Category Archives: Plant-Based Dining

General Nutrition Info, Healthy Eating, Plant-Based Dining, Tips, Vegetarian/Vegan, Weekly Health Tips

Downtown Eats: Healthy Tips

Tired of your typical day-to-day healthy meals, but want to avoid all the calories, sodium, and fat that fast food places have to offer?  Are you willing to try something new?  You can always grab something at one of the many restaurants downtown!  Downtown State College offers some great healthy options that can cater to everyone’s taste buds, and will give you a break from your typical meals.

BONUS: Many establishments accept LionCash!

Keep reading for a few of our suggestions:

Playa Bowls

Playa Bowls is located on E. Calder Way and is known for having fruit bowls and smoothies (and other bowls such as oatmeal and poke). What makes this place a healthy option downtown is the variety of fruits (bananas, pineapple, kiwi, berries), bases (acai, kale, pitaya, coconut, green, chia, and banana) and healthy toppings (peanut butter, granola, nuts, seeds, coconut) that are in their fruit bowls and smoothies. These fruit bowls provide antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and healthy fats.  Fruit contains natural sugars and fiber and is a good source of carbohydrates, which provides energy to fuel your body and give you a natural boost at any time of the day. They’re also rich in antioxidants (especially the berries) that help protect your cells from harm.  Why not try a tasty way to get all those vitamins and minerals in for the day?

  • Recommended Healthy Meal: Oh Mega Chia Bowl
  • Contains: granola, banana, blueberry, hemp seeds, agave nectar
  • Provides: 440 calories, 54 grams of carbs, 11 grams of fiber, 24 grams of sugar, 11 grams of protein
  • Tip: Ask for less granola and and more fruit! Or, for more protein, ask for some peanut butter or nuts.

 

Fiddlehead

Fiddlehead is located on W. College Ave and offers a variety of salads, wraps, grain bowls, and soups. For the salads, there are a variety of different leafy greens, which include romaine iceberg mix, baby spinach, kale, and spring mix. Leafy green vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber while being low in calories. For example, kale is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables, which provides vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help reduce the risk of diseases. The leafy greens also come with many healthy toppings and dressing. Try to go for vinegar or oil-based dressings and top with nuts to help you get in those healthy fats for the day!

  • Recommended Healthy Meal: Mediterranean Grain Bowl
  • Contains: quinoa, kalamata olives, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, falafel, Fiddlehead vinaigrette
  • Tip:  Ask for your dressing on the side.  This way, you have control over how much goes on the salad!

Tadashi

Tadashi has two locations in State College, one on W. College Ave and the other on S. Atherton St.  Tadashi offers a variety of Japanese dishes such as sushi, sashimi, udon, and donburi. Many of the menu options include many different types of fish, which provide high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and protein while being low in calories.  An omega-3 fatty acid is good for your heart and may event give you that extra brain boost for that exam you’ve been studying for!

  • Recommended Healthy Meal: Shichimi Salmon Roll
  • Contains: spicy salmon, Kani, avocado, topped seared mayo salmon, mango salsa, eel sauce, scallions
  • Tip:  Go with friends and sample a variety of items instead of eating the entire meal yourself.

Although these restaurants offer healthier options than most, try to avoid dining out on a regular basis.  Even though you may choose the healthy option on the menu, eating out on a regular basis can increase your calorie, sugar, or fat intake, without you even knowing.   Those portion sizes and ingredients can be deceiving!

 

Learning how to cook your own healthy meals allows you to have control over exactly what goes into the food you’re eating.  You could even get fancy and try to re-create some of the items on the menu at your favorite restaurant.  By buying your own ingredients you can make them healthier and save money over time!

By: Michelle Tang

General Nutrition Info, Healthy Eating, MyPlate, Plant-Based Dining, Tips, Uncategorized, Vegetarian/Vegan

Sustainable Eating

Okay, so you may be wondering what it means to have a “sustainable diet”?

In the most basic sense, a sustainable diet is one which has a low environmental impact, and that contributes to food and nutritional security.  Additionally, it aims to create and sustain healthy lives for present and future generations.

But, how can you do this while living on or off campus?

The answers are simpler than you  may think!

1. Prioritize Plants:

USDA’s MyPlate suggests filling half your plate with vegetables and fruits as part of an optimal diet, but planning our meals around product benefits the planet as well.  Shifting to a more plant-based way of eating will help reduce freshwater withdrawals and deforestation.  Think of this as a win-win for both our personal health and the environment.

2. Minimize Meat

MyPlate suggests reducing red meat, and now there’s another reason to treat it more as a condiment than a main dish.  Meat production is a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, especially beef production.  Transporting and raising livestock also requires more food, water, land, and energy than plants.  To eat for our own health as well as that of the planet, we should consider picking non-meat proteins such as nuts and legumes.

3. Select New Seafood

Fish can be a healthy choice if part of an overall healthy dietary style, but some species are at risk of being over fished, or produced in ways that harm the marine environment.  If your go-to variety of fish is on the “avoid” list, consider trying some new seafood.  The “Avoid’ and “Alternative” visual can be seen below.

Seafood to limit Alternative Reason for Alternative
Atlantic Salmon Pacific Salmon ·         Similar flavor profile

·         Remains rich in fatty acids

·         Requires less fish feed
Swordfish Mahi Mahi ·         Similar “meat” flavor

·         Smaller and healthier
Wild-Caught Sea Scallops Farmed Shellfish ·         Harvesting in ocean disrupts natural habitat

·         Farmed shellfish can be harvested sustainably
King Crab Blue Crab or Stone Crab ·         Typically come from well-managed fisheries in the US

·         Seafood sourced close is more sustainable

4. Look Local

Exploring farmers’ markets helps you find fresh produce grown locally, but equally important, you can meet the people who produce your food.  During the academic year, there are many farmers’ markets that take in downtown State College.  What could be better than walking downtown with some friends and finding some cheap fruits, vegetables, and locally -made baked goods?  Keep in mind, many of these markets are cash only!  Additionally, Penn State has its own student-run farm, which provides produce to many of the dining halls of campus, as well as a few businesses downtown.  Keep an eye out for events in the dining commons featuring this produce!   These are great opportunities for education: you can learn how your food was grown, when it was harvested, and event how to prepare it.

5. Eat Mindfully

One of the simplest things you can do to eat more sustainably is to practice mindful eating.  Focusing o what you’re eating allows you to reflect on where your food came from and how it is nourishing your body.  Additionally, by tuning in to your hunger signals you may learn that you don’t need as much food as you thought, and resize your meals accordingly.  by paying more attention to how we eat and thinking about the “bigger picture”, we may alter our food consumption and reduce food waste, as well as become encouraged to seek out more sustainable food sources.  These are no changes that need to be implemented all at once.  Rather, one should take their time and make small, but impactful choices  about what they are consuming.

So now that we know that sustainable eating is beneficial for so many reasons, how can you incorporate it into your diet?

Visit this link to learn more about what “sustainable eating” entails

By: Emmy Sikora