Introducing our New Insightful Intern: Meet Mikaela Schmeider

Hello, my name is Mikaela and I am a dietetic intern here at Kindred Nutrition. I am originally from Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania and currently a senior at Pennsylvania State University. My major is Nutritional Science with a dietetics option. Nutrition always fascinated me growing up because I loved the way food resembled medicine. Anytime I appeared sick or gloomy, modifying what I ate would make me feel optimal. It can be rough finding fresh food anywhere winter exists. When it isn’t miserably cold outside, I spend my time gardening. Sometimes I find myself looking like an animal that just came out from hibernation searching for fresh food. It’s the little things that make me happy. Aside from gardening one of my favorite things to do is to cook. When I’m finished with school for the year, I spend my summers experimenting with alternative foods. I know a lot of people who are vegetarian, vegan, have food allergies or even gastrointestinal disorders who struggle finding food that doesn’t taste like pencil shavings. I know some people may like the taste of pencil shavings, but I love giving advice to the people who don’t. Changing a diet isn’t a quick fix, it’s a lifestyle change.

Although I never want to leave college, I know that the time has to come. After graduating, my goal is to obtain a dietetic internship to become a Registered Dietitian. I would love to someday work in an outpatient setting. Before coming to Kindred Nutrition, I had some doubts about being a Registered Dietitian, but this experience has shown me how exhilarating it can be to change a person’s life. The outpatient setting is something I enjoy because I love the relationships built between the client/patient and the professional. It would be an honor to be a person’s support system through the problems they face. Although I’m not quite sure what to specialize in, I am very grateful for the experiences here at Kindred Nutrition.

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Family Nutrition: What’s the deal with Multivitamins?

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Food Trends: Plant vs. Animal Protein

In my practice I see a lot of vegetarians who have a lot of questions about the types of protein they eat. In case you need a refresher, animal proteins are proteins derived from meat, dairy, and eggs. Plant protein is derived from nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and soy. Most animal proteins are higher in saturated fat as well as cholesterol which have been proved to increase risks of arteriosclerosis, a precursor to cardiovascular disease. A lot of the general public, not just vegetarians, are starting to focus on decreasing intakes of animal proteins and focusing on plant sources to decrease total calorie, fat, and cholesterol intake. It’s important to know that most generally healthy individuals only need .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Basically this means that a 150 pound man or woman requires about 54 grams of protein in an entire day. Protein is made from amino acids. Although there are many amino acids, ther...

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