Kent State Interns

UN-BEET-ABLE: Increase athletic performance with Beets Nutritional supplements have long been used to enhance athletic performance, common supplements include creatine, whey protein isolate, and caffeine. In recent years studies have shown performance enhancements from the consumption of beets or beetroot juice. Beets contain compounds that increase levels of nitric oxide in the body, this increase has multiple performance-enhancing effects related to blood flow, gas exchange, efficiency, strength of muscle contractions as well as mitochondrial biogenesis. The enhancements presented with supplementation indicate beneficial ergogenic effects on cardiorespiratory endurance. Supplementation increases efficiency in the cardiorespiratory system expanding the time to exhaustion at sub-maximal intensities at various distances and improves VO2max scores through increasing max oxygen uptake and anaerobic threshold intensities. It’s important to note that while beetroot juice may be a great addi...

  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 o...

  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 vita...

  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 respo...

  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 profi...

  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! Sourc...

 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, ...

 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....