Kent State Interns

Happy Fall Y’all! Fall is my favorite time of year here in Ohio. Not only is the weather extremely comfortable, but the fall colors outside are absolutely stunning! There is also a lot to do around the area, such as going to the different pumpkin patches, apple picking, visiting different markets, and so on. One of my favorite places to visit during the fall season is White House Fruit Farm in Canfield, Ohio! Not only do they have such great fall produce to purchase and the BEST homemade donuts, but there is always so much going on during the fall weekends! I always prefer comfort foods during this time of year, including warm, colorful dishes and homemade soups. Some of my favorite seasonal produce options include pumpkins, beets, pears, squash, cranberries, sweet potatoes, and kale. These foods are delicious, especially when they are in season during the fall, and they are packed with nutrients and easy to incorporate into healthy fall dishes! This is one of my favorite fall ...

What comes to your mind when you heard that businesses are planning for their reopening after the lockdown? I personally wonder what extra precautions that businesses are required to take to keep their doors open. I imagined that foodservice businesses need to take a lot more safety measures because they constantly serve foods to customers. Even though currently there is no evidence that suggests the association between food handling or consumption and COVID-19, extra precautions are very important to lower the transmission risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidelines for businesses and workplaces to plan their reopening. One of the guidelines that they released is for restaurants and bars. Let’s look at some of the extra measures that the CDC recommends food service businesses to practice! Face coverings : Face coverings are most essential. Staff should be provided with education on proper use, removal, and washing cloth face coverings. Masks should a...

I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram when I stumbled across a post that really resonated with me. It was short, sweet, and to the point; “If we all ate the same meals and had the same workouts, we would still all have different bodies.” That sounds so obvious, right? You’re probably thinking, duh…I already knew that. Yet, I always hear people say things like, “I would be happy if I had a body like so and so’s,” or “tell me your workout routine and what you eat in a day so I can look like you.”          Unfortunately, biology doesn’t work that way. We can only change our bodies naturally to a certain extent. There is something called the set point theory. This is the weight range that your body prefers the most. So let’s say there is this woman named Linda who is 28 years old and weighs 135 lbs. for the past three years. She decides she wants to go on a diet and lose ten pounds. After a couple months, she loses weight and goes back to eat...

     I think everyone can agree that 2020 has not turned out how people have predicted. Many people are still quarantined at home and attempting to adapt to new routines of virtual school, working remotely, staying physically active, and keeping daily routines pre-COVID. One of the many obstacles people are facing is keeping a normal eating schedule. I want to provide some tips that can help with building healthy habits and adapting to being home.  Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day It’s tem pting to just roll right into work since there is no daily commute, but it’s really important to keep that pre-COVID routine that may include a shower, workout, walking the dog, and most importantly, a nourishing breakfast. Breakfast helps with concentration and jump starts your metabolism.  Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate Water is crucial for our bodies to help organs run efficiently and help with nutrient transportation. Symptoms of dehydration can lead to fa...

     We all know 2020 has been crazy. It is safe to say most people’s worlds were flipped upside down one way or the other with sudden and drastic change. One thing that instantly made me worry at the beginning of the pandemic was thinking about all the kiddos who rely on free or reduced school lunches. I was volunteering to hand out bagged lunches to families. It was open to anyone and everyone who needed it.          While I was thinking about food-insecure families, I started to notice jokes about “the COVID 15,” or “quarantine 15.” Seeing this bummed me out because weight gain should be the least of someone’s worries during this time. Life was disrupted in major ways. I must admit I was being hard on myself; specifically, my motivation level was at an all-time low. Eventually, I decided this was a time to give myself grace. We have never lived through a pandemic before so not having everything figured out was completely unders...

 If I were to ask what the most important macronutrient for physical activity is, I would probably get a wide variety of answers. Are carbohydrates the most important? They are our body's preferred energy source. What about fat? It could be argued that fats involvement in hormone balance contributes more in the long run. Protein? Certainly important for lean muscle development and maintenance.    So, is there a right answer?  In short, no. Each macronutrient plays an important role during physical activity, and each should be taken seriously as important aspects of athletic performance and recovery.  But are there situations when one macronutrient would be more important than others?  Now the answer is a little trickier. A nutrition student may actually have more trouble answering this question than others - we tend to overthink questions like these and try to analyze and solve them. This could be because of the questions wording. What if it were worded lik...