University in the summer

Even though the snow was falling today, summer is in fact approaching us quickly. There is only one more week of classes left. For many years this meant that I would packing my bags to move to the lake, leaving all my school books behind. However one summer I discovered the benefits of Summer Session at the University of Manitoba.

I can’t remember why I decided to stay in the city, but as a result I decided that while I was here I might as well take a summer course to get it out of the way. I registered for a required course, which did not have the best reputation amongst fellow Human Ecology students. The course was held every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 5:30 – 8:30 in May and June. There were not many people in the class which lended to a very relaxed environment. Even thought the content wasn’t the most fascinating, class discussions made it much more interesting and therefore all the information really stuck in my head. By the time the midterm test came around, we had only been in class for a few weeks and the information was so fresh in my mind I don’t think I even really studied. The next thing I knew I was writing the final and the class was over and everyone I talked to did just as well in the course as I had.

The next fall some of my friends registered for that same course for the fall term. They did not like the course at all. They spend hours studying, memorizing, arranging to meet up with groups to work on assignments, and it was much more difficult to get a good mark. Even though the material was the same, it was to balance the course with all your other courses, and having it span over a longer period of time made it easier to forget the material.

Getting paid to learn

One thing that has always been frustrating for me during my years in university is that I forget the things I have spent so much time studying. I think back to when I wrote the exams for anatomy and physiology and I knew everything so well. I had all the bones and muscles memorized. I could tell you exactly how the urinary system, or respiratory system worked down to the tiniest of cells. Years later, I wish that information were still fresh in my mind. It would make all the courses for which anatomy and physiology were prerequisites so much easier. I considered sitting in on classes I had already taken to keep information fresh in my mind. But really, who has time for that?

There is, however, a great way to keep information from past courses drilled into your mind and get paid for it. It’s called being a grader/marker or teaching assistant. You might not get to review all the information from the course, but if you are marking a hundred exams, the information that you do review literally gets drilled into your brain. Not only that, but you can work from home and it looks good on a resume.

It is actually quite simple to apply for a G/M or TA job. If you go to the U of M home page (umanitoba.ca) and click on faculty & staff, then under the Employee resources heading, click on Employment opportunities that will bring you to a new page. On that page click on view position vacancies online, then click on CUPE/student. Now you can scroll through all the jobs that are available. If you click on the link beside the job posting it will give you a detailed description of the job and the qualifications required.

This list constantly changes as jobs become available. At the bottom of the list of job postings there is a link that says Application procedures. This will bring you to a page with useful information, however the most useful part is the link that says student application form. Clicking on that will give you a printable copy of the two-page application form that you will hand in to the appropriate department with your transcript (often a printout of your web transcript suffices). And that’s it. You don’t even need a resume.

Dietetic Internship Application Time

So, yesterday was the day that those who applied for 2011/2012 dietetic internship programs found out whether they were accepted or not. There are probably thousands of applicants and only a few spots in each program across the country. So it was a disappointing day for many. Applying for a Dietetic Internship involves a lot of dedication.

Not only are there certain requirements that need to be met in order to submit an application, but your application is being chosen out of lots of applications that far exceed the requirements. I’m not sure how all programs across the country work, but for the Manitoba Partnership Dietetic Internship Education Program, you are being evaluated based on your GPA, cover letter, resume, and reference letters.

You also have to have a certain amount of relevant volunteer work in order to submit an application. So, unless you just happen to have all these qualifications, it’s not an application you can just whip together last minute. Most students spend years gaining valuable volunteer work either with Registered Dietitians, or somewhere else that gives them transferable skills. They also pay very close attention to their grades trying to keep their GPA no lower than a 3.5/4.5 (a GPA of 3.0 is required, but to be competitive it would be safe to keep it above 3.5).

In Manitoba, you can apply in the Pre-Selection round (22 months before the start of the internship) if you have taken certain courses, are registered in certain courses, and got grades above B in certain courses. Or you can apply “The Traditional Route” (8 months before the start of the internship program). Most programs across the country take applications on the same date (Feb 1st, 8 months before the start of the program) and you find out if you have been selected on March 14th. You are allowed to apply to no more than 3 internship programs in Canada.

On the 14th of March you will get an email informing you of which programs you have been accepted to (or not accepted to). If you have been accepted to more than one, you have a certain amount of time (a day or two) to accept or decline a position. If spots have been opened up from people who have declined, the applicants who were next on the list will be offered positions. So, on March 17th perhaps some of the sad faces around the Human Ecology building will be cheered up.

Fair Trade Challenge

Hey did you guys hear about the Fair Trade One Month Challenge?  Fair Trade Manitoba (http://www.fairtrademanitoba.ca/), an organization that promotes buying fair trade products, is challenging Manitobans to go fair trade for 30 days, purchasing only fair trade chocolate, tea, and coffee.

It’s actually not a very challenging challenge, as most fair trade tea, coffee, and chocolate tend to be high quality and delicious.  You might have to go to IQ’s, Degrees, or ask for fair trade at Starbucks instead of going to Tim Horton’s.  But that will save you time in line ups and give you better tasting coffee or tea! 

You might be wondering what fair trade means.  Fair Trade Manitoba describes it well on their website http://fairtrademanitoba.ca/why/, but, in short, it means that the coffee was produced under high environmental standards, and the producers of the coffee were paid fair wages.  So by purchasing fair trade products you are supporting economic justice, dignity, and environmental sustainability.

Other products besides tea, coffee, and chocolate are fairly traded as well.  Check for the fair trade symbol on sugar, wine, fruit, and ask about clothing, and other products.  A great place to shop for fair trade products is Ten Thousand Villages (http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/), as they only sell fair trade products. 

Here’s a great article about the fair trade challenge: http://www.themanitoban.com/articles/41845

And another one about fair trade wine written by a fellow UofM student: http://www.themanitoban.com/blogs/like-a-fish/42115

New research project

Today I am going to talk about eggs.  Why? Because I have been thinking about them all week.  Not because I am hungry for eggs but because I am doing a research project on eggs, and it made me realize that they are actually pretty interesting. 

If you want to be a Registered Dietitian, you have to complete an Internship after you’re finished your nutrition degree.  A component of the Internship is doing a research project.  The Manitoba Partnership Dietetic Internship Program (MPP) has now started accepting applicants before they are finished their nutrition degree and those students can complete the research component of their internship in their fourth year of their undergrad degree.  Which brings me back to the research project I am working on.

We are conducting research to get an idea of consumer attitudes towards eggs, which to me is quite interesting.  Eggs can be controversial for many reasons.  Some believe that because they contain cholesterol they contribute to heart disease.  Some do not agree with the way eggs are processed.  Some people think eggs are fertilized and that they might bite into a partially developed chick.  And many people believe that eggs are a great way to get protein and vitamins. 

Here are some fun facts about Canadian eggs:

Before eggs go into any Canadian store they are washed and graded.  They are inspected to see the quality of the shell, the size of the air sac (that little pocket in the end of the egg that is filled with air), the thickness of the white, and if there are any bloodspots.  Grade A eggs – the highest grade – have a thick white with the yolk well centered, a small air sac, and a clean, crack-free shell.   These eggs are sold in stores as shell eggs – the whole eggs we buy in cartons.  Grade B eggs are sold to bakeries to be made into cakes and muffins and the like, whereas grade C eggs are sent to be cracked and pasteurized and used for things like mayonnaise, pet food, adhesives, and even shampoo.

To cater to different consumer demands, specialty shell eggs offer a greater variety.  There are omega 3 eggs where the hens are fed flax seed to enhance the amount of omega 3 in their eggs.  Vitamin enhanced eggs are produced when the hens are fed diets higher in certain vitamins, like vitamin B12 for example.  Organic eggs are laid by hens fed a certified organic diet.  Vegetarian eggs are from hens that only eat foods of plant origin.  Free run eggs are from hens that are not caged and have the ability to roam around the barn and hang around in nesting boxes.  Free range eggs come from hens who can not only freely roam around their barn but they can go outside (whether permitting). 

Want to learn more?  Start by checking out this site: http://www.eggs.mb.ca/

Food for thought

January 6, 2011

Welcome back everyone!  I hope you all had a great winter break.  My break was filled with plenty of laughs with friends and a lot of great food.  I thought I would share with you some of the particularly tasty eats I enjoyed these past few weeks.

In the beginning of the month a friend of mine hosted a delicious dinner of Thai coconut curry, a spicy Indian chickpea dish and fresh hand made naan bread.  As we were sipping on wine and beer, he was rolling out the naan bread and baking them in the oven.  They were still warm when we were scooping up our food with them.  I was too busy eating to capture a photo of his delicious bread, but they looked a lot like the ones pictured below.

After enjoying this particularly delightful meal, my friends and I concluded that getting together to eat should become a regular occurrence.  So, my boyfriend and I decided to host the next dinner party.  As the holidays approached and people were becoming more available for social events, our small apartment and dinner table reached capacity.  However we somehow still managed to feed all thirteen people.

My boyfriend prepared a pasta dish that I found on a food blog a few years ago.  This dish has always been a favorite of mine.  It’s called Sexy Spring Pasta and the recipe can be found here: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/03/sexy-spring-pasta-with-roasted.html

If you like the flavours of garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, and jalapeno peppers, you will love this dish as much as I do. 

To go along with the pasta I made some garlic knots.  A coworker of mine who is a great resource for delicious food blogs shared this recipe with me.  These warm garlicky buns were perfect for soaking up the extra balsamic vinegar sauce from the pasta.

Staying Healthy Through The Exam-Cram

Classes have finally come to an end, and holiday plans are now starting to take shape. But wait, before you can start your Christmas shopping, holiday baking, and partying, you have to buckle down and study for your final exams.

Studying for exams is like going on a not-so-fun vacation. You cut yourself off from the world; you get a friend to change your facebook password until you return; you choose your outfits based on comfort not looks; you drink lots of caffeinated drinks; and eat only the most convenient foods. When you return from this crazy world of stress and books, you feel relieved, free, and ready to take back your life. Now, depending on how successfully you navigated through your study “vacation”, you may be dealing with the unpleasant symptoms too much studying can bring. Your back feels like all the muscles have hardened into a slouched text-book reading position and cannot return to normal, your neck hurts, you have awful gut rot from drinking way too much coffee, you feel like you’ve gained 10lbs from all the unhealthy study snacks and constant sitting. You have forgotten your locker combination at the gym. But worst of all, your friend forgot the temporary password to your facebook account.

Some of these horrible events can be avoided with some effort. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you embark on your next voyage to exam studying: Pack healthy snacks. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself for being a student and “treating” yourself to all the junk food you normally avoid, pack foods that will keep you feeling great. Why opt for the comfort food if it doesn’t make you comfortable? If you choose foods that are healthy, you can wake up refreshed and ready to take on more studying. One issue with packing snacks is the lack of time you have during this busy period. But you must be prepared if you want to survive.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Go to the grocery store, buy some veggies (like celery, mini carrots, cucumber, radishes etc) cut them all up and divide them into containers for a few days worth of snacks. Buy some delicious dip for the veggies and divide that up into small containers.

2. You could cut up some pieces of cheese and pack some crackers.

3. Buy small packs of yogurt.

4. Mandarin oranges are easy to pack.

5. Apple slices with a small container of peanut butter.

6. You could pack sandwiches or microwavable soup

A great way to avoid stiff muscles is by having a gym membership on campus. That way, if you study on campus you can take breaks at the gym. You’re probably already wearing comfortable clothes, so just make them something you can wear at the gym. If you don’t like the idea of walking across campus for your break, why not study somewhere closer to Frank Kennedy Center, like the Education building?

Get your blood flowing to the brain. Studying for exams followed by holiday festivities can sometimes get you down once the New Year rolls around. Especially if you have indulged in a lot of partying, travelling, eating sugar cookies and candy canes, and drinking eggnog and rum. Instead of being another one of the people who head to the health food store for a “cleanse” kit in January, why not keep healthy while you study, and enjoy the holidays?

Gluten free way to be

I wonder what the percentage of people who following a gluten-free diet is?  According to the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research, one per cent of Canadians are diagnosed with Celiac disease.  Celiac disease is a gastrointestinal condition where the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged due to an immune response triggered by a protein called gliadin.  Gliadin is one of the proteins that make up gluten, and is found in grains such as wheat, barley, and rye. 

I highly doubt that one per cent of Canadians follow a gluten-free diet.  Today in a lab I was teaching where we were tasting products made from wheat, two people where following gluten-free diets that had been prescribed to them by their doctors.  So that’s 12.5 per cent of the population of that lab.  I know a lot of people who shop at the health food store I work at follow gluten free diets.  There is a large gluten free selection there.  Even in the small grocery store in the cottage community of Victoria Beach had a gluten-free section. 

Some people who follow gluten-free diets may not have celiac disease, but may suffer from gluten sensitivity, and many people may not know what gluten is, but assume it’s bad because of food labeling. 

In an article on CBC a gastroenterologist strongly cautions people going on gluten free diets if they do not need to because it can be less nutritious.  Her argument is that a lot of wheat alternatives, like gluten-free cookies and breads, can have more additives and preservatives.  I think this argument is a bit weak, as many wheat products also have plenty of additives and preservatives.  I think whatever diet you choose, if you want it to be healthy, read labels and try to prepare as many foods as you can from scratch.

In fact, here is a link to a great food blog that has tons of delicious gluten-free recipes: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

Writing for The Manitoban

If you have picked up a copy of this week’s Manitoban, you may have noticed my article in there. I wrote an article called Introducing orthorexia nervosa: An obsession with healthy eating. A nice thing about our university is that we have a great newspaper that is very welcoming to volunteer submissions. I think it is really important to have smaller, independent media outlets where people can express their thoughts and ideas. The editors at The Manitoban are always looking for new submissions, and are very willing to help and encourage you to produce a good article. If you have an idea of something you would like to write about, all you have to do is email an editor and see if they can help you make it happen. In most jobs, communication is very important. For me, and for probably a lot of people, written communication is used the most. Practicing your written communication is never a bad thing. Having experienced editors help you, and being able to produce a published final product are definitely perks!

Happy Halloween

I hope all of you are enjoying a pleasant Halloween weekend. I am looking forward to having a fun-filled weekend. This is actually the first Halloween in about two or three years that I have had time to celebrate. For most students this time of year is mid-term time. But not for me! I am spending this afternoon marking papers, and then I will attempt to get a costume prepared for the Halloween party I am attending tonight. So this morning when I woke up, I noticed snow on the rooftops. I think it’s gone now, but it was still exciting. I am very much looking forward to the snow. Because the sooner it snows, the sooner the river freezes. At that means I can pull my skates out of the storage closet! Skating on the river, if you haven’t done it, is loads of fun. People are out there all times of the day, either skating, walking, biking, cross-country skiing, or building sled jumps.

Weekends are the busiest time out on the river. Between the Forks and the Osborne bridge, the Assiniboine River is packed with people of all ages. Hot chocolate stands and interesting warming shelters (which were designed by architects last year) are found all along the river path. If you prefer a more quiet scene, the path along the Red River (if freezing permits its construction) is more peaceful and the width of the river provides for a nice wide-open feel.

I hope it snows soon!