Wellness program hires first nutritionist
Date 9/23/2004 1:00 AM | Topic: NewsWith all the advertisements and media hype circulating about dieting and weight loss, it is difficult to know which nutritional path is right for you.
This is why Luther hired Anne Blocker, a certified dietitian, to give guidance to students and faculty seeking nutritional advice.
This is Blocker's first time working on a college campus, but she has had over 15 years of experience in hospital administration as well as outpatient and inpatient counseling.
"I think it's important that we have somebody who has a strong background in [nutrition] to try to give our students and faculty the right information," said Greg Lonning, director of the Wellness Program.
"There are a lot of questions out there in this area right now," said Lonning. "Anywhere you look, there's somebody telling you there's a way to lose weight. I think a lot of it is misleading."
Instead of choosing a diet program, Blocker's philosophy is that people should eat when they are hungry and quit when they are full.
"I see those fad diets come and go and people end up having a lot of trouble sometimes if they get hooked on them," said Blocker.
Blocker feels that, in regard to weight loss, the most effective approach is for people to avoid drugs and make one or two dietary changes rather than choosing to follow a diet program.
"I would like people to eat a wide variety of foods and to trust those inner regulators of hunger and fullness," said Blocker. "People should be able to eat a candy bar occasionally and not have that guilty feeling that some people tend to have."
Blocker recognizes that making healthy decisions can be especially difficult for college students because of their busy lifestyles, yet she stresses the importance of developing a wellness-oriented lifestyle at an early age because decisions will directly affect future health.
Lonning feels that Luther's dining facilities provide people with healthy food choices.
"We're very lucky with the food set-ups that we have between Oneota, Marty's, Peace and the Caf," he said.
In addition to helping people choose the right foods to eat, Blocker intends to address the problem of eating disorders on college campuses.
Blocker is scheduled to work at Luther for 10 hours a week. She has already begun programming and has met with a variety of students, departments, the wellness team and most athletic teams.
"Our biggest problem is going to be how she should use her time most efficiently because she's going to be pulled in so many different directions. We just have to be careful that she's not overworked," said Lonning.
She will be available at Luther on Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm. Her office is located on the second floor of the Union by Career Services.
Blocker also works part time as the Director of Nutrition and a dietician educator at Waukon Hospita. She also works at the Decorah Clinic.
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Jan-Marie Petersen
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