The Food and Nutrition Club held a presentation in the library with dermatologist Dr. Meagen McCusker on April 24, 2019. According to the president of the Food and Nutrition Club Mingda Sun, the club decided to hold the presentation to “provide an opportunity for FHS students and teachers to learn how healthy eating and lifestyle can benefit skincare.”

  The presentation spanned many topics within skin health. For instance, McCusker discussed the Maillard Reaction, which is the basis behind the browning of foods and the aging of skin. She suggested avoiding simple sugars in order to mitigate this reaction. McCusker also advised consuming probiotics through foods like yogurt to support skin health and discussed tips for acne prevention like avoiding dairy products.

  “Hearing her share her wealth of knowledge was so important because otherwise I never would have gained the right information needed to take care of my skin or help other people take care of theirs,” club member and sophomore Natalie Wong said.

Spanish teacher Colleen Crowe, attended the presentation after Sun, who is one of her students, invited her to attend.

  “I like being able to support my students’ interests both in and outside of the classroom so I decided to go. Skin care is also important to me so I thought it would be an interesting and relevant topic to learn more about,” Crowe said.

  Crowe recalls learning from the presentation that “you do not necessarily need to spend a lot of money on skin care products in order to have healthy skin” and that “clear skin starts from the inside out, meaning it starts with what we eat.”

  Sophomore Mingda Sun founded the Food and Nutrition Club this school year with the intention of raising awareness about living a healthy a life. Sun said that the club members “appreciate food, learn about healthy eating and lifestyle, and have fun and relax.” The club has also participated in a food drive that benefits the elderly last December. Club members packed and delivered food to residents in Maple Village, a community for senior citizens.

  According to Sun, the club intends “to bring in professional chefs to educate teens about learning how to cook easy and healthy recipes in preparation for college and independent living” and raise money for “food pantries and other charity organizations.”