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Home » Lifestyle » Travel

October 22, 2014 (Updated March 20, 2023)

FNCE 2014 Recap

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

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As you know, I spent the weekend at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE)! FNCE is the big annual national conference for Registered Dietitians (and those in nutrition-related fields – you don’t have to be an RD to attend). It’s massive – over 10,000 food and nutrition professionals attend each year. In addition to a huge amount of educational sessions happening all day every day, there is also a large expo where companies/sponsors set up booths. The conference moves around every year; this year it was in Atlanta!

atlanta_fnce_2014

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Like last year, I applied to attend the conference as media (basically, you either need to be on assignment or have a >6 month old blog that gets over 20,000 unique monthly visitors), so my registration fee was waived. Attending as press is nice because you get access to a press room and to the media briefings, too.

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Outside of my registration fee, I was lucky enough to attend the conference this year on behalf of my friends at the California Strawberry Commission, who I’ve been doing an ongoing ambassadorship with this year. I <3 strawberries. A HUGE thank you to them for covering my hotel and food/travel expenses for this trip!

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One of the greatest things about FNCE is all the awesome food samples in the expo. I mostly stayed in the natural/organic section (love that they have this so it’s easy to find all my faves) and in the California produce section. My strawberry friends had a strawberry toppings bar that made for a great afternoon snack – I ate some strawberries solo and topped some with goat cheese and/or mascarpone, too. Delicious! Love the savory/sweet combo.

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In other snack news, have you tried the new-ish Larabar Renola? It’s awesome. And I discovered at KIND’s booth that they have come out with a new line of savory bars – I tried the BBQ one and it was delish. I’m getting super tired of only having sweet snack bar options! Speaking of interesting snacks, I was pleased to see my friends from Nourish Snacks there (I reviewed them awhile ago – love their stuff) with some new snack options! Their cinn-sational (dried apples and almonds) is my favorite, but they have a ton of good snacks out right now – love the roasted chickpeas. Celebrity RD Joy Bauer is the creative genius behind the brand – so cool to meet her! She was SUPER nice and my RD buddies Kristina, Jenna, and I had a lot of fun talking to her.

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(My dress is from Stitch Fix, like the rest of my wardrobe at this point!
It’s here on my Stitch Fix Pinterest wish list if you want to repin it and ask your stylist for it – hopefully they still have it! So cute and comfy.)

Other expo favorites included: Organic Valley, the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (I couldn’t find their booth until they closed and was sad), the Hass Avocado Board, the Almond Board of California, Canadian Lentils, Wyman’s of Maine, and many more of the whole/real food organizations.

The other fun thing about the expo is running into friends! I loved seeing my buddies The Nutrition Twins:

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And getting to hang out with my virtual intern and RD-to-be Jackie! Jackie has been working for me for over a year now and is doing an awesome job. I’m lucky to have her. 🙂 And we do indeed <3 Georgia peaches.

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It was also great to hang out with my grad school buddies Elle, Libby, and Jen! We took a break from the conference on Sunday to get some lunch and fresh air. Beautiful day!

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In terms of educational sessions, the most interesting one I attended was entitled “Identifying Dietary Migraine Triggers & Integrative Treatments,” led by Margaret Slavin, PhD, RD and Jan Patenaude, RD, CLT.

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The session talked a lot about inflammation in the body as it relates to migraines. Diet-induced inflammation can come from things like food allergies (4-6% of the population), auto-immune diseases (3-5%), and food sensitivities (30-40%; different from intolerance).

To determine your food sensitivities, there are a variety of tests, with the MRT (mediator release test) being the one the presenters recommended with the accompanying LEAP diet. This is basically an elimination diet based on your MRT results, and they have seen significant improvement in their clients within 3 to 14 days. Pretty amazing! Everyone has different food sensitivities, but some of the common ones are food additives that can be found in many processed foods, like HVP, “natural flavor”, gelatin, MSG, autolyzed yeast, maltodextrin, citric acid, whey protein, soy protein, protease, carageenan, tannins, aspartame, dyes, sulfites, etc. It was interesting because, for example, if someone finds that wine is a migraine trigger for them, it’s a bit of trial and error to see what within that wine is actually the problem – is it the tannins? Or a color additive? The alcohol? Sulfites? Simply the stress that is causing you to drink the wine?

This is one of the reasons that it’s really important to avoid overly processed foods. They shared a great example of a client that got a plain grilled chicken sandwich at Chick Fil-A and was confused why it triggered her migraine. Well, look at all these ingredients! YIKES.

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I’m not an expert in the area of food sensitivities (or migraines) at all, but it’s something I’d like to learn more about in the future!

On the fitness front of the trip, I was up super early both mornings to meet my friend Elle for hotel gym workouts. Getting up after later evenings involving wine was tough but I felt a million times better having gotten some movement in!

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The first morning we did a Nike Training Club app workout (love that app), and the second day we tried a whole bunch of workouts from a cool app Elle had called Hot5. It’s all 5 minute workouts so you can mix and match! We were jumping all over the place and sweating buckets both days – pretty sure everyone else in the gym thought we were insane.

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Thank you to Elle for getting me out of bed. So much easier when you have a partner in crime! 🙂

As for food, I had two fantastic meals out. The first one was on Saturday night at Canoe, courtesy of the California Strawberry Commission. Joining me and Jodi (from CA Strawberries) for the dinner were Toby Amidor, Robin Plotkin, Kristina LaRue, Regan Jones, Elle Penner, and Lisa Cain.

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Canoe was a beautiful restaurant, and the food was excellent. We shared a big variety of appetizers to start:

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For my main dish I had the salmon with spaghetti squash and sautéed spinach. I loved it! I would never have thought to pair spaghetti squash with salmon.

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As for dessert, I enjoyed the poached pear. Yum!

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Highly recommend Canoe if you are ever in Atlanta area and looking for a special occasion restaurant. Great service and wine, too! Thank you to the California Strawberry Commission for treating us!

On Sunday night, I was excited to be invited to a Hass Avocado Board sponsored dinner at White Oak Kitchen. Elle, Libby, and I arrived early because UNC hosted an MPH-RD program alumni (and current student) happy hour there! So great to see our classmates and one of our favorite former professors, and to meet some of the other UNC alumni in attendance. Sidenote – the restaurant had a pot of mulling spices on the stove when you walked in and it was AMAZING.

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As for the avocado board dinner, it was fabulous! We started the evening learning a bit more about the science behind avocado’s awesomeness – those little guys are packed with healthy fat, as we know, and they found that including them at a meal/snack with fat soluble provitamin A rich foods (like carrots and tomatoes) significantly increased absorption of the provitamin and subsequent conversion to Vitamin A. Awesome!

We started with a snow crab claw salad with fennel-grapefruit salad, avocado vinaigrette, and a tomato sauce. Delicious!

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For the main course, a grouper with wood grilled carrots, kale pesto and avocado mousse. My fish was MASSIVE (this photo doesn’t do it justice) so I didn’t finish it but it was delicious!

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And for dessert, avocado panna cotta with candied grapefruit peel and herbed tupelo honey. Omg. I basically licked my plate clean.

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Thank you to the Hass Avocado Board for the lovely dinner!

So there you have it – my 2014 FNCE recap. It was a crazy busy whirlwind but it’s always great to have the chance to network with friends and the like-minded companies in attendance. Thank you again to the California Strawberry Commission for sending me! Looking forward to next year’s conference already. 🙂

- anne
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29 comments
  • Shel@PeachyPalate
    October 22, 2014 · 2:05PM:
    Looks and sounds like an incredible weekend! You monochrome dress is stunning on you!
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 22, 2014 · 2:36PM:
      Thank you! :)
      Reply
  • Alex
    October 22, 2014 · 2:18PM:
    Looks like it was a great conference. I think it would be awesome to gather in a space like this with like minded individuals to share, learn and expand your knowledge. So cool. Avocado mousse?! I want to know how to make that. Yum. Did they share that by any chance?!
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 22, 2014 · 2:35PM:
      Sadly not! It was so good!
      Reply
  • Jojo @ Run Fast Eat Lots
    October 22, 2014 · 2:29PM:
    What a fun and informational conference! Also, all that food looks amazing
    Reply
  • Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment
    October 22, 2014 · 2:35PM:
    What a fun and information conference! Your dress looks great on you. :-)
    Reply
  • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
    October 22, 2014 · 3:33PM:
    Such an awesome conference!
    Reply
  • chanelle
    October 22, 2014 · 4:08PM:
    How cool to be surrounded by good, healthy and organic food. And what a good idea to go as press…. something for me to keep in mind in the future when my blog has that many views, lol.
    Reply
  • Lauren
    October 22, 2014 · 4:21PM:
    Wow, looks fun! I was only at a pre-FNCE workshop but had no idea you could go as the media - something to keep in mind for next year. I was skeptical about MRT/LEAP at first, but I've had big success with it for clients, as long as they're good candidates + committed!
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 22, 2014 · 4:34PM:
      I'm skeptical too... would be interested in hearing more about your experiences with it!
      Reply
  • Alisha @ Real Girl Running
    October 22, 2014 · 5:39PM:
    Thanks for the information on dietary migraine triggers. I went through a period where I was getting migraines fairly regularly, to the point where it was affecting my work and my day to day life. It wasn't until a changed jobs, cleaned up my diet and started exercising that I saw any real relief from migraines. I actually never pinpointed the reason for my migraines (although I did see my doctor who helped manage the symptoms), but in hindsight one of the causes could very well have been the food I was eating. I'm definitely going to look into this more, because I know a few people who suffer brain pain too. Thanks Anne!
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 22, 2014 · 5:55PM:
      I'm glad you're feeling better!
      Reply
  • Hillary | Nutrition Nut on the Run
    October 22, 2014 · 5:50PM:
    I've gotta check out those fitness apps, thanks! Did you take that photo of ATL? Great shot!
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 22, 2014 · 5:54PM:
      Yes, from my hotel room!
      Reply
  • Sam @ Grapefruit & Granola
    October 22, 2014 · 7:12PM:
    I enjoyed your recap! I am an RD and was thinking I might go this year, but then had a job change this summer and kind of forgot about it. It looks like it was a lot of fun and very informative :)
    Reply
  • Kevie October 22, 2014 · 8:06PM:
    Shoot, my husband loves Chik-fil-A, and I thought it was semi-okay because it's chicken, not super processed McDonald's. I guess it's good Chik-fil-A is a treat! By the way, I love BOTH of your dresses in this post.
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 22, 2014 · 8:07PM:
      Thank you :)
      Reply
  • Carrie (This Fit Chick)
    October 22, 2014 · 9:01PM:
    What a fun weekend! I'm itching for a fun getaway. So cool you got to see all your fellow blogger friends!
    Reply
  • Katherine
    October 22, 2014 · 10:29PM:
    Looks like you had a great time! I am so sad that I missed this year, but hoping to save for Nashville. I love that you have an intern! Are you her preceptor for credit hours or just working together? Great experience either way!
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 23, 2014 · 8:15AM:
      It's not for credit - she's still in school and does about 5 or so hours a week for me!
      Reply
  • Chelsea C
    October 22, 2014 · 10:43PM:
    FNCE looks so fun! I went last year since it was in Houston (where my dietetic internship was) and had a blast! Definitely hoping to be able to go to Nashville next year. Seems like an all-around great time in Atlanta!
    Reply
  • Kaitlyn Eck October 23, 2014 · 1:11PM:
    FENCE sounds like a blast. Everyone I work with went and loved it. I hope I get to go next year once I am done with my internship and have hopefully passed the exam!!
    Reply
  • Betsy October 23, 2014 · 1:52PM:
    I just saw Kind's savory bars for the first time this weekend, I loved the BBQ one. I also have a Thai Chili bar that I'm eager to try soon.
    Reply
  • Jodi @ Garlic Girl
    October 23, 2014 · 2:59PM:
    Hey Anne, what an great recap! It was lovely seeing you as usual. I hope our paths continue to cross! Jodi
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 23, 2014 · 3:42PM:
      Likewise! :)
      Reply
  • Erin @ Erin's Inside Job
    October 23, 2014 · 3:22PM:
    Looks awesome! I went to Expo East this year and it was great to be around so many healthy and creative food options. I have had the Renola which I like, but wasn't a huge fan of the savory Kind bars. I think I am more of a sweet kind of girl, but they are definitely good if you like savory things.
    Reply
  • Liz - Meal Makeover Mom
    October 24, 2014 · 7:32AM:
    Great roundup of FNCE. I loved reading about the migraine lecture. For me, triggers are definitely aged cheeses (blue cheese is the worst for me), MSG, red wine (related to the amount ... and certain kinds are worse than others), and dehydration. It's a relief when you finally figure it out. So glad I had a chance to run into you and say hi. It's hard to find the time for more than a "hi" though! Hope to see you again soon :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      October 24, 2014 · 8:47AM:
      Hope to see you again soon, too! Wish we'd had more time to catch up. :)
      Reply
  • Roadrunner October 24, 2014 · 1:31PM:
    Looks like a great gathering/trip. Thanks!
    Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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