Kent State Interns

When diagnosed with diabetes, you may get told to eat fewer carbs, lose weight, and maybe even start intermittent fasting. In this blog post, we are going to debunk common misconceptions related to type 2 diabetes.     #1 “You should not eat after 7 pm.”   If you eat an early dinner, say 4-5 pm, you should  to eat a snack later in the evening. This is because, without this evening snack, you may experience something called the Dawn Effect that raises your sugars in the early morning. This happens because you did not consume enough carbohydrates before bed, and your body must make up for this by telling the liver to convert glycogen into glucose.   #2 “You need to consume fewer carbohydrates”   You do not have to eat fewer carbohydrates if you do not want to. WHAT?! Absolutely. If you balance your meals with protein, fat, and fiber, you do not need to dramatically decrease your carbohydrate consumption. When you balance your meals, the blood sugar spike you...

Mighty Mushrooms      Though mushrooms can start showing up as early as spring, fall is when we see mushrooms pop up in home décor and seasonal meals. Mushrooms are incredibly versatile and can stand alone or be added to any dish. I particularly enjoy adding mushrooms to hot dishes such as ramen or soups.    Mushrooms are low in calories and have nutritional benefits like fiber, and antioxidants which help bowel regularity and immune health, respectively. Other micronutrients in mushrooms include phosphorus, selenium, magnesium, thiamine, and copper. These micronutrients help to boost the immune system, maintain bone integrity, and aid in maintaining cell integrity. Mushroom Varieties White "button top" mushrooms-  these mushrooms are easily found at grocery stores and can be eaten raw, sautéed, or added to many savory dishes. Portobello or brown mushrooms- brown mushrooms are actually immature Portobello mushrooms and can be made in the same ways as white...

  Brain Food: Snacks for Class It’s September which means we’re all back in school. Long days of class and homework can sometime leave us feeling drained and exhausted. Making sure you are fueling your body and your brain during the day will set you up for success.    According to Harvard Health, here are 5 foods linked to better brain power:  When packing snacks for a school day, try to keep this in mind! Here are some ways to incorporate these brain foods into your day:  A turkey wrap with spinach Kale chips Yogurt with fresh fruit and granola Raw veggies with hummus Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread Trail mix with walnuts, dried berries, and dark chocolate Unsweetened iced tea packed in your bag Sushi is an easy way to incorporate fish into your day Just as there is no magic pill for health, no single almighty brain food can ensure a sharp brain. The most important strategy is to follow a healthy dietary pattern that includes high amounts...

It's September 22 nd   which means it’s officially fall!!! This means scary stories, Halloween, hayrides, and harvest treats. We’ll focus on one area: local fall crops, specifically pumpkins. September is the start to all things pumpkin. Pumpkin is a very versatile crop…it’s considered a fruit and a squash. While most people are well versed in pumpkins for carving, seed roasting and pumpkin pies, let’s look at some other ways to use pumpkins.   Pumpkins can be used as a planter for flowers. Cut the top off, save all the insides (that can be used for other projects) and simply add soil. Once the pumpkin starts to go south you can just take the planter and pop in the ground outside to let the flowers continue to grow.  Photo cred: ( https://pallensmith.com/2017/03/24/pumpkin-planter/ )   Of course fall wouldn’t be fall without those tasty treats but we usually think of sweets so instead let’s talk about something more savory. Pumpkin can used to make soups, pastas and ...

“I think intuitive eating sounds cool and all, but don’t some people just need to diet?” There are very few instances in which going on a strict diet is medically necessary. And diabetes is not one of them.  This isn’t to say that diabetics don’t need to learn about their condition and make lifestyle changes to better their health, it’s just that they don’t need to be on a strict or restrictive diet to see a positive change. In fact, most people who do go on diets are not able to sustain them in the long term and end up not only regaining the weight they’ve lost but usually gaining more back. This "weight cycling" can actually worsen insulin resistance in diabetics. In order to understand how we can use intuitive eating with diabetic patients, we will group some of the related principles to discuss. If you’d like to learn more, there are resources at the end of this post that can help elaborate on these topics. Principles 1, 3, and 4: reject the diet mentality, make peace wi...

  White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, & Health   It’s been over 50 years since the first and only White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health was held in 1969. That momentous event lead to the creation of life changing programs like the National School Lunch Program, the Supplemental Feeding Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC), and important changes to the food label.  On  Wednesday, September 28, 2022  the Biden-Harris Administration will host the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to drive solutions to these challenges.   Millions of Americans are  affected  with food insecurity and diet-related diseases, which are some of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. The toll of hunger and these diseases is not distributed equally. Hunger and disease is disproportionately impacting underserved communities, including individuals of color, rural areas, people who are differently able...

  If you’re anything like me, just hearing the word  corn  sends you into a spiral of repeating the viral remix of an interview with a young Tariq describing his favorite food. CORN!   I’ve never been a huge fan of finding the food on my plate as a side but have respected its versatility and overwhelming presence in Ohio. With more than 30,000 grain farmers throughout the state, it’s no surprise the great state of Ohio finds itself sitting at the number 7 spot for corn production in the U.S., covering over 14.3 million acres according to the Ohio Corn & Wheat organization. When I read this fact, in the word of Tariq, “everything changed!” With this newfound respect for this starchy vegetable, I decided to share a few of its health benefits in honor of the Corn CEO and encourage you to give it a try.   Serving as either a starchy vegetable or grain on one’s plate, corn can provide a source of insoluble fiber, making it a low-glycemic index food, meaning it ta...