whole lot more than geese roaming the University of North Florida campus.
environmentally beautiful acres, including the nearly 400-acre Sawmill Slough
Preserve, there’s a diverse ecosystem of animals, plants and insects hidden
just beyond view of the core of campus. Justin Lemmons, ecologist for the
University’s Environmental Center, spends most of his workday exploring these
wilder regions of campus, identifying the different creatures that call UNF
home. On a recent trip, Lemmons came face to face with one of the most elusive
predators to pass through the Preserve — a bobcat.
spotted the bobcat on a wildlife camera installed last year near the culverts along
Eco Road in February. Lemmons pulls the footage from the camera every month and
filters through it, looking for any interesting animals that use the wildlife culvert to
help document campus wildlife populations. He immediately stopped when he
caught a glimpse of the bobcat. A bit larger than a domesticated house cat and
sporting a distinctive spotted coat, he knew straight away what he was looking
at. Since then, the bobcat has popped up on film multiple times, leading Lemmons to
think that it might have a migratory den on campus. He even had an up-close
meeting with it recently.
“I saw it in the wild in April near the north end of the Sawmill Slough,” he said. “It didn’t spook — it was just standing there for 20 to 30 minutes. I could see
those beautiful, bright yellow eyes and the black-tipped ears with tufts of
black hair coming out of the top.”
are native to the region, but they’re notoriously elusive due to their
nocturnal predatory habits. They require densely forested areas supported by an
abundance of smaller animals to hunt, namely rabbits, rodents and birds. They pose no threat to humans unless antagonized. The
Preserve checks all those boxes and more, offering a perfect ecosystem for a
top-level predator to thrive. Lemmons and Chuck Hubbuch, curator of the Sawmill Slough Preserve and assistant director of
Physical Facilities specializing in landscape and grounds, have curated
extensive lists of the assorted plants, small mammals, insects and fish that
call UNF home, documenting the Sawmill Slough’s vibrant tapestry of wildlife.
said he plans to keep analyzing the footage from the wildlife camera and
delving into the Preserve to thoroughly document the array of plants and
animals native to the campus. This living catalogue will allow the
Environmental Center and Physical Facilities to establish a historical benchmark
for the University, further establishing how the natural environment evolves and
changes as the campus grows.
“This is a
unique university with a great amount of biodiversity,” Lemmons said. “Having a
documented bobcat is a great addition to the animals we’ve seen, and we hope to
add even more interesting animals to the catalogue as we do additional field
beneath the surface is paramount in any investigation. In archaeology, that
includes digging up the remains of entire civilizations, intrusive excavation
and extensive man-hours. That is, until now.
Using thermal imagery, researchers can
now see what rests hidden beneath the dusty desertscape. A team of researchers from the University of North Florida
and the University of Arkansas successfully used drones to unearth a
1,000-year-old village in northwestern New Mexico in the summer of 2013,
revealing undiscovered structures and granting unique insights into the people
who lived there and their culture. The research was published in the May
issue of the Journal of
Dr.John Kantner, a UNF associate professor of anthropology, associate vice president of research and dean of the Graduate School, collaborated with Dr. Jesse Casana, an archaeologist at the University of
Arkansas, to test the drones in a remote area of northwestern New
Mexico south of Chaco Canyon. They
used an advanced customized drone, programmed to fly defined GPS-guided path,
with the thermal camera systematically photographing the ground surface. Images
captured by the airborne camera were processed using specialized software that stitches
together hundreds of individual images into an accurate “heat map” of the
ground — a Pic Stitch, of sorts, for archeology.
“The drone with
its thermal camera was able to not only pinpoint buried masonry architecture
that I didn't know about, but it also identified a number of circular ‘cool’
signals that are the perfect shape and size to be kivas, ceremonial structures
where people would meet for worship and decision-making,” said Kantner, who
noted that as one of the most interesting discoveries.
“I was really pleased with the results,” said Casana. “This work
illustrates the very important role that drones have for scientific research.”
Kantner has studied the landscape south
of Chaco Canyon for decades. He said he always knew there were homes from
Pueblo ancestors in the area now called Blue J, but the ruins have been
obscured by vegetation and buried in eroded sandstone.
an archaeologist, I’m most interested in answering the questions,” he
explained. “Asking the questions is fun. But, finding the answers is the best.”
is particularly interested in how the powerful religious phenomenon he and
Casana mapped impacted local social and political dynamics.
determine this from ancient remains requires that I know exactly where houses
and religious buildings were located and what they looked like, and this is
where the challenge lies, because many of them are buried below the surface,” Kantner
said. “It’s all but impossible to find ruins covered with dirt and vegetation
unless you systematically and painstakingly excavate test pits to find them,
and this takes forever.”
Using aerial images of thermal infrared
wavelengths of light is not a new concept in the field. Archeologists have
known they could be powerful tools for the identification of cultural remains on
the ground, but the technology at that point just wasn’t feasible. Planes and
helicopters flew too high to capture high-quality images at the correct resolution
and focus. Unmanned drones, however, provide a way to capture images at the
correct height, resolution and speed, with an added element of control.
Without the drones, excavating the ruins
last summer would have been cumbersome at best. The unmanned units completed
the same amount of work it would have taken a team of researchers years to
complete in just a matter of hours.
“Really just a few days’ work allowed us
to do something that would have taken a decade of work,” said Kantner. “So,
this is great for quickly and pretty cheaply being able to find sites.”
The team is working to refine its methods for use in other
parts of the world, with the goal of making aerial thermography a routinely
used method for uncovering the human past.
The University of North Florida’s shining
Student Wellness Center has received the Building Design and Construction Award
of Merit by the North Florida chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and
has achieved a USGBC Green Gold rating, the highest sustainability award
offered by the environmental advocacy group.
“It is a pleasure to be able to add to
the string of successful ‘green buildings’ recently introduced to the campus,”
said Zak Ovadia, the University’s director of Campus Planning.
million dollar, state-of-the-art wellness, fitness and sports learning facility
designed in harmony with the Student Union located just across the street. The
metal panels and brick harmonize with the existing campus fabric, while the
large expanses of glass showcase the activities in the building, Ovadia said.
In response to the often-sizzling Florida climate, a metal sunscreen was added
to the façade, adding a distinctive and eye-catching element in the design. The
structure was built in accordance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design standards, making it a leading candidate for the USGBC award. This is
the third gold-rated LEED building on campus, with two other silver structures
and two other LEED-certified buildings.
world has taken notice of the structure since it opened in 2012. The Complex
was named Florida’s Building of the Week by world-architects.com, an
international network of architects and designers. A review of the structure
compliments its distinctive design.
The Complex boasts
a 32-foot tall climbing wall, three dedicated indoor group fitness rooms, one
outdoor multi-use balcony group fitness space, the 27,000 square-foot Dottie
Dorion Fitness Center and an indoor track on the third level, offering
breathtaking views of the campus’ natural beauty.
UNF is no stranger to receiving awards
for its commitment to environmental sustainability. The
Sierra Club, America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental
organization, named UNF as one of it’s top 100 “cool green schools” for the
University’s commitment to the environment and its preservation even during
expansion. Additionally, UNF was named one of the most environmentally
responsible colleges in the United States and Canada, according to The
Princeton Review. The University was included for two straight years on
Review’s “Guide to Green Colleges.”
A new system for routing
contracts at the University of North Florida has been rolled out for select
departments, with the program expected to go campus-wide by the end of the calendar year.
The University purchased the
iContracts Universal Contract Management platform in late 2013 for $25,500,
with recurring users fees of $17,000 annually, according to Kathy Ritter,
director of Purchasing. The decision was made to purchase the contract routing,
approval and management system after ITS determined that it would be more cost
efficient to outsource the work instead of using internal resources to enhance
the original UNF contract routing system. The Purchasing Department reviewed
contract systems from several software firms before choosing on the iContracts
“We realized we needed to
have more than a routing and approval process, which is what we had with the
in-house ITS system,” Ritter said. “We needed to be able to set reminders and
manage the contracts. This new system is easier to use and easier to view the
status of contracts, which is exactly what people need from this type of
of Administration and Finance served as the pilot department for iContracts
implementation in August 2013, followed soon after by Student Affairs. Additional enhancements, however, were required to make the original
iContracts system more efficient for University-wide use. That overhaul included the modification of some drop down menus and
a few other tweaks to the operating system. More than eight weeks of work and
training led to Student Affairs fully implementing iContracts. The Division of
Academic Affairs Is now in the planning and implementage stages to be followed
by the President’s Office and Development and Alumni Affairs. Ritter fully
expects the system to be up and running University-wide by the end of the calendar
“Once we get
everything fully operational, all contracts will be electronically
filed and located in one place,” Ritter said. “Staff will be able to follow
contracts from one stage to the next, unlike the paper process we had before.
This will streamline the whole process for the University.”
Want to know the latest about the University of North Florida? You can now check it out on Instagram — the incredibly popular photo and video sharing social media app. Just follow uofnorthflorida and share your favorite campus sights by tagging the official UNF account in your University-related images or by using the hashtags #SWOOPLife, #SWOOP and #UNF!
You can also find special UNF content on the official University Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube social media accounts. The UNF YouTube account has undergone a transformation and may now be found here, with the username UofNorthFlorida. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to subscribe for the latest videos from the University, including special behind-the-scenes content from research and art projects, productions and more.
Additionally, LinkedIn has added a new recommendation function that allows alumni to review their alma maters. If you’d like to share more about your UNF experience, feel free to pen your own LinkedIn recommendation.
Arts and Sciences
Biology: Brian Coughlin and Dr.
Greg Ahearn and their students, Scott Rettig and Jake Tenewitz, presented
their poster, “Sucralose causes a concentration dependent metabolic inhibition
of the gut flora Bacteroides, B. fragilis
and B. uniformis not observed
in the Firmicutes, E. faecalis
and C. sordellii” at the
Experimental Biology 2014 meeting in San Diego, Calif. At the same meeting, Ahearn and his student, Maria Peterson, presented a poster
entitled: “Effect of calcium on amino acid and dipeptide transport by
intestines of American lobster (Homarus
americanus) and Atlantic white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus).” Ahearn, with his student, Rasheda Likely, also presented a poster
entitled: “Functional characterization of a putative disaccharide membrane
transporter in crustacean intestine.”
Dr. Nikki Dix
gave a presentation, “How does eutrophication affect oyster population
structure in a highly flushed, subtropical estuary?” at the National
Shellfisheries Association (NSA) meeting in April in Jacksonville.
Drs. Matt Gilg
and Cliff Ross received a grant of $9,600 from the Protect Our Reefs
Grants Program for their project “Identification of thermally resilient coral
genotypes for use in adaptive breeding programs.”
Dr. Courtney Hackney received $400,000 in funding from the St. Johns River Water
Management District for his project “St. Johns River Economic Impact Study —
Ecosystem Services Valuation.”
Dr. Eric Johnson presented a seminar entitled “A stronger role for ecology
in fisheries management: Lessons from the Chesapeake blue crab” in the Research
Seminar Series of the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of
South Florida in Tampa, FL. He and his and students MaryKate Swenarton, Corey Corrick and Mickhale Green presented a poster entitled “Population biology of
invasive lionfish in Northeast Florida” at the 2014 Scholars Transforming
Academic Research Symposium hosted by UNF. In addition, his research program,
the UNF Coastal Fisheries Ecology Program, was featured on Action News.
Chemistry: Dr. Bryan Knuckley and his students, Christine
Majak and Elias Daboul, presented the poster, “Deciphering the Code of Protein Arginine
Methyltransferases” at the fifth annual Southeast Enzyme Conference in
Dr. Kenneth Laali was awarded the UNF
Presidential Professorship for 2014. He published “4-(Pentafluorosulfanyl)
benzenediazonium Tetrafluoroborate: A Versatile Launch Pad for the Synthesis of
Novel Aromatic SF5 Compounds via Cross Coupling, Azo-Coupling,
Homocoupling, Dediazoniation, and Click Chemistry” in the European Journal of
Organic Chemistry in March. He also published “Selectfluor-Mediated Mild Oxidative Halogenation and
Thiocyanation of 1-Aryl-allenes with TMSX (X = Cl, Br, I, NCS) and NH4SCN
in MeCN and in Ionic Liquids” in Tetrahedron. He also presented
“4-(Pentafluorosulfanyl) benzenediazonium Tetrafluoroborate: A Versatile Launch
Pad for the Synthesis of Novel Aromatic SF5 Compounds via Cross Coupling,
Azo-Coupling, Homocoupling, Dediazoniation, and Click Chemistry” at the 247th
National ACS Meeting in March.
Communication: Dr. Peter Casella presented his first-place paper, “Rethinking Failure: A New
Perspective on the Ten O'Clock News Reported by Carol Marin,” at the annual
convention of the Broadcast Education Association in April in Las Vegas, Nev.
Dr. John Parmelee published “The agenda-building function of political
tweets” in the spring 2014 issue of New
Media & Society.
Dr. Brian Thornton published “The ‘Dangerous’ Chicago Defender: A Study of the
Newspaper’s Editorials and Letters to the Editor, 1968,” in Journalism History in April.
English: Dr. Nicholas de
Villiers presented “Intimately Shared Queer and Sex Worker Histories,
Spaces, and Activism” at the seventh annual DC Queer Studies Symposium at the
University of Maryland, College Park. fHe also published “Ruvisionary History”
at DirtyLooksNYC.org in conjunction with Linda Simpson’s “The Drag
Explosion—Expanded!” in April.
Dr. Clark Lunberry, published “Suspicious Silence: Walking Out on John
Cage” in Current Musicology in
History: Dr. David Courtwright presented “Gender Imbalances, Violence and Social Disorder”
at the Origins of Violence Workshop sponsored by Arizona State University. He
also gave a paper, “Four U.S. Drug Policy Reform Traditions,” at the New York
Academy of Medicine.
Dr. Chau Kelly
gave an invited presentation, “From Sisal Plantation to Port City: Urban
Development and Crisis in Mtwara, 1950-1954,” as part of the Baraza Talks at
the Center for African Studies at the University of Florida.
Philosophy and Religion: Paul Carelli gave a lecture, “Socrates on the Pious and the Just,” the
First Coast Free-Thought Society in April.
Physics: Dr. Nirmal Patel
and his student team were awarded $5,875 by the NASA-National Institute of
Aerospace (NIA) for their “Project CLERTH: Cis-Lunar Exploration for Realizing
Transit Habitat.” The joint team from the University of North Florida
and Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, has been selected for the
final round of 2014 RASC-AL (Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts-Academic
Sociology and Anthropology: Dr. David Jaffee served as organizer
and presider for Sociologists and Regional Economic Development I and II:
Applied and Public Sociology and presented “Race to the Bottom . . . of the River: Critically Analyzing the
Expansion of the Port Economy in a Southern City” at the annual meetings of the Southern Sociological Society,
Charlotte, N.C. in April.
Dr. Gordon Rakita presented the poster, “Scratching the Surface: Surface
Sampling of the 76 Draw Site, Luna County, New Mexico,” at the Society for
American Archaeology meetings in April. He also presented discussant
comments at the “Current Research within the Casas Grandes World” symposium.
College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
Computing: Dr. Swapnoneel Roy and Priyanka Harish had their paper titled “Energy
Oriented Vulnerability Analysis on Authentication Protocols for CPS” accepted
at the International Workshop on Cyber-Physical Systems Security during the
10th IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems.
Swapnoneel Roy and Raghu Talluri
had their paper titled “Towards Designing a Greener Advanced Encryption
Standard” accepted at the 2014 International Conference on Security and
Ching-Hua Chuan was the keynote speaker at the Duke Tip state ceremony
event at UNF in May. More information about Duke Tip can be found at http://tip.duke.edu/.
Dr. Robert Roggio, Jaime Gordon and James Comer had their paper titled “A Taxonomy of Common Software
Testing Terminology: Framework for Key Software Engineering Testing
Concepts,” published in the Journal of Information Systems Applied Research.
Dr. Robert Roggio and Jaime Gordon had their paper titled “A
Comparison of Software Testing Using the Object- Oriented Paradigm and
Traditional Testing,” published in the Journal of Information Systems Applied
Dr. V. Valev had his paper
titled “From Binary Features to Non-reducible Descriptors in Supervised Pattern
Recognition Problems,” published in the Pattern Recognition Letters journal.
Dr. Brian Kopp made a
presentation titled “Packet
Communications Message Optimization Research and the NOAA DCS” to the 118th
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite Data Collection System Technical Working Group meeting
in Austin, Tex. Kopp’s presentation covered efficient satellite communication
protocols and their potential beneficial impact on the future of the
NOAA GOES DCS program.
Management: Dr. Raphael Crowley
was awarded a research grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. The
project involves the development of a geotechnical probe to improve In-Situ
permeability testing. The total award value is $75,000.
College of Education and
Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management: Dr. Luke M. Cornelius
presented two sessions on creating and
growing new programs at this year’s Professional Development Forum and
Presidential Awards Luncheon at UNF’s University Center. Cornelius co-presented
with Dr. Jeffrey Harrison of the
Brooks College of Health. In addition, Cornelius announced the publication of
his latest text, “The Costs of
Education.” The book is the first to approach school finance from a cost
basis. It is also the first finance text in decades to address the funding and
costs of private schools, as well as charter and public schools. Furthermore,
Cornelius participated in the seventh annual Citizenship Day event in April at
Florida Coastal School of Law.
and Interpreter Education: Drs. Janice Seabrooks-Blackmore and Kristine Webb, along with COEHS
graduate students Tara Rowe and Monica Bolanos, presented at the
Florida Transition Institute and Visions Conference in Weston, Fla. in from
April 30 to May 2. The group presented information about the ACCESS Academy, a
program that offers learning strategies to UNF students with
disabilities. Webb and Matthew
Silberstein, a business major, also presented about the Osprey Social Hour,
a project that connects UNF Greek organizations with THRIVE, a program for UNF
students with autism.
Congratulations to the
following employees who will celebrate a milestone anniversary at UNF in June:
Cruess, Assistant Director of Communication and Training, Administration and
Robin Hill, Business Manager, Small Business Development
Exceptional, Deaf and Interpreter Education
Renee DelConte, Director, One-Stop Student Services
Sweeney, Assistant Professor, Leadership, School Counseling and
Crystalus, Office Manager, Psychology
Covengton, Maintenance Supervisor, Maintenance and Energy
Gwynes, Lieutenant, University Police Department
Ma, Senior Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities
LeAnn Anderson, Academic Adviser,
Watkins, Coordinator, Student Government Business and Accounting
Lynn, Life Safety System Specialist, Physical Facilities
Brumfield, Administrative Secretary, Counseling Center
Miller, Faculty Administrator, Academic Affairs
The following employees were either hired by
UNF or were promoted from OPS positions recently:
Diane Engelhardt, Executive
Secretary, Counseling Center
Tyaisha Perry, Coordinator,
Enrollment Services Processing Office
Emily Batt, Academic Support
Services Coordinator, One-Stop Center
Okey Workman, Database
Administrator, Florida Institute of Education
Christopher Dann, IT Support
Coordinator, User Services
Raymond Ross, Officer,
University Police Department
Michael McConville, Program Assistant Investigator,
University Police Department
Ty Hak, Instructional
Support Coordinator, Academic Center for Excellence
The following employees were promoted recently:
Mian, Assistant Director, Child Development Center
Heartfelt well wishes in their new endeavors
for the following employees, who left UNF recently:
Harper, Executive Secretary, Counseling Center
Moore, Academic Support Services Coordinator, Office of
White, Assistant Athletic Coach, Women’s Basketball
Nordby, Assistant Athletic Coach, Strength and Conditioning
Fors-Sullivan, Coordinator, Student Affairs English
Boehm, Maintenance Specialist, Physical Facilities
Worrell, Assistant Director, Greek Life Fraternity and Sorority
Dean, Police Safety Training Officer, Student Affairs
Withers, Administrative Secretary Leadership, School Counseling
and Sport Management
Twiggs-Jones, Senior Academic Adviser, Academic Center for
Noncent, Administrative Secretary, Nursing
Hughes, Director of Academic Technology, ITS
Patricia Fontana, Assistant Child Development Teacher, Child
Crabtree, Director, Student Union
Chavez, Coordinator, Student Affairs
Burns, Accounting Associate, Advancement Services
Prunes are made from dried plums and can
be a part of a nutritious diet. Dr. Judy Perkin, a professor in the University
of North Florida’s Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program, tells us more
about this fruit and its primary health benefits. In order to incorporate
prunes into your diet, a recipe has been provided.
Myth: All plum
varieties can be dried and made into high-quality prunes.
some sources note that any plum may be used to make prunes, the California
Dried Plum Board notes that special high-sugar plum varieties are optimal in
terms of the qualities needed to produce a good prune. The University of
California, Davis states that commercial prunes are made from types of plums of
the European variety or Prunus domestica.
are a food that only older individuals enjoy.
Fact: Prunes can be a
good food choice and dietary favorite of both children and adults of all ages. Prunes
can be eaten as a simple dried fruit snack or used in a variety of recipes,
including salads, entrees, jams and desserts. Stewed prunes and prune juice are
also popular. There are also many types of prune bread recipes available. According
to the website Fruit and Veggie: More Matters®, prunes are good sources
of beta-carotene (pre-vitamin A) and fiber with the added benefit of being free
of fats and sodium. The California Dried Plum Board also notes that prunes
contain antioxidants, which are important for health.
Myth: Prunes are
native to North America.
sources tell us that prunes originated in Western Asia and didn’t come to the
United States until the 19th century. Today, California is cited as
being the state responsible for the vast majority of U.S. prune production and
a large percentage of prune production worldwide.
Myth: Plums used to
make prunes are harvested in the winter.
from a California agriculture source says that winter is actually the dormant
time for these plants and that the plums are harvested and dried to become
prunes in late summer. According to this same source, it takes three pounds of
fresh plums to make one pound of dried prunes.
are very high in calories.
average size prune is reported to have only 20 calories. Many sources even
recommend using prune puree in recipes to significantly decrease the calorie
and fat content of baked goods. Additionally, prunes are cited as being a low glycemic-index
food, meaning that blood sugar goes up slowly rather than rapidly after
and Shine Cobbler
1 cup sliced peaches
1 cup pears, peeled and halved
½ cup pitted prunes
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup low-fat granola
In a large microwaveable bowl, mix the
peach, pears, prunes and vanilla. Grate the orange to obtain 1 tsp. of peel.
Cut the orange in half and squeeze out ¼ cup of orange juice. Add the orange
peel and juice to the fruit mixture and stir. Top with the low-fat granola.
Microwave on high for 5 minutes and let stand for 2 minutes. Spoon into four
bowls and serve warm.
INFORMATION PER SERVING
Calories = 220
Carbohydrates = 48 g
Total Fat = 1.5 g
Cholesterol = 0 mg
Saturated Fat= 0.5 g
Protein= 4 g
Sodium= 30 mg.
nutritional analysis used with permission of the Produce for A Better Health
Foundation from the Fruit and Veggies: More Matters!® website. The
recipe was originally developed by the California Department of Health
The Goods is a
monthly column about food myths and facts by faculty members in the Department
of Nutrition and Dietetics Flagsip Program and runs monthly in The Florida
Times-Union’s “Taste” section. Have a question about prunes? Contact
Judy Perkin at
Inspire to move: Hitting
it on two wheels
across the U.S. are adding new bicycle lanes. Along with saving the planet,
riding a bike is an effective workout to roll you into shape. Have to take a
trip to the store for one or two items? Why not save the gas and ride a bike
instead of driving? You won’t get stuck in traffic and are guaranteed a front
row parking space. Also, riding a bike is great for your health, in addition to
being just plain fun.
few of the major benefits include:
It’s quite easy. You don’t need any special skills to operate a bike, and most
mid- to large cities have bike lanes to take you to your destination.
Biking improves muscle tone and strength. Cycling strengthens leg muscles and improves
muscle tone in your legs, thighs, rear end and hips.
Steady biking can burn approximately 300 calories per hour. If you cycle for a
steady 30 minutes every day, you would burn 11 pounds of fat in a year.
The cardiovascular benefits reduce the risk of heart disease.
It’s not weight-bearing, so it’s easier on your joints than running, or even
Nourishing you: Eat to
can be soothing, but fighting emotional or stress eating can be difficult. The
good news is that you can relieve stress by eating certain foods and avoiding
others. Stress can create cravings for sweet foods and carbs that may give a
temporary sense of calm, but these foods are only temporary fixes. You may
crave sugary snacks during moments of stress, but the more you eat them, the
worse your mood will get.
are a few calming foods that can actually help regulate your system
Cottage cheese and fruit — Cottage cheese is high in protein content but won’t
cause a spike in blood sugar. Pair it with fruit that is high in vitamin C,
such as oranges or blueberries. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that fights free
radicals that get released when you are stressed.
Asparagus — This vegetable is high in folic acid, which can help to stabilize
Tuna — This is a great option for lunch that is high in stress-fighting
vitamins B6 and B12.
Whole grain carbohydrates — Oatmeal and other whole-grain carbs can stimulate
the release of serotonin, your feel-good brain chemical.
Dark chocolate — This treat can help reduce levels of cortisol and other stress
hormones. Nibble only a little, as too much calorie-dense chocolate can pack on
Chamomile tea — Try at bedtime to create a wonderfully warm and calming
Did you know that UNF's first commencement ceremony
in 1973 had 35 graduates? The recent Spring 2014 ceremonies for our five
colleges of distinctions graduated more than 1,700 Ospreys.
Birds Know is a new monthly feature highlighting interesting facts, figures and
stories about the University of North Florida. Do you have a thought-provoking
entry that you want to share with the campus community? Get involved by
submitting your own Bright Birds Know item to Matt Coleman at
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