The Montana Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition Wednesday through Friday May 9 to 11 features two nationally known experts on gluten sensitivity as well as family and school nutrition.

Expected to attract up to 100 dietitians from across the state, the conference has the theme of “Nutrition on the Cutting Edge.”

The public is encouraged to attend evening presentations on Wednesday and Thursday at the Hilton Garden Inn Convention Center.

Linda Fredenberg, registered dietitian with Kalispell Regional Medical Center and The Summit, said this annual event has not been held in the valley for years. She said that she and other organizers tried a new approach this year.

“We wanted to bring speakers who would not only benefit the dietitians but who would provide a community presentation as well,” she said.

She described the Wednesday evening speaker, Registered Dietitian Dayle Hayes, as a professional who has made a huge difference in school nutrition across the country. Hayes, president of Nutrition for the Future Inc., has written several books including “Moving Away from Diets” and “Put Your Best Food Forward.”

She also developed a program for parents called “Fit Kids = Happy Kids.” Her free presentation from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday is called “Mealtime Magic for your Family: Dinnertime Secrets to Make Cooking Easier and Reduce Stress.”

According to Fredenberg, “Dayle Hayes is really an outstanding speaker.”  

Her lecture will address the many benefits of eating together as a family and provide tips on having dinnertime conversations with any child, toddler to teen.

For a ticket cost of $10, the public may attend the 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday session with Shelley Case. Fredenberg called Case a premier expert on celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

One of the most common inherited disorders, celiac disease affects one in 100 people and, if untreated, may lead to infertility, osteoporosis, cancer and other auto-immune disorders.  

Case wrote the well-known book “Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide.” Her Kalispell presentation is titled “Celiac Disease, Gluten Sensitivity and the Gluten-Free Diet: What Everybody Needs to Know.”

She serves on the medical advisory boards of the Celiac Disease Foundation and Gluten Intolerance Group in the United States as well as the professional advisory board of the Canadian Celiac Association.

Fredenberg asks that people call her to register in advance for Case’s presentation by calling 751-6728.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.