enrolled in the NC Program and excited to complete in June. She adds: “I cannot wait to see what the NANP conference has to offer as I continue my path in nutritional wellness.”

Congratulations to Kelly! And thanks to everyone who applied!

I know Bonnie will be happy being remembered this way!

Update on 3/12/13:  It is with great pleasure that I’d like to announce that I have decided to offer this scholarship again in 2013.   Please share with interested students or apply if you are a student. Applications are due March 20.  You can apply here.