By Alex Covington
On Feb. 10, DCCC hosted a zoom event titled “Food for a Better Mood,” which was attended by 20 people and hosted by DCCC staff Sara Steinman and Jenna Wood.
Steinman is the director of Wellness, Athletics and Recreation at DCCC; Wood, who has a doctorate in health and science, is a retail dietician for ShopRite and a diabetes prevention lifestyle coach.
The focus of the presentation was to eat healthy fruits and vegetables while avoiding foods with a lot of added sugar.
“Be sure to eat every day and do not skip any meals,” Wood recommended.
At the start of the program, Wood stated a disclaimer: “There is no single food nutrient that can prevent or treat depression or other mental health concerns.”
Next, she went into her presentation discussing topics, such as what happens when people restrict themselves from eating. “There could be long-term health complications, depressed mood and fatigue and increased stress and inflammation,” Wood explained, adding that one’s mood can affect one’s food and vice versa.
“Fatigue from various factors, including lack of sleep, can lead to choosing sweet foods for quick energy boost,” Wood told participants, offering tips for balancing one’s blood sugar. “Skipping meals or eating high sugar food can lead to big swings in blood sugar.”
She then talked about the dangers of sugars in food and how much people should be taking in a day, as well as carbohydrates.
DCCC business major Kelly Kiefer, 21, said she learned a great deal from the presentation. “I have a better understanding of what to look out for in foods before I eat them,” she said.
Kiefer explained that living a healthy lifestyle during the pandemic is not easy. “That’s probably the biggest thing I struggled with since it started,” Kiefer said. “Things have just been so stressful. I can’t go outside as much, can’t hang out with friends or family, and all the gyms are closed.”
Kiefer added that she hopes to drop 30 pounds by the end of the year.
DCCC finance major Parker Snowe, 26, said she was in search of general information about health.
“It was very interesting and honestly made me think about how I’m doing things,” Snowe said, adding that bad eating habits began when she started college. “I was just going through a lot of stress and emotions and before you know it, I was 20 pounds heavier.”
Today, Snowe said her diet has “changed slightly,” meaning she is eating the same, but just not ordering out as much.
She added that she hopes to change her diet this year.
Contact Alex Covington at communitarian@mail.dccc.edu
dccc-communitarian.org 