We’ve Joined Twitter!

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Yes! DiSH lab finally joined the Twitter craze and set up our official account! We are extremely excited to reach out to the vast population and continue our goal to promote health and education. We will be sending out tweets about new blog posts, fun health tips, and interesting research findings! If you have any suggestions for someone we should tweet or other fun topics/ideas, please let us know! Also, don’t forget to follow us @DiSH_Lab!

See below for our recent tweets!

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Food Explorations: Bruin Plate

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A couple months back, we posted a blog about Bruin Plate, the newest and largest dining hall at UCLA. The DiSH Lab is in full support of a health-themed dining hall, especially one that promotes and educates students about the importance of incorporating nutrient-packed superfoods into their daily diets. But is the food being served actually up to par? Healthier food choices definitely benefit the body, but they don’t always satisfy the taste buds. To answer this question, Dr. T recently made a trip to Bruin Plate and took the liberty of taking some photos (see below) of her meal and shared her overall dining experience with us.

“ It was amazing – huge floor to ceiling windows that overlooked greenery made things peaceful; so many foods that I wanted to try and couldn’t, including a luscious-looking vegan brownie, yummy soups, and many things with avocado in them!”

“I got to meet the Executive Chef Kevin Aiello, who recently visited Alice Water’s kitchen at Chez Panisse to learn about sourcing and cooking fresh materials in a delicious way”

-Dr. T

 

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Bison slider with pickled onions, blackberries, and gorgonzola cheese

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Salad with their most popular dressing: Kale vinaigrette
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Swiss chard, quinoa, and green beans

Dr. T Speaks at Manhattan Beach Rotary Club

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Just a week ago, Dr. T presented at the Manhattan Beach Rotary club! Dr. T gave her presentation,  “Can You Starve Yourself to Immortality…Or Will That Stress You Out?” and discussed the issues and facts regarding dieting and its association with stress.

Below is a picture of President Kathleen Terry presenting a 100 Polio Vaccinations certificate to Dr. T with the help of Ed Kushins taken from the original website.

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Let’s give a big hand for Dr. T and her active involvement in community service!

 

 

TOMORROW! Instant Recess!

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To memorialize the untimely passing of one of the DiSH Lab’s heroes Toni Yancey, tomorrow May 7th at 1pm PDT (4 m EDT) we will join in a nationwide 10-minute instant recess. At UCLA, you can meet up with us at the CHS courtyard, but wherever you are, this is a wonderful way to honor Toni Yancey’s important work in promoting physical activity. This event could even break a world record, which was a long-term goal of Toni’s. What is an instant recess? Read about it here!

Pets with Benefits!

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With project deadlines, budget cuts, and poor job performances, it is no wonder many people consider the workplace to be a stressful environment. But have no fear, your best friend is here! Published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, a preliminary study conducted by Randolph Barker (yes that last name is for real) found that dog owners who took their pets to work had the lowest stress level compared to employees who did not take their dogs to work and those who did not own any pets. Interestingly, dog owners who did not take their pets to work had stress levels that were more than twice as high as the dog owners who took their pets to work. Barker suggests that having pets at the workplace could help buffer stressful situations by helping the pet owner cope more efficiently with negative outcomes.

Superhero Effects

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Interestingly enough, this article suggests that pretending to have superhero powers could increase one’s tendency to help others. Based on this study that used “immersive virtual reality” (wearing gear and adapting roles in the form of avatars), college-level participants who had acquired avatars with superhero powers (like flying) were more helpful to others in real life than those who had acquired avatars without superhero powers (who were virtual passengers in a helicopter). Afterwards, researchers of the study purposely knocked down a tin of pens. Researchers found that those who had pretended to have superhero powers responded quicker in helping pick up the pens and picked up a larger number of pens. Also, of the 60 participants, 6 did not help at all and they had all been the passengers on the helicopter.
So the next time you see someone in need? Just think of yourself as Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman (for the ladies). Even more important are the huge implications these findings have for behavior change interventions.

Dr. T in the “spotlight”

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The UCLA Department of Psychology is shining a “spotlight” on the newest faculty-member in the health area – Dr. T!  Check it out here!

We’re Home and Welcome Laura!

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As many of you already know, the DiSH Lab’s been on the move, relocating from Rutgers to UCLA this summer. Now, after weeks of renovations and remodeling, the DiSH Lab’s beautiful new space is complete and awaiting the exciting research and experiments it will be home to. We’ll be posting pictures soon once we spruce things up a bit.

More exciting news is that Laura, Dr. T’s first UCLA grad student, has just arrived in Los Angeles. We are thrilled to welcome her and looking forward to all she has to offer to the DiSH Lab team!

Things doctors say to their patients

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National Public Radio recently hosted a conversation about obesity, weight, and health with several medical professionals, where listeners were invited to share personal experiences of discussing obesity with doctors.  Click here to listen to (or read) the newscast full of interesting – and sometimes shocking – things that doctors say.

Beating Overeating!

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This short-and-sweet video explains the biological mechanisms behind appetite and eating and how sugary, fatty foods can override our body’s natural signals to stop eating.