Oldways 2008 News Archives

For 2007 News Archives, please click here.

2008
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Week of December 22, 2008
An Oldways Holiday Menu for You!

Week of November 24, 2008
Conference Presentations Now Available!

Our 15th Anniversary Mediterraneand Diet Conference was a huge success, and we're pleased to announce that many of our speakers' presentations are available for download in PDF. Please click here to view a list of available presentations. You will need Adobe Acrobat 6.0 or later in order to view and download the presentations.

Week of November 10, 2008
Whole Grains for Everyone

Week of October 20th, 2008
Celebrate World Pasta Day!



This Saturday is World Pasta Day, and Oldways encourages you to celebrate by enjoying a healthy pasta meal! Pasta is an affordable, versatile, and delicious meal option. It's easy to create a healthy pasta meal by enjoying it in appropriate portions and with other healthy foods such as vegetables, fish, cheese, and olive oil.

K. Dun Gifford, CEO and President of Oldways, and Sara Baer-Sinnott, Executive Vice President will be speaking at the World Pasta Day in Istanbul, Turkey, to present a new cooking and nutrition curriculum for children created by Oldways: PASTA FOR CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD. Please let us know if you're interested in receiving a downloadable copy of the curriculum.

Week of September 22nd, 2008
World Food Exchange

Oldways is working with the Government of South Australia to build the State's capability to maximize the opportunities presented by the growing global trend for sustainable culinary tourism and capitalize on increasing consumer interest to develop a connection between what they consume and the people and places that produce it. This week, Oldways is in South Australia (Adelaide, the Eyre Peninsula and the Barossa) to chair a series of regional workshops, tours and a Symposium for this inaugural World Food Exchange.

Week of September 15th, 2008
Oldways Approach Validated by New Study

Why are carrots healthier than beta-carotene? Fish better for you than Omega-3 capsules? Whole grains healthier than fiber alone? Oldways has for many years been a singular voice arguing that an overall healthy diet is much more than the sum of its nutrient parts.

Today, new research backs up Oldways' approach. Awareness is growing that there's no substitute for a varied diet of delicious, real foods. Learn more by registering for Oldways' 15th Anniversary Mediterranean Diet Conference, being held November 16-18, in Cambridge, MA, including extensive reports of the new and supportive international research results.

Week of September 8th, 2008
7 Tons of Whole Grains Donated to Worthy Causes

September is Whole Grains Month, and to celebrate its observance, members of the Whole Grains Council are donating at least seven tons of whole grain foods to schools, food pantries, Meals on Wheels, homeless shelters, and others who might not otherwise have access to healthy whole grains. To download and read the entire press release, please click here.

Week of September 1st, 2008
Celebrate Whole Grains Month throughout September



September is Whole Grains Month, and Oldways and the Whole Grains Council urge everyone, everywhere to celebrate by enjoying one extra whole grain choice every day of the month. Munch a bowl of whole grain cereal instead of a doughnut for breakfast... Have your sandwich on whole wheat at lunch... Choose popcorn or a granola bar instead of candy for your afternoon snack... Zap some instant brown rice pilaf at dinner... Finding good whole grain choices at the store is easy when you look for the Whole Grain Stamp, now on more than 2,100 products in five countries.

Check out the Whole Grains Council website, where you'll find ideas for consumers, health professionals, retailers and everyone who wants to take part in Whole Grains Month. Go with the grain during September!

Week of August 25th, 2008
Online Registration for Roots and Reality of Latino Diabetes Now Open
Our online registration system for the February 2009 LNC conference is up and running, offering secure online registration. Please click here or on the Roots and Reality logo above to access. You may also view details about the venue in Las Vegas, conference costs, and the program. Check back often for updates to the program as we confirm engaging and expert speakers!

Week of August 18th, 2008
Thought-provoking Roster of Expert Speakers Confirmed

Early-bird discount ends September 1st, for our Med Diet Conference being held November 16-18, 2008 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Over the last decade and a half, Oldways has spearheaded a successful effort to educate health professionals, government policy-makers, marketing executives, food technologists, and journalists that the Med Diet is the gold standard for healthy eating. Now it's time to ratchet our efforts up to the next level, to push this message out to more consumers.

If your work involves obesity, food behavior, foodservice or any other related field, Oldways' 15th Anniversary Mediterranean Diet conference will inspire you with speakers that will update the solid science behind the Med Diet and offer concrete examples of successful public health and foodservice approaches you can use to help consumers realize how healthy and affordable eating "the Med way" can be.

Top experts will explain how to raise an omnivorous child... why nutritional reductionism doesn't work... how to reduce asthma risk in kids... why the Med Diet helps with weight control... which foods and drinks best represent the Med Diet... how olive oil is similar to ibuprofen... why Alzheimer's disease is less likely in Med Diet eaters... how supermarkets can promote the Med Diet as an affordable option for everyone... and so much more.

You can see a full program, view a star-studded list of confirmed speakers, and register for the conference here. Register by September 1st to get our early bird discount!

Week of August 4th, 2008
Whole Grains Store Kit Launched

Now's a good time to start thinking about Whole Grains Month, coming up in September. The Whole Grains Council wants to help open grocery customers' eyes to the health benefits of whole grains, while making them more aware of the many whole grain choices available up and down the aisles. The WGC's free "Whole Grains Store Tour" kit includes everything you need to plan a special event for Whole Grains Month - or any other time. The kit includes instore signage, signup sheets, handouts, an aisle-by-aisle shopping list, ideas for sampling whole grains, a recipe pack, and even a PowerPoint presentation.

The free Whole Grains Store Tour can be downloaded from the RESOURCES section at WholeGrainsCouncil.org on the WGC website, where you can also find many other great ideas for celebrating Whole Grains Month.

Week of July 28th, 2008
Oldways Culinaria to Morocco with Ana Sortun and Paula Wolfert



We're excited to announce the addition of Paula Wolfert, renowned cookbook author and expert on Moroccan cuisine to our upcoming Moroccan Culinaria, scheduled from December 1-10, 2008.

Wolfert, the James Beard Award Winning-author of the classic cookbook Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco will join Ana Sortun, James Beard Award Winning-chef and owner of Oleana and author of Spice, to guide Oldways staff and participants on a culinary exploration of the exotic cities of Marrakech and Fez. Highlights of the culinaria include guided trips through the food markets and souks, traditional meals at an array of cafes and restaurants, a day trip to a Berber village outside of Marrakech, cooking demonstrations led by Wolfert and Sortun, and much more. To view the entire agenda and trip costs, please click here, or feel free to contact Erica Calegari at 617-421-4850 with any questions. We hope that you will join us!

Week of July 21st, 2008
Oldways Announces Latino Nutrition Coalition Conference
February 23-25, 2009, Las Vegas, Nevada

At LNC Headquarters in Boston, many hours are spent analyzing the role culture plays in the Latino community's approach to health, disease management, and food/lifestyle choices. We, along with experts from many fields, will share our findings at the 2009 LNC Conference Roots and Reality of Latino Diabetes: Finding Answers in Traditions and Science to be held in Las Vegas at the Westin Casuarina from February 23-25, 2009.

Join us in Las Vegas as experts focus on the roots and the realities of Latinos living with diabetes today. Culture will be the center of attention as we explore its role in the Latino community's attitudes, perceptions and traditional remedies towards diabetes. We will find answers in both the science behind disease prevention, exercise, and the pleasures of the Latin table. Connect with Oldways and the Latino Nutrition Coalition as marketers, policymakers, R&D leaders, scientists and chefs meet in Las Vegas to exchange ideas and find answers.

We will post conference details online soon. In the meantime, please contact Kezia Frayjo, Latino Nutrition Coalition Program Manager with any questions: kfrayjo@oldwayspt.org.

Week of June 30th, 2008
Oldways On The Radio
K. Dun Gifford discusess the pleasure and health of the Mediterranean diet, Sicilian cuisine, health benefits of olive oil, and the 15th Annivesary of the Mediterranean Diet Food Pyramid with Carole Kotkin and Simone Diamant of South Florida Gourmet's Food and Wine Talk. Click here to listen to the entire interview.

Week of June 23rd, 2008
Oldways Exchange Spring 2008 Newsletter

Some of our latest news is below, but please click here to see the full newsletter.

You'll find information about the Mediterranean Foods Alliance (MFA), the new face of Med Mark. The Alliance is a natural next step for the Med Mark and works with closely with health professionals, media, and scientists to bring the Med Diet to more homes, supermarkets,
restaurants—everywhere Americans eat.

Other news includes:

Whole Grain Stamp Goes International
Oldways and the Whole Grains Council (WGC) are sharpening their Spanish and French translation skills as the Whole Grain Stamp bursts the borders of the United States and travels to other countries. A bilingual French/English version of the Stamp, announced in our last newsletter, started appearing on Canadian shelves in March, with ACE Bakery breads and Ryza brown rice milk two of the first stamped products to hit the market. Almost simultaneously, British Bakels, an English supplier of ingredients and mixes, launched the Whole Grain Stamp in the U.K.

Latino Nutrition Coalition Has a New Website
Oldways created the Latino Nutrition Coalition (LNC) three years ago. The LNC is an educational program inspiring Latinos to improve and maintain their health through traditional foods and active lifestyles. The LNC creates practical, culturally-aware materials in English and Spanish that help Latinos match the best of their healthy food traditions with the realities of modern American life. The LNC's most recent endeavor is its launch of a new LNC website.

Sweetness Conferences in Washington, DC and Beijing, China
In April Oldways organized two Sweetness conferences, one in Washington, DC and the other in Beijing, China. More than 130 health professionals, journalists, government officials, and industry members joined Oldways and 10 speakers in Washington for a day-long Understanding Sweetness Conference at the National Press Club. Click here to access the speakers' presentations.

Week of June 16th, 2008
Oldways "From Your Cart to Your Kitchen" Campaign Launches
at More than 50 Grocery Stores Across the United States

Shaw's, Hannaford, Albertsons, Big Y and dozens of other supermarkets across the country have begun to offer the in-store customer program, "Bringing Home the Mediterranean Diet: From your grocery cart to your kitchen," to help shoppers take advantage of the health, flavors, and taste that have made the Mediterranean Diet famous.

This new free program was created by Oldways' Mediterranean Foods Alliance (MFA), a coalition of grocery outlets, food producers, health professionals and culinary experts, to help stores help consumers find Mediterranean foods.

The Oldways' free program includes tools for each store such as:

• Cooking demos and food samplings featuring tasty Mediterranean dishes
  
• Mediterranean Diet shopping lists, facts sheets, and recipe cards
  
• Guided store tours on how to stock the ultimate Mediterranean Diet pantry
  
• In-store events including olive oil explorations and cheese tastings

"This kit is the perfect way to reach consumers where they buy food and directly influence what they put into their carts. We want to help them learn more about the health-promoting Mediterranean Diet," said Nicki Heverling, MS, RD, Program Manager of the MFA, "and how to choose healthy Mediterranean foods and drinks."

Research continues to show that the Mediterranean Diet is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to helping people live longer, healthier lives. This fad-free approach to healthy eating—which focuses on fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts and olive oil—promotes weight loss and heart health, helps prevent certain cancers and diabetes, and it even enhances memory and brain function.

The MFA helps shoppers easily find healthy Mediterranean foods and drinks with the Med Mark, a boldly designed packaging symbol found on healthy foods and drinks traditional to the Mediterranean Diet pyramid. To learn more, please visit www.mediterraneanmark.org.

Week of May 19th, 2008
Latino Nutrition Coalition Website Relaunch:
A digital collection of traditions, health, and delicious foods








The Latino Nutrition Coalition (LNC), Oldways' educational program that strives to inspire Latinos to improve and maintain their health through embracing their traditional food culture and by promoting active lifestyles, just launched its brand new website.

Both the look and content of the site were redesigned to better address the needs of the growing Latino community who regularly visit www.latinonutrition.org. "We are very excited about the new site," said Kezia Frayjo, LNC program manager. "Our goal is to become the go-to place for all things related to Latino nutrition. We have new recipes, free downloadable worksheets, interesting articles, specific information for health professionals, tools for everyday grocery shoppers, and much more!"

In addition to adding more useful practical tools to the new site, the graphic elements of the new site were a key factor in the redesign. The LNC turned once again to Dyango Chavez, a talented freelance print and web designer based out of Boston, for his expertise in the area of graphic marketing to the Latino community. Dyango, who hails from Cuba, redesigned the Camino Mágico booklet for the LNC. His amazing design and grasp of illustrative communication made the new Camino Mágico brim with more culturally relevant and gorgeous food illustrations. The LNC team decided to ask Dyango to translate that particular look to the new website as well.

"My goal for the design of the LNC website was to create a space for the family, where they could find the type of foods that our parents and grandparents in Latin America used to cook at home: traditional, fresh, hand-made," said Dyango. "That idea was the inspiration for the 'grocery bag' look, a metaphor for a container of traditions, health, and delicious foods—a warm, playful, and well-researched source for finding recipes, advice and inspiration for a healthier lifestyle."

We invite you to visit the new LNC site at www.latinonutrition.org take a look around. As always, we love to hear your feedback: kfrayjo@oldwayspt.org.!

Each one of us knows that "sweetness" is a key element for us to get enough sugars to keep our bodies healthy. The reason is that each of our body's cells gets its energy from a variety of sugars. However, we live in a land of enormous plenty—food and drink are all around us, and a great many Americans eat and drink too much, which inevitably leads to overweight, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Understanding and Managing Sweetness is an educational program to help individuals and families make wise choices leading to healthy lifestyles and weight.

The Understanding Sweetness Conference, held in Washington DC earlier this month, was the second Managing Sweetness event in the US. Speakers' presentations are available here.

Week of March 31st, 2008
Oldways and the Mediterranean Foods Alliance are pleased to announce the 15th Anniversary Mediterranean Diet Conference, which will be held on November 16-18, 2008 in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Just fifteen years ago olive oil was considered an "ethnic" product, and few food retailers offered sizable selections of fresh olives, hummus, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and sun-dried tomatoes. That all changed starting in January 1993, when Oldways and a group of eminent scientists introduced the concept of the Mediterranean Diet as a highly palatable and very helpful way to eat. Oldways also introduced the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, a colorful graphic designed to help consumers understand this dietary pattern at a glance.

Using Oldways' trademark mix of influential scientists, health professionals, chefs and media, this conference will recognize the abundant scientific evidence supporting the Mediterranean Diet's health benefits and the increasing popularity of Mediterranean foods and drinks.
The three-day event will also focus on how to bring more Americans to the Mediterranean table—in homes, schools, restaurants, and hospitals—in short, everywhere Americans eat.

Please click here for details about the conference or to register.

Week of March 24th, 2008
Oldways Goes to Washington
Keeping abreast of government policy—and educating policymakers—are important to the success of Oldways' efforts to promote whole grains through its Whole Grains Council (WGC). With that in mind, we traveled to Washington DC this month to meet with nutrition leaders in various government agencies.

* At USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, we discussed the upcoming 2010 Dietary Guidelines, in an effort to learn how Oldways and the WGC can best support the role of whole grains in the nation's next official nutrition update. One result: we'll be working with our Scientific Advisors to make sure that all the most recent research on whole grains is available to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee when it starts its work this fall.

* We met next with USDA's Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) to trade ideas with school lunch officials about the best ways to bring more whole grains to school lunches, and with the Economic Research Service to brainstorm about options for tracking Americans' increased consumption of whole grain. Both meetings were productive and inspired us with ideas for new educational programs!

* We wrapped up the trip with a day at the WIC Implementation Summit. WIC—the Women, Infants and Children supplemental feeding program—has just had its first major update in over 30 years; now, for the first time, at-risk women and their kids can get vouchers for whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. Oldways and the Whole Grains Council are working with WIC to create lists of qualifying whole grain products, to smooth implementation of this major change.

Consumers are more likely to change their eating behavior when they hear a consistent and compelling message from all sources. By trading ideas regularly with Washington leaders, Oldways works to ensure that the nutrition advice coming from Washington is the best it can be, and that we're supporting those policies that effectively encourage healthy eating, as we create our latest innovative campaigns— not only for the Whole Grains Council but also for our Latino Nutrition Coalition and Mediterranean Foods Alliance programs.

Week of March 17th, 2008
Latino Nutrition Coalition announces membership for RDs and Nutritionists
New membership opportunity is open to all RDs and nutritionists who have an interest in the culture, cuisine, education, and care of the Latino community. Please click here to learn more about the benefits of membership and to sign up.

Week of March 3rd, 2008
Mediterranean Foods Alliance Launched
Helps Shoppers Find Med Diet Foods

To download and read the press release, please click here.

Week of February 25th, 2008
Understanding Sweetness Conference Announced

Oldways convenes top experts for a hard look at one of today's hottest health topics—sweetness, sugars, sugar substitutes and health—on April 2, 2008 in Washington, DC at the National Press Club. Click here for more information about the conference, the program, and to register.

Week of February 18th, 2008
Consumers Seek Natural Products at Deli Counters

K. Dun Gifford, Oldways founder and president, speaks with Deli Business on the continuing consumer interest in natural foods: shoppers now look for natural meats in the deli section of the supermarket.

Click here to download and read the article.

Week of February 4th, 2008
Successful Whole Grain Stamp Program Expands

The Whole Grain Stamp will appear on more than three quarters of a billion food packages this year, helping consumers quickly and easily find whole grain products. To celebrate the third anniversary of the Stamp, Oldways and the Whole Grains Council are launching two major expansions of this popular and effective program. A bilingual version of the Whole Grain Stamp has been introduced for use in Canada, and a menu-friendly version is now available for restaurants.

To read and download the entire press release, please click here.

Week of January 28th, 2008
Mediterranean Diet Pyramid Marks 15th Anniversary on January 23, 2008

Fifteen years ago American food shoppers didn't have the option of aisles brimming with olive oil, hummus, fresh olive bars and ready-to-eat, authentic pasta dishes. The appearance in American grocery stores of these healthier food choices can be credited to the 1993 launch of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid by Oldways, the widely respected nonprofit "food issues think tank."

"I knew we had to sell health, pleasure and convenience, and back them up with bullet-proof science," said. K. Dun Gifford, Oldways founder and president, about the origins of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. "Fifteen years later our accomplishments with the Mediterranean Diet are recognized all over the world," said Gifford in recognition of the pyramid's anniversary.

To read and download the full press release, please click here.

Week of January 6th, 2008
Oldways Announces 2008 Events and Programs

Oldways is constantly on the move, promoting good nutrition and sustainability and encouraging a return to the delicious pleasures of traditional foods and wines, enjoyed with family and friends.

We are happy to announce the schedule of this year's events and conferences, symposiums and culinarias. We hope to see you in this new year. Please check back for updates and more information.

Camino Mágico launches in California in Nevada and New York, January 2008

Managing Sweetness Conference in Washington, D.C. April 2008

Rebirth of Learning: Olive Oil, Health and the Mediterranean Diet in Palermo, Sicily,
April 2008

54th Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City, NY, July 2008

World Food Exchange in Adelaide, South Australia, September 2008

World Pasta Day in Istanbul, Turkey, October 2008

Mediterranean Diet 15th Anniversary Symposium in Cambridge, MA, November 2008

Morocco Culinaria with Ana Sortun and Oldways in Marrakech and Fez, Morocco, December 2008

Latino Nutrition Coalition Conference, January 2009,

For more information please email or call Erica Calegari (ecalegari@oldwayspt.org, 617.896.4850).