With over 130 educational opportunities at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE), it wasn’t hard to learn new and exciting things from the speaker sessions or while walking through the expo exhibits.Is “Eating Less” the Best Message? When Bigger Portions Can Be Better presented by Barbara Rolls, Ph.D. and Ellie Krieger, M.S., R.D.With the advice to “Enjoy your food, but eat less” by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, manypeople think they have to forgo tasty, flavorful and filling foods for the sake of weight management. Notso – as new research and culinary techniques have shown that the volume (or water-content) of yourfood plays a big role in overall satiety and you can actually eat more and consume fewer calories.The research that Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., has conducted over the years, which has resulted in her latestbook, The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet: Smart, Simple, Science-based Strategies for Losing Weight andKeeping If Off, extols the virtues of adding high volume foods, such as fruits, vegetables and soups tomeals and snacks to fend off weight gain – without hunger and deprivation.From the culinary perspective, Ellie Krieger, M.S., R.D., author and host of Healthy Appetite on the FoodNetwork, gave us her tips for whipping up high volume foods, such as fruit, vegetable, and herb pureesto keep on hand in the freezer to enjoy any day of the week. You can add fruit purees to hot cereal likeoatmeal or cream of wheat, dollop into plain yogurt or dress up a simple stack of whole grain pancakes.For veggie and/or herb purees, you can add them to soups, salads, and as a spread on sandwiches andwraps. So you can up the flavor and nutrition profile of your meals and snacks without adding a lot ofadditional calories.Eat What You Love with Diabetes: How to Use the Mindful Eating Cycle for Self-Managementpresented by Megrette Fletcher, ME.d, R.D., C.D.E and Michelle May, M.D.This powerful presentation by two leading authorities in mindful eating and authors of Eat WhatYou Love with Diabetes set the stage for using mindful eating as an additional tool to counsel clientswith diabetes to manage their yo-yo behaviors and bring their eating into more of a steady place. Byteaching patients and clients that “attention” and “intention” are required to become a mindful eaterand manage blood sugars as well as weight better, we as nutrition professionals can garner trust andempower people to take a proactive approach to their diabetes self-management. It was enlighteningthe think of eating as not a yo-yo of highs and lows, but a pendulum, which swings to allow for moreleeway to enjoy the foods you love and balance eating with physical activity to find a healthy place thatworks for you.Time to Socialize: The Ins and Outs of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn presented by Bonnie Taub-Dix, M.A., R.D., C.D.N. and Keri Gans, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.Whether you are a newbie or experienced social media user, this way of communications is an essentialelement in our face-paced, information age. As we heard from two social media guru-RDs, Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN and Keri Gans, MS, RD, CDN, it is essential that we at least know the basics of these social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn – and Pinterest. With short snippets of information – we can communicate key pieces of information about the things that are most important to us – from career endeavors to client referrals to special interests and family life. Social media platforms do wonders for connecting us with the world – whatever world that is for you. If there’s anything to keep in mind, keep it brief as Tweets are limited to 140 words, Facebook posts should be accompanied by catchy tags and LinkedIn profiles should be a brief personal “elevator speech” paragraph. As far as images, you can create walls of your favorite images on Pinterest. Remember all of these media outlets represent you and your brand, so tweet, post, and pin with care!Get started with social media today – here are the websites:www.facebook.comwww.twitter.comwww.pinterest.comwww.linkedin.comAdded Sugar: Friend or Foe presented by James Painter, Ph.D, R.D., Jill Melton, M.S., R.D., and Allison Beadle, M.S., R.D., L.D.This breakfast session sponsored by California Raisins was early, but it was worth it. With all of the talkabout added sugar these days, it was good to get another perspective on sugar – from the added stuff insoda, sports drinks, candy and juice drinks to the natural sugars in fruit, specifically sun-dried fruits likeraisins – which are not the same as Craisins, which do contain added sugar. Sugar may make everythingtaste better, but there should be a limit for overall health.The American Heart Association recommends that women limit how much sugar they eat to 6 teaspoonsper day (about 100 calories); for men 9 teaspoons (about 150 calories) per day. So what does thismean? Consumers should check labels for sugar in the ingredient statement, as well as on the NutritionFact Panel. Note: There are 4 grams of sugar in one teaspoon.By Victoria Shanta Retelny, RD, LDN, author of The Essential Guide to Healthy Healing Foods(The author has no affiliation with any of the companies or products mentioned.)You can find even more FNCE resources at FoodandHealth.com. Check out the top 50 lessons from FNCE and get an inside look at the gluten-free workshop.