My First Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo!

WARNING: the following post is longer than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

I’m pretty sure that I’m still in the process of digesting all of the awesome information (and free samples) that I gained over the last four days at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in Nashville, but it’s safe to say that I had an absolute blast at my first ever FNCE. Four days of food and nutrition…I mean, y’all know I was in heaven.

A lot of y’all are probably like, “okay back up Clara, what in the world is FNCE??” FNCE is the annual meeting put on by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and is open to Registered Dietitians, dietetic interns, and students. It’s a four day conference comprised of a multitude of research and educational presentations, lectures and discussions; culinary demonstrations; and my favorite: an expo featuring over 300 food companies, products, and upcoming nutrition trends. This year it was held in Nashville! Most of the interns in my program had also signed up to go, so we made the 4.5 hour trek to Nashville from Asheville Saturday morning, braving ol’ hurricane Joaquin along the way. Seriously, I never thought that much rain could be possible, and we weren’t even anywhere close to the coast. Thankfully the weather cleared up a little by the time we arrived in Nashville!

So to make things a little easier to follow, I’ll break down the conference day by day. Heads up, it may be a little picture-heavy! 

Saturday, October 3, 2015: We made it to Music City Center (where the conference was held) just in time for the opening session at 4, where we had the pleasure of hearing the former president of Trader Joe’s (!!!!!) speak on his innovative solution to the “hunger problem”. Doug Rauch, the former president of the TJ’s we all dearly know and love, recognized there was a serious need for easy, affordable and convenient meals in the community of Dorchester, Massachusetts a few years ago. He found that many people in the community were turning to fast food meals to feed their families. The main barriers to these families buying healthier foods or cooking at home? Lack of time and money. Doug saw an opportunity to better the lives of this community and ran with it, creating what is now known as the Daily Table, a not-for-profit retail store that sells ready-made “grab and go” meals and sides, as well as fresh produce, at prices that are a fraction of the cost that you’d find at your local grocery store. Their mission is:

“At Daily Table we believe that delicious, wholesome and affordable food should be available to all. We are on a mission to help communities make great choices around food by making it easy for them to choose tasty, healthy, convenient and truly affordable meals and groceries. And we do this in a respectful manner that honors our customer, engendering dignity.”

I can’t even begin to describe the Daily Table and the good that it has done for this community. Seriously, a parent or child can walk in and grab a quart of homemade soup (made in the store!) for just $1.49. That’s like, insane. I encourage you to visit their website here to read more about it, I guarantee you will leave inspired…and bolting to the door to get to your local Trader Joe’s ASAP, if you’re anything like me. Perfect excuse to support the company that brought us the best creamy almond butter on the planet! 

Anyway, after the opening session our little group of interns headed out on the town for dinner at Saint Anejo after my DLF (dear little friend) Katie recommended it to me. The margaritas were strooong, but the tacos were AMAZING. I’m not usually a taco fan (gasp!!) because they always seem to fall apart, with more food landing in my lap than in my mouth, but I went with my gut and got their carnitas tacos with pineapple salsa, salsa verde and cilantro and was NOT disappointed. Not only did they hold up well, but the flavor was actually amazing. We called it a night shortly after, eager to get in bed after a long day of traveling.


Sunday, October 4, 2015: After an early 6 am wakeup call, we got ready and headed back to the conference center for day 2. There were four different time slots for presentations today, but each time slot had around 12 different presentations going at once, so you had to carefully pick and choose which presentation you were most interested in for each time slot. It was tough! For the first session, I ended up going to a presentation on women’s health, prenatal nutrition and infant outcomes. I was a bit surprised to find that most of the information presented was old news, or more of a “review” for me. Nevertheless, the presenters gave some great statistics that reaffirmed the importance of maternal and prenatal nutrition. For instance, did you know that a higher maternal BMI leads to an increased risk for preterm delivery, and that preterm delivery is the most common cause of infant mortality in the US? I certainly went back to my WIC roots a bit during this presentation 😉

The second presentation I chose to attend focused on functional medicine, and that doesn’t mean popping supplements and pills. It means focusing on whole, real foods that allow our bodies to recover and perform to the best of their abilities. Functional medicine looks at the root cause of the disease or condition of an individual, and views the body as whole. It holds the belief that there is a connection between all of the systems in our body, which I think is such a great concept. The presentation was given by two RDs, one of which also went to med school. They described a couple of the different “food plans” that are offered in their program at the Cleveland Clinic, and went into detail about how they use a functional medicine timeline and matrix to determine which food plan is most appropriate. These food plans aren’t a quick “12 week” fix or anything; they are much more of a long-term approach, focused on consuming foods from all food groups, with emphasis on those that provide specific vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that are beneficial to one condition or another. It was all very interesting; myself and the two other interns that I went with were totally enamored with the content delivered. 

It was time for a BREAK after the second session, so we headed upstairs to the expo to have lunch…that was comprised solely of free samples! I’ve never had a panic attack before, but I’m like, 95% sure that I suffered from one the moment I stepped through the expo doors. Between being surrounded by both hundreds of people and hundreds of vendors, I looked down to see my hands shaking and could feel my heart racing. I honestly wish I could say I’m kidding and just being sarcastic, but I’m sadly being 110% serious. Anyway….We weaved our way in and out of the aisles, snatching up free samples left and right. Vendors ranged from pasta companies to gluten free brands, from snack bars to cereals, and from businesses to different councils. I was so happy when I found out that Siggi’s was going to be there, and had the honor of meeting Siggi himself, as well as Abigail (@nutritiontraveler on IG)! After making a few of my intern friends visit the booth with me, I was pleased when they told me I had converted them to Siggi’s yogurt 😀 After making it through about half of the expo, we decided to call it quits and rest for the remainder of the break until the final sessions.

For the third session of the day, I went to a presentation that focused on our different senses and how they impact chronic disease. They presented research that’s shown the differing genes and phenotypes individuals hold can lead to differing preferences for foods. In particular, they found that individuals who were homozygous AVI/AVI phenotype consumed more vegetable servings per year than those that were homozygous PAV/PAV. Those with the AVI/AVI phenotype are not as sensitive to the taste of bitter as those with the PAV/PAV or PAV/AVI phenotypes. I’ll spare you all the scientific background, but it was interesting to hear that perhaps our genes do play some role in our food preferences. However, the presenters made sure to note that learning can override these inborn taste aversions, which I totally agree with. Our past experiences can certainly cancel out our biological setting. I think of the first time I had black coffee; I certainly didn’t loooove it, but overtime as I continued to drink it, I learned to tolerate the taste and enjoy it. Boom!

I kinda had a bust for my fourth session. I went to a presentation on sports injuries and nutrition therapy, which was super intriguing but maybe just a little over my head, as I really haven’t dealt too much with the more detailed and complex side of sports nutrition. I did come away with some good notes and new facts, though! 

At the end of the day, our group of interns went to dinner at a real hole in the wall BBQ joint right on Broadway called Jacks BBQ. To be such a dingy place, the BBQ was awesome and it was perfect weather to eat on their back patio. We headed down the street to Tin Roof for some refreshments, live music, and dancing to unwind from the day. 

Monday, October 5, 2015: Today was seriously the best day of the whole conference. We decided to skip the first session, sleep in a bit, and grab a yummy breakfast at Frothy Monkey before starting the rest of the day.

We didn’t end up getting to the conference until around 11:30 and didn’t have a session until 1:30, so what else did we do but head back to the expo for more free samples?? It was the only logical thing to do, really. Afterward, I headed to a presentation given by three RDs that focused on “nontraditional” career paths in the field. It was fate that I somehow ended up on the second row right in front of the podium, because this was without a doubt the most intriguing, useful and relevant session of the whole conference. One speaker was a retail and supermarket RD, a second was an RD that worked with Health Care Without Harm, and the third was the food and nutrition blogger for SELF Magazine that also had her own private business and media engagements. The third that I mentioned was Sarah-Jane Bedwell, and she was by far the most relatable to me, in more ways that just the job that she holds. Like, she changed her major to dietetics her senior year of undergrad (relatable #1), which was actually even later than my switch! She originally worked as an RD at a renal clinic before realizing that her passion lied more in prevention (relatable #2). She started up a twitter and blog (relatable #3) where SELF Magazine discovered her and approached her about contributing to their magazine (wishful relatable). I couldn’t take notes fast enough during her part of the presentation. I hate how cliche the term “lit a fire under me” is, but she truly lit a fire under me with the knowledge and advice she offered. I left feeling re-inspired and re-dedicated to my blog, brainstorming ways to improve and enhance what I’ve already created of myself. 

The last presentation I chose focused on the stigma of obesity, and advocating for access of treatment and prevention. The speakers presented obesity as a legitimate disease, stating that it holds the same characteristics that any other disease holds: having characteristic signs and symptoms, impairing normal body function, an causing harm to health. I liked the point they made that our environment shapes our biological responses, and that our personal choices can either help or hurt our health outcomes. Yes, biology may play a large part in determining whether or not we end up obese, but there are also personal choices and factors that can take affect as well. Ultimately, by preventing and treating obesity, we have the ability to improve healthcare quality and decrease medical costs, which is good news for everyone, obese or not.  

After the day was over, we headed out for dinner…and faced a few, err, bumps in the road. We were super excited to try Tavern and walked over a mile to get to it before finding a sign out front that stated they were closed for a private event…Major. Fail. I’ll spare the unfortunate time span from 6-8 PM, but we ended up making our way at Pub 5 for a gooood dinner after a very expensive glass of wine (like, $22….). I got the lamb burger with a kale salad, and I wish I could go back and eat it all over again, it was delicious. With a long day of travel looming over us, we headed back to our hotels afterward to get some rest.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015: Today was the last day! I ended up only making it to one presentation today, but I think I picked one of the best ones offered. If you remember from earlier on in this post, I mentioned that I had a renewed sense of passion for what I’m doing with this little slice of the internet known as my blog after hearing Sarah-Jane speak. I didn’t think I could be any more motivated after that, but after attending the presentation given by Anne Mauney and Regan Jones this morning, I found myself wanting to sprint straight to my laptop and dive into my blog head first. You wouldn’t think a 90 minute presentation on analytics and SEO (search engine optimization) would get someone so excited, but I could’ve sat and listened to what they had to say all morning long. I have followed Anne from fANNEtasticfood for the longest time, so having the opportunity to hear her speak and soak up some of her advice was the perfect way to end my week at FNCE. She focused on SEO and ways to improve and enhance the chances of your blog being known and recognized by search engines. Regan talked analytics, and focused on how to gauge the success and reach of your blog, ways to improve and maximize success of posts, and learning how to maneuver around the world of analytics. Super informative and invaluable information for a budding blogger like me 😉

We ended the day with one last go-round through the expo. Vendors were obviously eager to get rid of their remaining products, because they were throwing samples at us left and right. I even got to take home a full jar of Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter! #score! We were eager to get back on the road in hopes to make it home before dark, so we snapped a few last pictures together before hitting the road.

So, if you made it this far through the post, you truly deserve an award. I apologize for just posting a novel!!! I had just heard so much about FNCE over the last couple years as a dietetics undergrad, that I’m so glad I finally had the opportunity to attend myself. Not only did I get the chance to meet so many awesome, like-minded foodies like myself, but I also gained new knowledge in areas of the field that I’m not usually around, hopefully furthering my competency within the field. I got home Tuesday feeling inspired, ambitious, and quite frankly, about 5 pounds heavier from all the free samples. I’m thankful our program director gave us the remainder of the week off, because I’m still reminiscing and reviewing all the information I took in over the four day conference. The 2016 meeting is in Boston, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed I can make it!