Kent State Interns

  Sourdough: Ancient Superfood             History Sourdough bread is considered one of the original forms of bread leavening because of its spontaneous fermentation process. The bread-leavening process is thought to have been developed in ancient Egypt in approximately 3000 BC then expanded to Europe, the Roman Empire, and Ancient Greece. Ancient Egypt was home to large crops of wheat and other grains that were cultivated by the Nile River Valley, helping to feed thousands of people every day. Remnants of bread were found along with wall depictions of the bread-making process in ancient tombs. Imports of grain from Egypt were popular in regions like Italy and Greece. It was the Greeks who began the process of making bread at night and allowing it to ferment more, they also invented new baking equipment and were instrumental in improvements to baking technologies. After the Middle Ages, the composition of bread began to change, with the presence of breweries barm was obtained and used

  As the summer is approaching upon us, there are many seasonal fruits and tropical fruits that will be in stores. Some of these fruits include watermelon, mango, guavas, papayas, etc. These fruits are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals! Watermelons are high in vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium. Watermelons help to prevent heat stroke, cancer, boost the immune system, support eye health and prevent macular degeneration. Watermelon is a very versatile fruit and can included in a lot of recipes. Some recipes include mint watermelon salad, watermelon blueberry salad, and a watermelon & spinach salad. Mangos are high in vitamin C, packed with polyphenols that are antioxidants, low in calories, help to control blood sugar, improve eye health and prevent cancer. Mangoes can be made into a lot of things. Some tasty recipes include grilled spiced snapper with a mango and red onion salad, mango black bean salsa, and mango,berry and banana smoothie. Guavas are high in vitamin

  If you are keeping up with nutrition-related news articles and stories, you’ve likely seen The Washington Post’s recent story from April 3rd titled “As obesity rises, Big Food and dietitians push ‘anti-diet’ advice” .  In this blog, I’ll be going through some of the topics discussed, summarizing and adding my own input as someone involved in the profession of dietetics.  Throughout this article, The Washington Post slings criticism at RDNs for their role in big food and for supposedly pushing diet advice that promotes obesity. It is of note that The Post failed to reach out to AND for comment, and as a result received no further  context on the non-diet approach in nutrition care. While some points warrant further discussion, The Post has effectively grouped all RDNs within the profession together and accused them of promoting obesity and unhealthy diet habits (which is not the goal of the anti-diet / non-diet approach AT ALL!!). As AND President Lauri Wright responded: “Medical Nutr

  An Under the Sea Trend: Sea Moss Within the health and wellness space there is always a new product out of the market for consumers to purchase. One of the relatively new trends includes taking a spoonful of sea moss for health benefits.  Sea moss is an algae or seaweed which grows along the Atlantic Coast. It comes in a variety of colors including green, yellow, purple, red, brown and black. It also comes in a variety of forms including gel, powder, capsule or gummy. Sea moss is known for its antioxidant properties, which help to protect cells for oxidation.  Carrageenan is a natural thickener that can be used to add thickness to foods such as ice cream, cottage cheese, non dairy milks and baby formula. There are many claims behind the benefits of sea moss including,  thyroid health, immunity, gut health, weight loss, heart health, blood sugar management and fertility. There is very little scientific backing to whether sea moss is effective, but the nutrient profile points and a pos

  With the solar eclipse coming up tomorrow there will be a lot of gatherings in preparation for it.This is a rare occurrence that is going to bring thousands of people together. About 40 million people will be able to view the eclipse which is supposed to start in Texas and cut across the country ending in Maine. This is a nice way to create fun and healthy snacks for your kids and your guests!! Listed below will below a couple of ideas that you could for tomorrow! 1. Solar Eclipse Smoothie The Sun Layer: 1/2 cup mango 1/2 banana 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt 1 mandarin orange (optional) The Moon Layer 1/2 banana 1/4 cup blueberries 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt  Blend the Sun layer ingredients in a blender and pour into a cup. Blend the moon layer ingredients and pour over the Sun layer and enjoy! Source:  Private Site (wordpress.com) 2. Moon and Sun Fruit Skewers- cut some of your favorite fruit up in to moon and star shapes using a cookie cutter and assemble it into a skewer! Source:  5 Healthy

 You may often hear people say how important it is to consume magnesium, and other minerals daily. You may often wonder why that is. Well, magnesium is involved in every cell in our body and every process needs it to function. Not consuming enough magnesium, may contribute to an environment that will lead to chronic disease, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or even diabetes. Magnesium is the second most abundant cation. What is a cation you wonder? A cation is an ion with a positive charge which plays an important role in our daily lives. For example, sodium, magnesium, and potassium are all essential ions for blood pressure regulation and muscle contraction. Back to magnesium.  Magnesium is found in the bones, muscle, within the cells, and extracellular fluid. It is found all throughout your body and is involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions in your body. Some of these reactions include energy creation, protein formation, gene maintenance, muscle movements, and nervo

 Food Waste Prevention Week April 8-14th, 2024      Food waste can occur for many varied reasons such as: spoilage, problems during drying , milling, transporting, or processing that expose food to damage by insects, rodents, birds, molds, and bacteria, over-ordering food, and consumers buyi ng and cooking more than they need which results in throwing out foods. Food waste is the edible amount of food post harvest available for consumption but not consumed for any reason. In the United States , food waste is estimated to be 30-40% of the food supply. Around 31% of food loss is due to retail and consumers and in 2010 there was approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food waste. Food waste has an impact on society as wholesome food that can be helped to feed families in need is sent to landfills and land, water, labor, energy, and other inputs are used i n producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing of discarded food. Some ways to reduc

What is "Girl Dinner"?? According to TikTok's latest trend, "girl dinner" is a snack plate made from readily available foods, requiring little to no cooking. Picture a plate with dill pickles, chips and salsa, a bowl of cereal, assorted raw veggies, and whatever dips happen to be in the fridge. But the real question is: Is a "girl dinner" a nutritionally balanced meal that provides enough calories? A plate consisting solely of fruit, a few crackers, and some cheese cubes leans more towards a snack than a dinner. However, you could bulk it up with additions like baguette slices, hard-boiled eggs, chopped veggies, hummus, and nuts to create a more substantial meal, bringing the calorie count closer to 500 from the initial 200-300 calories. Like most social media food trends, determining whether something is "nutritious" or "healthy" can be difficult. However, by adding the right ingredients, and enough of them, can make a "girl d

The Importance  of  Electrolytes What are electrolytes?  Electrolytes are important for the body to maintain fluid balance. The body loves to be in a homeostatic state. This means it likes to be stable, or in equilibrium, with maintenance of elements within the body. Electrolytes are important for everyone. Just about every single fluid & cell within the body contains them. They are absorbed by our bodies from the foods we eat & the fluids we drink. They are lost through sweat or urine. Electrolytes aid in muscle contraction, which is why they are such a big deal in the world of sports. There are 7 major key electrolytes we focus on, though there are many more not discussed here.  Sodium (+) : Fluid balance within cells  Magnesium (+) : Aids in the process of cells turning nutrients to energy  Potassium (+) : Fluid balance within cells & heart function  Calcium (+) : Bone growth, muscle, nerve & heart function  Chloride (-) : Fluid balance within cells & pH balance 

What I Eat In A Day (WIEIAD) videos have become one of the most popular forms of nutrition-related content on the internet. These videos explore what influencers and content creators eat to provide potential insight and inspiration to their fanbase. Though many creators claim that these videos are only for meal inspiration and that their fans should not be comparing their own diets to that shown in the video, WIEIAD content can be riddled with questionable actions or comments. Most questionable content in WIEIAD videos include body checking (exhibit A: just about every single thumbnail for a WIEIAD video on YT * insert eye roll* ), unsupported nutrition claims (remember the raw milk fiasco a few months ago?), and general poor nutrition. All of which can have negative effects on the body image and eating habits of viewers, most of whom are young and impressionable.  (Upon further investigation, I even found WIEIAD videos that are labeled as outright ED inspiration when searching just “w

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a serious condition that affects 37 million people in the United States, about 15% of adults. The kidneys are vital organs that filter blood continuously to remove the toxins within our bodies. This is the process that creates urine. The kidneys are extremely importance because they also produce erythropoietin for red blood cells development, manage our vitamin D levels, and manage blood pressure. The two greatest causes of CKD are unmanaged diabetes and unmanaged hypertension. The kidneys have a process called  glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which is the filtration ability of the kidneys.  Normal filtration rate is > 90 mL/min, while end stage renal disease has a filtration rate of <15 mL/min. Dialysis is a process that mimics the functionality of the kidneys to filter blood for patients. Most patients are connected to the dialysis machine three times per week for 3.5-4 hour increments. Patients can receive treatment in a center or through a ho

Who does not love celebrating St. Patrick’s Day by eating lots of food. One dish I enjoy making for St. Patrick’s Day is this green pea hummus!! Not only does it taste amazing it is packed with fiber, protein, vitamins, and antioxidants. The vitamins from the peas will help reduce inflammation and lower the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease. The fiber in the peas could improve digestive health and have soluble fiber which encourages healthy blood sugar and lipid levels. Peas have vitamins and minerals that are essential and play important roles in the body. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by making this amazing and delicious green pea hummus!!   Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 5 minutes Servings: 10   Ingredients: ·   15 oz can of chickpeas- not yet drained (garbanzo beans) ·   1 cup fresh or frozen peas ·   2 tablespoon tahini ·   2 teaspoon lemon juice ·   1 clove of garlic (minced) ·   Pinch of salt and pepper   Instructions: Drain the chickpeas over a bowl t