Morselicious Monday with Around the plate’s, Kati Mora, R.D.

Happy MORSELICIOUS MONDAY

and day before Spring! Hope you all had a MORSELICIOUS St. Pat’s & weekend!

Today we have the pleasure of getting to know Around the Plate’s, Kati Mora.

I’ve had the pleasure of writing for this wonderful site and am constantly impressed with their work. I hope you enjoy and learn as much as I have from this interview.

http://aroundtheplate.org/a-morselicious-lifestyle-by-guest-blogger-maura-mo-knowles-of-mac-n-mos/

Kati Mora is a registered dietitian with a background in general nutrition and weight management. As the co-owner of  Around  the Plate, Kati is excited to bring you relevant nutrition information that get’s you excited about living healthy  and  eating happy. Kati graduated with her BS in Dietetics from Central Michigan University in 2006 and then obtained  her  Master’s in Dietetics from Central in 2010. Kati is the proud mama of two little plates, Eli and Ben, who keep her  busy  and smiling… most of the time. You may also recongize Kati from her work as the Kellogg’s FiberPlus Wellness Advocate and as a contributing author for Diets in Review.

Q.  What is Around the Plate? 

We started thePlate Community about a year ago because we had a desire to help food and health bloggers better connect and share their unique food and nutrition stories with others. We really believe everyone has a unique story to share and there is something to be learned from everyone’s healthy eating journey. When our community started, we basically highlighted a few blog posts from our members on our website and interviewed one or two each month. Now we have an e-letter that goes out weekly, bi-weekly twitter parties (for both members and non-members alike), product review opportunities, blog awards, and later this year, our first ever food and health virtual blogger conference: thePlate Community Virtual Conference.

Short term goal – to connect nutrition experts, recipe gurus, and everyday healthy eating champions with our readers to inspire, inform, and provide real-life resources so everyone may live healthy and eat happy.

Long term goal – we have big plans for thePlate community! Not only do we want to connect our readers to other fabulous health and nutrition bloggers, but we want to help them (the bloggers) reach their fullest potential. That’s why we are planning events like our virtual conference, to help them provide their followers with top-notch information and services.

More info on the community: http://aroundtheplate.org/theplate-community/

Bloggers who meet our criteria can join here: http://aroundtheplate.org/theplate-community/

Q. What are your 3 favorite issues in nutrition?

These aren’t very technical terms, but my three favorite things to talk about on Around the Plate (or in person) are familyhood nutrition, healthy weight achievement, and meal prep!

I think we’ve been given so many food “rules” that its really easy for people to think that eating healthy is dreadfully boring. This is SO not true and I love debunking that myth. I specifically like to work with families because I think it takes a village – or a household – to rethink the way we eat. You have to do it together. Often times this starts with meal prep, going back to nutrition basics, and ends with multiple family members feeling better about how they eat and live – plus achieving a healthy weight usually occurs in there somewhere. 🙂 Mo, you do an excellent job of showing how a dietary change isn’t a dietary death sentence with your morselicious treats. I love that!

Q. Thanks, Kati! 🙂

3 Biggest Nutrition Issues

Nutrition Confusion

Its not always easy to identify what foods you should eat everyday, once in awhile, or rarely. That’s because the world of nutrition is always evolving. New studies, new diets, new food claims – new, new, new. And although we often find varying recommendations, we often fail to see nutrition education coincide with them. Helping people understand recommendations and the reasons behind why they were made can help people more successfully identify the truth behind each claim they come face to face with in their grocery store or online. I’m a huge proponent of meeting one one one with a dietitian to make sure that what you are doing is safe and not setting you up for failure in the long-run.

Eating Too Much Junk

I think, in general, we eat too much junk. There’s a lot of it available, its easy to find, and its often the easiest to fit into a busy schedule. If you’re used to eating these types of foods on a regular basis, it can be really challenging to think beyond the wrapper. But with a little planning, a little creativity,and a little support you can start to incorporate foods that are full of nutrients your body needs and less of the stuff your body doesn’t – you can also find a healthy balance that incorporates a few of these foods into your diet every once in awhile.

Misconceptions about Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is boring, hard to do, and takes up way too much time. Right? Wrong! Healthy eating should be fun, easy, and lifelong. Of course, it may not be any of those things in the beginning, but again that’s where people like me come in. Its my job to help you find ways to eat better without being miserable and find ways to keep you motivated! Believe me, you can do this.

Q How can readers get involved with Around the Plate?

We are always looking for our readers to share their own food story. Whether its a favorite recipe, achieving a healthy weight, or declaring your love for your favorite vegetable, we love those kind of tales. We also encourage blog comments, emails, and story telling on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/aroundtheplate).

Q. My favorite recipe on our website right now actually isn’t even mine! Its a Chocolate Almond Date Ball recipe shared by our fabulous recipe guru Anjali from the Picky Eater blog (http://aroundtheplate.org/two-healthy-chocolate-recipes/). I LOVE this recipe because it really encompasses what we’re all about at Around the Plate. Its a healthy take on a dessert – its fun, delicious, and a something that  makes you go “wow, this is actually okay for me to eat?” Why, yes it is. It also highlights one of our members from thePlate Community and shows exactly how awesome so many of our members are.