My first intention for this blog was for it to be a way to update friends and family on all the happenings in my lab and household after I moved from Minnesota to Pennsylvania. There are so many people back in Minnesota near and dear to my heart that I want to keep in regular touch with. I was trying to think of a good option for this when my friend Mark D had the great idea to start a blog- an intellectual instagram he called it. Well, I don’t think I will live up to that great description, but I do intend to create the habit of regular blogging to let you all know what’s the latest in Happy Valley.

Recently my father underwent a carotid endarterectomy. This is a very high risk surgery, but thank goodness he had an amazing surgery team and made it through and is feeling much better. For those of you who have known me a long time, you know that we have been dealing with my dad’s health issues for a long time. He had his first heart attack at 47 years old- when I was just 16.

So with the news of the surgery, my desire to create educational platforms that improve the nation’s health was reinvigorated. I figured this blog can be a starting point. Now for those of you who may not know me and are thinking ‘why should I listen to you?’ I’ll humbly give you three reasons.

I think the most compelling is that I am a person who has been able to successfully change habits and adopt a healthier lifestyle. The change has been all encompassing and has touched all areas of my life, but the one people are often most interested in is the weight loss.

I lost over 100 pounds (if you include all the baby weight), and I’ve been able to maintain most of the loss. Through this blog, I will share some of the ways I was able to change my habits. I’ll share my favorite books, recipes (including ones that I develop), strategies, etc… Whenever I can, I will comment on food science and sensory aspects, which leads me to reason number two why you may want to read what I write.

I hold a PhD in food science from the University of Minnesota. My mentor was Dr. Zata Vickers, a leading sensory researcher in the field at the time and today. My thesis topic was consumer acceptance of whole grain breads, so you will see my recipes will probably tend to skew toward whole grains. Although, I tend to be more of a quick bread girl these days as a mother of a 3 year old.

We’re now at reason three. After finishing my degree (well technically before), I started working as a sensory scientist at Land O’Lakes. For almost 7 years, I helped develop and launch delicious products, research why consumers like what they do, improve my tasting abilities, and teach others to do the same.

Now I am working with Dr. John Hayes at Penn State University, another distinguished sensory scientist. We tend to study taste genetics, and I’ve recently started attending an ingestive behavior class he teaches with Dr. Barbara Rolls who developed the concept of Volumetrics, which was one of the principles I used to help me on my journey toward a healthier life. I’m so excited to share all I’m learning with you.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy the ride, because I sure am.