Appetite For Life with a Twist – Wednesday, January 20, 2021 “New Year’s Wellness Workshop with the NRI” featured multiple nutrition, fitness, and research experts from the UNC Nutrition Research Institute and our local community. The workshops built around some popular New Year’s resolutions and provided advice and inspiration to help you reach your 2021 goals! Program video

 

Appetite For Life with a Twist – February 24, 2021 “Folate in Human Health and Diseases” presented by Jaspreet Sharma, PhD, a research scientist in the Sergey Krupenko Lab at the NRI. Folate (vitamin B9) is a commonly known vitamin often associated with pregnancy and fetal development. Scientists are now realizing that the role of folate is so diverse, impacting everything from cancer to mental health. The Sergey Krupenko Lab at the NRI believes there are molecular strings in humans which can be impacted by the right combinations of nutrients. We need to identify these links and make them work with the correct balance. Though folate is necessary, over supplementation of folate has its own health concerns. This presentation highlighted the best ways to utilize the health protective properties of folate and prevent the possibility of its adverse effects. Program video.    Program PowerPoint

 

Appetite For Life with a Twist – March 31, 2021 – Keto. Paleo. Mediterranean. We’ve all heard about the different diet options touted as ways to eat healthy. But what about the nutrients these diets provide? What do we really know about nutrients and how they impact our health? As NRI Associate Professor Natalia Krupenko, PhD, presented “Eating Healthy: What Do We really Know About Our Nutrients?” she discussed how to reframe our thoughts about healthy eating away from diets and on to what matters more: nutrientsProgram video

 

Appetite For Life with a Twist – April 22, 2021 –  Farm to Fork Cooking Demonstration with Chef Megan Lambert of Johnson & Wales University and the Carolina Farm Trust. This month we partnered with Carolina Farm Trust –just in time to learn more about the spring harvest that can be found on local urban farms in our area! As part of this special Appetite For Life program, after preparing a delicious dinner with Chef Lambert, we took a virtual visit to a local farm to learn more about the CFT mission and enjoy some live music as part of their 2021 Earth Week celebrations. Program video.    Nutrition Notes and Recipes

 

Appetite For Life with a Twist – May 21, 2021 –“Mycotoxins: Invisible Threats to Food Safety and Public Health” presented by Blake Rushing, PhD, assistant professor of nutrition at the Nutrition Research Institute. As humans, we are exposed to many chemicals throughout our lifetime, and our diet is a primary route of exposure for many of these compounds. Mycotoxins are naturally occurring contaminants found in food supplies throughout the world that can have severe impacts on human health. This presentation will cover how mycotoxins make their way into foods, their biological effects, who is at risk of exposure, and how we can reduce our exposure to these food contaminants. Program video.    Program PowerPoint

 

Appetite For Life gathered via Zoom on Wednesday, October 6 at 1:00 PM to hear NRI postdoctoral researcher Emmanuel Baah, MD, PhD, speak on the association between obesity and arthritis.
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Appetite For Life with a Twist gathered at Atrium Health Ballpark on Wednesday, November 10 from 5:00-7:00 PM for a very special night at the ballpark with the NRI’s new director, Stephen Hursting, PhD, MPH. We got to know Steve and learned about the major league goals of the NRI, our mission, our vision for the future, and the impact that our groundbreaking research has on North Carolina and beyond. The event featured a catered reception overlooking the beautiful North Carolina Research Campus, home of the NRI. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, in-person attendance was limited to the first 50 registrants. The event was live-streamed via Zoom for those who were unable to attend in person.
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