Week 3: Northern Michigan University

Week 3: Northern Michigan University

            Over the weekend, I finally got a chance to see some of the beautiful scenery of the Upper Peninsula. I hiked up Hog Back and at the top of the mountain was greeted by one of the most beautiful sights—a 360 degree panoramic view of Lake Superior, rolling hills covered with trees, and the quaint town of Marquette. The weather was phenomenal and I joined Robin and her family for a day at the beach.

            Monday was a very busy day, and I felt like I went non-stop. Robin and I began the day with a meeting with the nutrition sub-committee of ACHIEVE, which stands for Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and Environmental Change. The nutrition sub-committee is attempting to improve the policy on planning for restaurants and what foods they serve.

            After the meeting with ACHIEVE, Robin and I sat down with Stephanie, the Marketing Manager and discussed what sort of layout we were interested in for the NetNutrtion page. I had done research during week one and had compiled a list of university dining websites who had used NetNutrition. From this, we were able to see features that we definitely wanted, and aspects that we weren’t interested in at all. The project seems to be moving along at a very nice speed, but I’m still nervous for all of the work that lies ahead in order for us to have the website up and running for the fall.

            Later, I worked on my nutritional programming that I will be outlining for the fall. Robin and I decided to educate the students on seven topics total: gluten-free diets, apples, oatmeal, soy protein, tea, eating during finals and/or stressful times, and National Nutrition Month. I am very excited to be able to research these topics and to contact organizations for educational materials.

            In the afternoon, Robin and I checked on the gluten-free refrigerator in the Wildcat Den and restocked it. NMU has made a very impressive effort at providing both a gluten-free and a vegan option at each meal. This will be even more prominent once NetNutrition is started.

            On Tuesday, Robin’s nutrition assistant Billy, and I were in the kitchens working on the gluten-free pizzas. The chefs hadn’t had much luck the week prior with the gluten-free crusts, so our task was to make them work. Judging by the lack of leftovers, I’d say we were pretty successful! 

On Wednesday, the dining staff members hosted a “Welcome to NMU” in my honor. There was some delicious food, including an awesome crab dip, and homemade hummus.

            The rest of the week was spent mostly working on the nutritional programming with Robin, with a small break on Thursday for a tour of the dining facilities. There are several renovations currently going on in two of the eateries, but unfortunately, the construction won’t be finished before I leave. After the tour, Robin and I visited the local GFS Marketplace to get a look at how things operated on a smaller scale compared to the GFS in Grand Rapids. It was very interesting to see just how efficient technology has made the foodservice industry. And they had a MASSIVE refrigerator! 

On Friday, I was very excited to find out that I would be able to sit in on a diet consult with Robin. The patient was diabetic and was looking for ways to change her lifestyle so she could avoid adding more medicine to her regimen. It was a great learning experience, and I was appreciative for the chance to sit in on the appointment.