Forward Magazine April 2023

As the semester dwindles down, we want to first thank you all for your continued partnership. It has been a wonderful academic year, filled with lots of excitement, and we are overjoyed to continue with another month of programming.

Living a luxe life is rooted in how good of a steward we can be with what we have. This month Campus Dining will focus on keeping our Luxe Life in motion by being a good steward. We will celebrate being good steward of the earth and our lives through an array of programming that keeps us moving towards our best selves.

Maurice P. Jenoure, Chief Operating Officer

Dina Zaikouk, Vice President of Operations

As the earth is warming because of the rapid change in land use and pollution, it is time for us to take better care of the planet. April highlights how we should do our part to save it.

April commemorates earth month, where people are encouraged to get informed about how to protect the earth. The informative month began in 1969 as a response to an oil crisis in Santa Barbara, California, where an oil platform exploded. The explosion caused oil to spill for about eight days covering 800 square miles of that and causing significant environmental damage. With over three thousand birds dead and 90 percent of ocean organisms suffering a substantial loss, the spill changed how the United States saw ecological issues.

April 22nd, 1970, was commemorated as the first earth day when protesters traveled the streets to demand better environmental regulations and laws. Since then, earth month and day have been celebrated worldwide, raising awareness for the earth’s profound and dangerous change due to human negligence.

One of the major issues plaguing the earth is climate change. Scientists predict that dangerous weather events will become more frequent and severe as climate change worsens. Moreover, there are possibilities of more wildfires, rising sea levels because of melting glaciers, intense heat waves, etc.

Though it can seem alarming how fast the earth is growing warmer, there are ways that you, as a college student, can do your part to help save the planet.

Host a Community Clean Up

A community clean-up will help reduce the amount of trash that finds its way to the oceans and harms wildlife. Over one billion tons of trash are in the ocean yearly because of litter. Litter on land can cause significant damage to the soil, potentially start wildfires, and create harmful bacteria. Gather your friends to pick up the trash on the side of the road or the sidewalk. Not only will this benefit the earth, but it will encourage people to think twice before discarding their trash on the ground.

Use E-text Books as an Alternative

In college, teachers will require you to get textbooks for your courses. Instead of purchasing the physical copy, look to see if there is an electronic version. Excessive and unnecessary paper use can significantly impact our forests and air. Trees create paper, and continuously using trees can lead to deforestation. Also, large-scale paper production dramatically affects the world’s lakes and river as the chemicals used in paper development often pollutes the water.

Try Thrift Shopping

Thrift shopping helps keep clothes out of landfills and reduces carbon and chemical pollution from clothing production. There are hidden gems to be found while thrift shopping and many do-it-yourself projects waiting to partake in. Thrift stores also support local charities. Therefore, it is excellent to buy from them!

Recycle!

If you don’t already recycle, start now! It is never too late. Recycling helps reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and littered. Instead, recycled materials are sent to a center to make more materials. For instance, recycled paper is used to make more paper, limiting the number of trees cut. If we cut down on the use of new and natural materials from being used and produced, we can prevent the eradication of our natural resources.

Incorporate Clean Eating

Clean eating is eating whole foods without artificial, eliminating most processed food consumption. Not only will your body become healthier, but the earth will too. Changing your diet can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that harm the air. Choosing organic foods and eating from local farmers reduces the pollution caused by the transportation of items.

Stress Free Cuisine FOODS

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THAT REDUCE STRESS

Eighty-eight percent of all college students in the United States have reported being stressed. Education and medical students have the highest levels of stress, directly followed by psychology, arts, and science majors, according to AmericansAddictionCenters.org. There are various stress causes for college students’ exams, including financial and personal issues.

It is easy to slip into bad habits when taking on an obscene amount of stress; however, when feeling stressed, having to go to healthy habits can help you. Practicing healthy eating can help combat the stress of life and college. Many foods are found in your dining hall and beyond that aim to reduce stress levels in the body. A healthy and balanced diet can provide the extra energy to cope with stressful situations.

As you navigate the semester, use these food items to help combat stress and anxiety.

Oatmeal

As simple as this food may be, it has served as a comfort food for many years. Eating oatmeal helps regulate your blood sugar and reduces the level of stress hormones in your brain. The morning treatment releases the important chemical serotonin, which regulates attention, behavior, and body temperature. Following eating oatmeal, expect to feel more relaxed and calmer and have the urge to unlock your creativity.

Bananas

Bananas are rich in vitamin B-6, which keeps the nervous and immune systems healthy. Vitamin B-6 is also essential for normal brain development. Eating bananas rich in vitamin b6 is the key to producing serotonin and can improve your mood and reduce anxiety. Bananas are also filled with potassium, a mineral that helps relieve tension.

Citrus Fruits

Lemons, limes, grapefruit, and several types of oranges are all examples of citrus fruits. These delicious fruits are packed with nutrients with high levels of vitamin c. Vitamin c has been shown to decrease levels of stress and anxiety, with it being rich in antioxidant properties. The antioxidants packed in vitamin c help the body control cortisol levels that trigger stress.

Dark Chocolate

Eating chocolate may make you feel good inside because it is supposed to! Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants that can reduce stress by lowering cortisol. Cortisol has a lot of essential functions in the body, including enhancing the brain’s use of glucose and increasing the substances used to repair tissue. However, cortisol is the primary stress hormone, and overexposure can disrupt almost all your body’s processes, putting you at risk of many health problems. Dark Chocolate has a more significant amount of cocoa, giving you more stress-relieving benefits.

Greek Yogurt

When picking a snack to relieve stress, make sure you choose Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt. The difference is simply the nutrients. Greek yogurt has a high supply of vitamins B-6 and B12, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and protein. All of these nutrients help reduce anxiety rapidly by lowering blood pressure.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet vegetables satisfy the familiar urge to get carbohydrates and sweets when stressed. It contains magnesium that helps with normal body functions and helps reduce stress and high levels of anxiety. Researchers have found that lacking magnesium in the body can result in higher levels of depression due to persistent stress and anxiety.

Broccoli

It may have seemed unpleasant hearing your parents and guardians tell you to eat your vegetables as children. However, the constant reminder was not for amusement but for the benefit of your health as you age. Broccoli is one green vegetable packed with high amounts of vitamins, including Vitamin B and folic acid, which helps fight stress in the body, reduce anxiety, and combat depression.

Carrots

These crunchy vegetables are most known to help improve eyesight with their contents of vitamin A. However, carrots are a great source of fiber and carbohydrates, which can boost serotonin in the body. Carrots can be categorized as nutrients rich whole carbs that help lower the stress hormone cortisol. These crunchy vegetables are most known to help improve eyesight with their contents of Vitamin A. However, carrots are a great source of fiber and carbohydrates, which can boost serotonin in the body.

Salmon

Salmon is filled with various nutrients that help the body, including vitamin d and omega-3 fatty acids, both of which help regulate dopamine and serotonin, naturally providing a calming effect. If you are having a bad day, look to see if your dining hall is serving salmon. Your day will gradually get better with each bite.

Tea

In your dining hall, you may have walked past the hot beverages every day, not knowing that one, in particular, can directly help you throughout your day. Each tea flavor contains various nutrients, but tea generally includes antioxidants that make people feel calmer and improve memory when consumed. Tea also contains the amino acid L-theanine, which promotes relaxation.

We often do not think about the small things around us that are essential in our lives. Making sure we throw our trash ensures the earth stays clean, phone cases protect our phones, and reusable water bottles reduce plastic waste in our oceans; we do things without thinking but make a big difference. Micro greens are vegetables that we have not heard much about, even though they can contribute to a healthy eating regimen.

Micro greens are technically baby plants that can fall between sprout and baby green. Though they have often been confused as sprouts, micro greens are usually harvested longer for 7-21 days after leaves have emerged. Sprouts, on the other hand, only have a growing cycle of 2- 7 days.

The greens are more closely related to baby greens because micro greens leaves are considered edible and can be sold before being harvested. These greens may be small but have an intense scent, are packed with nutrients, and comes in various colors and textures.

Growing from a variety of seeds, the most popular seeds come from cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions, and spinach, to name a few. These greens vary in taste and can even be sour or bitter, to neutral and spicy. The delicious nature of micro greens can make you forget the nutrients you are consuming in every bite. Each micro green contains its own set of nutritious values, but all micro greens are packed with high levels of vitamins, minerals, and health-supporting components.

Micro greens are high in fiber and vitamin K, which help the body maintain healthy blood pressure and support gut health, easing gastrointestinal distress. Researchers

have found that some micro greens, such as red cabbage, can lower cholesterol and liver cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease.

One of the most exciting things about micro greens is that they can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is the most common cause of dementia (memory loss) and the failure of other cognitive abilities. Though this is most common in people over the age of 65, it is vital to take steps now that can prevent any loss of cognitive skills. Micro greens are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, both linked to lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s.

With all the suitable components of microgreens, it is essential to try incorporating them into your daily diet. You may not notice, but microgreens are most popular in juiced drinks and smoothies. The next time you go to a local smoothie shop or consume a juice drink, check the ingredients to see if wheatgrass or other micro greens are included. You can also find micro greens in salads, sandwiches, wraps, and garnished on various dishes. Those little green vegetables you see on top of pizzas, soups, and omelets are micro greens.

As college students, taking care of your health while dealing with the stress of school may seem overwhelming. However, you have already been doing the work. Unknowingly, you have been fueling your body with one of the most nutritious vegetables. Now with the added knowledge, try to go out of your way to give your body the purposely powerful nutrients it needs.

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Soft Life Staycation Making the Most out of Spring Break

Spring Break is here to give you the needed break before taking on the remaining semester. For years it has been a trend for college students to take spectacular vacations to a tropical climate. In sitcoms and many movies, there are examples of typical activities college students get into out of time. While some college students take vacations out of state, others travel home or stay on campus.

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The best way to kick off your spring break stay-cation is to pour back into yourself after the hard work you put in your first half of the semester. Self-care is the best care because you are taking time to do things to improve your physical and mental health. Taking care of yourself looks different for everyone; what works for someone else may not work for you. The possibilities of how you spend your self-care day are endless, including catching up on sleep, cleaning your dorm room, walking around your campus for fresh air, take up a creative activity. Remember to ensure your self-care day is catered to your body’s needs.

Having a Self-Care Day

Take a Trip Around the Campus or Town

There is no right way to make the most of your spring break vacation. What you have seen on television is a skewed version of what college students do on spring break. Spring break can be spent anywhere. If you are on campus during spring break, there are many activities you can do to make the most out of your time. Here are some suggestions as to how to make the most out of your break. 2

Have a Movie Night

Streaming networks are on the rise, and all have many new and nostalgic movies to watch. Gather your friends to join you in your dorm’s common area, or if you have a smaller group of friends, have a movie night in your dorm room. Turn the volume up and lay back to enjoy a great movie with some great people. To further connections, invite your resident assistants to join the fun! Most resident assistants must stay on campus with the remaining residents during spring break. As they are students just like you, this is a great way to build connections with someone new.

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Plan a Game Night

The common areas of dorm rooms can be used for various uses, such as hanging out with friends, studying, or watching TV. With most of the campus gone during spring break, that space will most likely be empty. Gather your friends or people still on campus to have fun and play various multiplayer games. Uno is one of the college’s most common group games, creating a fun and competitive space for all. You can also get creative and split into teams to compete in a series of mini-games for the prize of bragging rights.

Dinner Night in at the Dining Hall

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT! THTV

Earth Day

Make it Memorable Season 1 Episode 3: Making Your To Go Dining Instagram Worthy

Chef Talk Season 2 Episode 5: The Art of Growing Your Own Food

CLICK FOR ON DEMAND TV FOR COLLEGE DINING

While in college, looking beyond graduation can be scary because of the endless possibilities. You may go into school with one plan and graduate with an entirely different idea. Is there a job you want to strive towards in your field of study?

Looking at opportunities allows you to put your career and life in perspective. If the goal is to get to a particular job, ask yourself, are you in the major that will take you there? Is there a job in your field of study that you want to strive towards? Researching these jobs and opportunities will help keep you on the right pave or allow you to change directions.

It is essential to think outside the box. With Campus Dining at Thompson Hospitality, our team is dedicated to helping you navigate these thoughts by listing jobs in the food industry that are growing in popularity. Here are five trending careers in the food industry.

Food Lawyer

Every industry needs a lawyer to help them understand and regulate the laws within each work field. A food lawyer’s main job is to facilitate the food industry’s operations by studying, using, and creating laws. They mainly work for food producers, nonprofit organizations, chefs, and government agencies. The food laws come from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where the federal government creates additional regulations to enforce federal food laws. Each state has different rules that govern packaging, distribution, adulteration, and fraud in the industry.

Qualifications

There are different ways to become a food lawyer. One popular way to become a food lawyer is by studying at law school with a concentration in food law following undergraduate studies. You will learn extensive knowledge of all food laws, regulations, and policies. Another way to enter this career is to be a food law advisor. Food law advisors have the same responsibility as

food lawyers, just without the requirements of a law degree and the addition of being familiar with international food legislation. It is required that a food law advisor have a graduate level of knowledge in science, food production, or the law.

Food Stylist

Have you ever seen a commercial for a restaurant and the food items look too good to eat? Look no further because food stylists are the creatives behind those projects. Food stylist designs, prepare, and styles food for all on-air demonstrations. They work hand in hand with marketing departments to find the best way to showcase food items for companies.

Qualifications

To be a food stylist, you need to have a minimum of an associate degree in culinary arts, baking arts, or nutrition. You must also have good time management skills, creativity, and attention to detail. It is also essential to know about cooking as preparing the food is the central part of the job. Many food companies used food stylists, from fast food to five-star restaurants.

Restaurant Designer

What is your favorite restaurant, and what makes it stand out? Good food is one thing, but another is the ambiance and decor. Restaurant designers are tasked with creating a customer experience by working closely with the hospitality industry, hiring architects, interior designers, and many others to bring the restaurants to life.

Qualifications

Essentially a restaurant designer needs a bachelor’s degree in interior design to be licensed in such a field. While studying, you will learn the residential and commercial aspects of design and construction to understand the art of composition. Once you gain the necessary knowledge in the field, you can decide what lane you would like to go down, and the restaurant design field is looking for fresh designers.

Vegan Chef

As times change, many people decide to change how they live their lives. As of January 2022, 10 percent of people in the United States over 18 consider themselves vegan or vegetarian, according to AllianceforScience.org. With people changing their diets, the need for vegan chefs is also rising. Vegan chefs are chefs that prepare dishes free of all animal products.

Qualifications

You do not necessarily have to be a vegan chef, but you should have knowledge of vegan dishes and experiment with eating vegan dishes. There are various ways to become a vegan chef, including finding a plant-based culinary arts program to learn how to cook with plant-based items. Then practice different vegan recipes online to get the hang of using plant base products. The more you practice, the better chance you will get to work with a vegan chef and learn the tricks of the trade.

Dietitian

If you are passionate about a healthy lifestyle and teaching people a healthy lifestyle, then being a dietitian is the perfect field for you. A registered dietitian is a type of healthcare provider with special training and nutrition knowledge. With this training, they are qualified to give people counseling on nutrition. Their goal is to help people set and achieve new nutrition goals. Often confused with nutritionists, dietitians are also eligible to diagnose people with eating disorders a created diets to treat certain medical conditions.

Qualifications

Every state has various steps to become a registered dietitian; however, in the United States, you need at least a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in nutrition then it is required to obtain a verification statement from the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). According to professionals at ACEND, obtaining an internship is a great way to get into the profession because it provides hands-on experience before getting certifications. You then have to pass the Dietetic Registration Exam to be qualified to obtain and maintain a state license.

Marketing Contacts

Daniela‑Gabrielle Smallwood, Head of Marketing and Communications daniela.smallwood@thompsonhospitality.com (571) 444–7430

Cindy Horstman, Field Marketing Director chorstman@thompsonhospitality.com (804) 640–4136

Editorial Staff

Gina Godwin, Creative Director

Heaven Smallwood, Chief Editor

DeAndre Taylor, Graphic Designer

Yolanda Waters, Lead Writer