My broad goal is to evaluate and improve health through sustainable diets and behaviors. My research involves evaluating the nutritional quality and health impacts of sustainable foods, examining the impact of nutrition on health and related behaviors and programs using biotechnology, and investigating the connections among nutrition, metabolism, body composition, health, and performance.

Current areas of interest include:

• Examining California consumers' opinions and behaviors regarding the consumption of local, drought-tolerant, sustainable foods in relation to cost and health.
• Evaluating the effects on attention and related measures in adults after consuming a standardized meal challenge to better understand the "food coma" and "brain fog" phenomena.
• Determining whether cooking-related skills and activities can be considered a form of physical activity, or exercise, by evaluating the energy expenditure of these activities.
• Evaluating the impact of fermentation on nutritional content and quality of whole-wheat bread.
• Examining the relationships among nutrition, training, body composition, and performance in long-distance and ultramarathon runners.

NOTE: If you are interested in joining my research group, please review this guide before reaching out to me.

Ongoing Student Projects

2024-
Curtis Jackson
Project: Association between glycemic load and cognitive function

2023-
Lauren Weber
Thesis: Association between prebiotic and probiotic intake and dementia: NHANES 2011-2014

2022–                    
Nathan Shelub
Thesis: Acute impact of high saturated fat content in breakfast meal on
postprandial attention level - A pilot study
2023 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

Past Student Projects

Note: When available, a link to the thesis full text or the project abstract is included below.

2021–2023                    
Cassandra Boyd, MS
Thesis: Association between prebiotic intake and disease in United States adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2023
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2024
2022 Circle of Friends scholarship winner ($2,000)
2022 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($2,500)

2021–2023                    
Elise Silva, MS
Project: Exploring the effects of different types of bread on blood glucose biomarkers of adults in the United States: NHANES 2017-2018
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2023
2022 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,500)

2021–2022                    
Bryan Singharaj, MS, RDN
Thesis: No associations between macronutrient intakes and body composition indices in collegiate athletes
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2023

2021–2022                    
Diana Lee, MS, RN
Thesis: Inverse association between yogurt consumption and metabolic syndrome prevalence in United States adult males, but not in females or in the total population: NHANES 2017-2018
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2023

2021–2022          
Lasya Shah, MS, RD
Thesis: Association between stone fruit intake and markers of cardiovascular disease risk among United States adults: NHANES 2017-2018

2020–2021          
Helen Lee, MS, RD    
Thesis: Recommendations for a water conservationist diet in California
Oral presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2022
Authorship: first-author article publication in Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition
2021 Circle of Friends Jean Downes scholarship winner ($2,000)
2021 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2020–2021          
Samantha Kalb, MS, RD        
Thesis: Association between meal dietary inflammatory potential and postprandial sleepiness
2021 Circle of Friends Lucy McProud scholarship winner ($2,000)
2021 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2019–2021          
Lorena Cuan, MS, RD
Project: Changes in college students’ diet quality and motives for eating behaviors during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place when analyzing diet-self-study assignments

2020                      
Shaun Orvell, MS, RD
Project: Conservative clothing effects on air displacement plethysmography
Authorship: first-author article publication in International Journal of Exercise Science
2020 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2018–2019          
Shannon Mendez, MS, RD
Thesis: The effects of a 6-week group meal prep program on the frequency of consumption of home-cooked meals
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2020
Authorship: first-author article publication in Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
2019 Circle of Friends Elveda Smith Memorial scholarship winner ($2,000)
2019 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2018–2019          
Breanne Vinogradoff, MS, RD
Thesis: Association of food pharmacy participation with type II diabetes risk factors
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2020

2018–2019          
Sofia Apsey, MS, RD
Thesis: Disordered eating in collegiate athletes: Prevalence and relationships with body composition
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2019
2019 Circle of Friends Nancy C. Lu scholarship winner ($2,000)
2019 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)

2018–2019          
Kiley Field, MS, RD
Project: Associations between diet quality (Dietary Inflammation Index) and body composition and bone health in SJSU athletes
Authorship: co-authored publication in Journal of American College Health
Poster presentation: American Society for Nutrition 2019
2019 Circle of Friends Dietetic Internship scholarship winner ($2,000)
2019 Circle of Friends Graduate Student Research Assistance Award ($1,000)