Talking nutrition with Sue Spring

Sue Spring may be an experienced knitter and long-distance mountain hiker, but Noble Horizons has invited her to talk about another one of her areas of expertise: nutrition and health.

She will give a speech, “Eating Well As We Age,â€� at Noble’s Lifelong Learning Center  on Thursday, March 25, at 2 p.m. She will address healthy aging through exercise and good eating habits.

Spring, who at 65 hiked the Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, Ga., to Mt. Katahdin, Maine, has completed all that she has put her mind to.

“You can do anything you want in life as long as you have a goal,� Spring said. “There is so much you can have if you’re after it.�

The consultant dietitian, now 71, operates her own practice, Spring Nutrition Consulting Service. Each week she visits Noble Horizons in Salisbury, Geer in North Canaan and the Hillcrest Educational Centers in Lenox and Great Barrington, Mass., where she works with the staffs to make sure the residents are getting what they need for good health.

“I look at all the technical, behind-the-scenes information to make sure residents are well taken care of on the medical side of nutrition,� Spring said. “When I am asked, I will talk with the residents, families or staff.�

When visiting residents, Spring will make sure their weights are stable, their bodies are hydrated, they’re getting enough to eat and their skin reflects good nutrition. She will also assess the patient by taking blood samples to monitor protein nutrition, cholesterol levels and cell count.

According to Spring, the best way to maintain good health throughout life is to exercise frequently, monitor fat intake, try to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible and, in addition to a multivitamin, to take in enough calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12.

Another key nutrient, often overlooked, is water, which keeps things moving throughout the body, she said. Spring says people should drink an average of about 2 liters of water a day.

One-third of Spring’s week is spent at Hillcrest, where she works closely on the meal plans for the young residents, who tend to have varying eating habits. Many of the students at Hillcrest are on medications that alter their sense of hunger by making some feel full and others feel as though they can’t eat enough, she said.

“Much of my job involves moderating the children who tend to overeat and working with the children who lose their appetite,� Spring said.

Spring received her Bachelor of Science degree in food technology from Ohio State University and her Master of Science in food technology and food microbiology from the University of Massachusetts. In her 40s she went to the University of Connecticut to become a registered dietitian of the American Dietetic Association.

When asked what would be the best food to eat on a regular basis, Spring said, “Pizza made in a sensible way.� Made from scratch using a whole-grain dough, pizza could deliver grains, protein, vegetables and dairy all in one serving.