Kent State Interns

Many American’s are trying to reduce their meat consumption due to health and environmental concerns. As the movement to reduce meat intake grows, the food and restaurant industries are taking note and responding. Companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have already brought beef alternatives to market and Perdue and Tyson Foods are working to develop poultry alternatives. There have always been vegetarian and vegan options to choose from, but the latest trend is to offer products that taste just like meat in an effort to present meat-lovers with an option they can feel good about without sacrificing their craving for “meaty goodness”. Recently, Burger King added the Impossible Whopper to their line-up featuring the plant-based Impossible Burger. At first glance I love the idea of fast food restaurants offering plant-based meat substitutes on their menus. I gave the Impossible Whopper a try and honestly, I could not tell that it wasn’t a beef product. In fact, don’t tell an...

              We make a lot of decisions in the grocery store.  Which brand should I pick?  Is this product cheaper?  Should I choose organic?  Some decisions seem easier than others based on our priorities (and our budget!).  But one of the decisions I still struggle with is whether to purchase wild or farm-raised fish.  In this blog I’m hoping to outline the pros and cons of each type of fish production, and maybe help to make that decision in the grocery store a little easier for you. Wild Caught – The “Not So Obvious” Choice Pros -- You may be reading this thinking, “Well, I obviously choose wild caught—it’s the ‘natural’ choice”.   This is true, taking fish out of their natural habitat means these fish ate algae and plankton, had natural breeding patterns, and contributed to their ecosystem by eating smaller fish, and surviving the possible fate of being eaten by predators. Cons -- Over the past...

CANDY CRAZINESS!! Are you a mother with children who trick or treat and collect a gigantic bag of candy and want to eat it all in one night!? You have come to the right place! This post will talk about tips and tricks on how to keep your kids from eating that huge bag of candy, so they are not all hyped up on sugar that night into the next day (or week)! We all know how excited children get dressing up for trick-or-treat and collecting all the candy that their bag or pillowcase can fit! The first tip is…. feed the children a nutritious meal BEFORE the festivities begin. This will make them feel fuller and possibly not consume as much candy that night The second tip is to get some exercise in during the time of trick-or-treating… actually walk to the house that might be a mile down the road…setting a goal of how many streets you want to conquer will get the kids excited about walking (or possible running) to the next house! Another way to keep them active is...

It seems like every time I go to the grocery store there is a new kind of milk to choose from. There’s regular milk, oat milk, almond milk, soymilk, lactose free milk…and the list goes on. I don’t know about you, but this wide selection can be a bit overwhelming to choose from.   Real quick, let’s clarify what milk actually is. Milk comes from a mammal like a cow or goat; anything that is plant-based is a milk alternative.   So which option is the best to pull of the shelf? Every kind of milk or milk alternative beverage has something different to bring to the table. It mostly depends on your own personal preference. Let’s go through a few of the popular options and talk about the differences. ·       Regular milk has a bunch of nutrients that are a little harder to find in other foods or drinks.   Calcium and Vitamin D are extremely important for growing and bone health. A glass of skim milk also contains Vitamin A and 8...