Category Archives: Weekly Health Tips

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, National Nutrition Month ®, Tips, Uncategorized, Weekly Health Tips

So, what did your plate look like today?

Choose MyPlate with campus dining!

Do you want to improve your health through the meals you eat on campus?

Do you feel like you have trouble making your plate healthy at meals?

Then, stay tuned for these tips to get you on the right track and find out how easy the USDA’s MyPlate guidelines are to follow, after all.

 

So, what’s MyPlate?  MyPlate’s mission through the USDA is to improve the nutrition and well-being of Americans through two primary objectives: advance and promote dietary guidance for all Americans and to conduct applied research and analyses in nutrition and consumer economics.  The first picture below is the direct result of years of continued research on the best way to promote dietary guidelines to Americans!  However, they didn’t always make it this easy.

Before 2011, and the days of MyPlate, the Food Guide Pyramid was the visual used by the USDA to show the five food groups and recommended amounts for each.  The second visual above is what your parents were most likely taught back in the day when they were in school!  Don’t you think the new MyPlate is easier to follow?

MyPlate, which continues to focus on the on the five food groups like the Food Guide Pyramid once did, serves as a colorful visual to encourage personalization of food choices and recommended portion sizes.  With this layout it’s suggested that your start by filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables, then fill about a quarter of your plate with protein (preferably lean protein), and then fill the last quarter of your plate with grains. You can complement your plate with a serving of dairy or high-calcium milk alternative like yogurt, milk, or fortified almond or soy milk. Examples of fruits include apples, bananas, grapes, and oranges. Vegetables include peppers, spinach, broccoli and squash.  Lean proteins include plant-based proteins such as beans, lentils and quinoa and non-plant-based proteins such as fish and chicken. Some healthy grains include whole wheat toast, white, brown and wild rice, and multigrain breads.

 

General MyPlate guidelines for each of the food groups include:

  • making half the grains you eat whole grains
  • varying your fruits and vegetables or eat all the colors of the rainbow
  • choose primarily low-fat and fat-free dairy items
  • keep your meat proteins portion sizes under control (around 3-4 ounces but this depends on the type of meat and your individual needs)
  • avoid overeating foods that are high in solid fats or added sugars

How can we apply these “rules” to dining on campus?

Compare the MyPlate guidelines above to the picture below.  This meal below was prepared at one of our All You Care To Eat locations on campus.  As you can see, more than half of the plate is filled with grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew, butternut squash and mixed veggies.  The grain component of the plate includes a quinoa falafel and the protein portion of the plate includes Penn State’s famous cider brined smoked turkey.  All with a side of our Creamery’s low-fat milk as a serving of dairy.

Although there’s a large amount of options each day, it’s not always easy to make the best choices and come up with a plate that looks like the one above.  On some days the pizza may sound better to you than the veggies.  Or, the chicken tenders might be calling your name louder than the turkey.  But remember, there’s always small changes you can make to improve your eating habits. You can opt for the whole wheat pasta instead of the original penne pasta, or maybe get a piece of hand fruit when leaving the dining commons instead of the ice cream cone to-go every day. Some things to keep in mind in the deli areas of commons are to choose whole wheat or multi-grain breads/wraps instead or white breads/wraps. If you don’t like the vegetable choices being served at the buffet, then you can choose to make yourself a side salad at the salad bar which also offers a variety of fruit options.

Dietitian Tips: If there’s multiple menu items that are tasty enough to eat five servings of, always remember that it won’t be the last time you’ll see them on the menu.  The cycle menu allows for these items to pop up at least every 3 weeks!  Yes, you’ll see that butternut squash mash every few weeks!  No need to eat a whole plate of it this time.  Can’t pick between items one day?  Ask for smaller servings of each or serve yourself a smaller amount so you are not overeating.

 

As for dessert, it’s okay to enjoy it occasionally.  Yes, you read that right.  It’s okay to have the famous Death By Chocolate on certain occasions as a treat.  Always remember, everyone’s body is different, and has different requirements, so try to find the plan that helps you feel the best!

 

For more information check out the nutrition tab on the Penn State food services website at foodservices.psu.edu and follow us on Instagram @psudining_dietitians.  Better yet, get to know your Green Hats in each of the commons.  They’re students just like you who can help with healthier options.  Or, reach out to the Registered Dietitian’s office for tips/suggestions.

 

Want more information on these recommendations without having to talk to anyone?  Your first stop should be to visit the ChooseMyPlate.gov website.  Now, here’s an excellent resource for finding tips, pictures, and other printable or downloadable materials for meal planning, budgeting, and adjusting your food choices!

 

Stay tuned for the Registered Dietitian’s Office collaboration with Healthworks during National Nutrition Month.  On March 30th, you’ll see tables set up in each of the dining commons for a “Build Your Plate” theme!

 

By: Hannah Fitzgerald

General Nutrition Info, RHEAL food, Uncategorized, Weekly Health Tips

Fuel up for THON 2018!

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With THON quickly approaching, a common questions is “how can I properly prepare for 46 hours of dancing with no sitting and no sleeping? Whether you’re a seasoned THON veteran or new to the whole experience, nobody wants an energy crash mid-THON. This blog post will give you some tips and tricks on healthy eating so that you can Fuel up for THON!

Let’s start out with the basics: your body draws energy from macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, and protein); however, not all fuels are created equally. The body can utilize some macronutrients more efficiently than others. When you eat a carbohydrate, it is broken down into glucose, which is an efficient source of energy for your body. The glucose that your body does not need at the current moment is stored as glycogen. Glycogen is the body’s most easily accessible form of energy during periods of long physical exertion. Once the body runs out of glycogen, it will switch to fats for energy. Fats are not as efficient of a fuel source as glycogen, and the body will take longer to break down fat for energy than it would glycogen. This leads to what is known as a “crash” or “hitting the wall”. If your body is using protein for energy that means you have run your body so low on energy that the body is utilizing your muscle for fuel, which is not good!

So how do we prevent the “crash” from happening? It’s a lot easier than you might think. Eat a well-balanced diet! The goal is to consume a healthy mix of carbohydrates, protein and fat during meals and snacks, which you can do by following your MyPlate basics.  Starting with carbohydrates, there are two types: simple and complex. To help you understand the difference, think of your body as a car. Complex carbs are like premium fuel and simple carbs are the cheap fuel. While it may be tempting to put the cheap fuel into your car, it’s not good for your engine. It’s the same thing with simple carbohydrates. Examples of these would be cookies, refined grains, candy, and chips. While these may be cheaper financially and might give you a short-term boost in energy, overall they aren’t good for you and can cause your body to run less efficiently, which can lead to an energy crash. Complex carbs (the premium gas), are foods such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are packed with nutrients and fiber that will give your body a longer lasting energy supply. See the graphic below for some examples of complex carbohydrates.

While it’s important to consume healthy carbohydrates, it is also important to get enough protein THON weekend. The recommendation is 0.8g of protein per kg of your body weight. Don’t worry, this equation is not as complicated as it looks. Take your body weight and divide it by 2.2 to get your body weight in kg (or use an online calculator), then multiply this number by 0.8! While the number might look high, getting enough protein is easier than you might think. Instead of immediately running for a protein bar to meet your needs, try to get your protein through foods like poultry, beef, beans, and nuts! All of these options are available in the dining commons. If you do decide to go the protein bar route, be mindful of added sugars. If you decide to go with foods such as beef jerky that are high in sodium, make sure to up your water intake to avoid dehydration!

You might be thinking that it doesn’t matter if you crash because you can just drink some coffee and get the energy you need. This is a common misconception. Your body can only create energy from macronutrients as stated above. Caffeine is not a macronutrient and cannot be used to create energy. It will give your body a temporary illusion of energy followed by, you guessed it, a crash.

Everyone’s diet may look slightly different. The focus of your diet during THON should be an overall healthy diet. Avoid high sugar foods that might tempt you into believing you’ll have more energy after eating them (Dippin’ Dots, candy. Soft drinks). Aim to choose the healthier options available at the BJC, look for hand fruit, salads, and grilled chicken sandwiches. Your body will thank you!

When you’re not at the BJC, make sure to stop by your local Dining Commons. The Dining Commons offer tons of great options to incorporate into your diet. Visit menu.hfs.psu.edu to browse the menus of all five dining commons the week of THON and pick which options fit your needs. This online menu also makes it possible to filter out potential allergens, gluten, or find meatless/vegan options. Stop by and Fuel up for THON!

General Nutrition Info, RHEAL food, Vegetarian/Vegan, Weekly Health Tips

Donating Blood? Be sure to Pump that Iron!

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Thinking about donating blood? Here’s what you need to know about this essential nutrient, iron!

What does Iron do?

Iron is a mineral that binds with oxygen to transport it to organs, tissues and any kind of cell in the body via your Red Blood Cells (RBCs). Our body uses oxygen for many processes, one of the most important of these being the production of energy. Not having enough iron in your body can alter the way your bone marrow produces Red Blood cells. That can make these cells start getting weird shapes, shrink, or even stop producing as many!

Your body needs a minimum intake of Iron to function properly. The following table shows exactly how much, depending on your age and sex:

Age Male Female Pregnancy Lactation
4–8 years 10 mg 10 mg
9–13 years 8 mg 8 mg
14–18 years 11 mg 15 mg 27 mg 10 mg
19–50 years 8 mg 18 mg 27 mg 9 mg
51+ years 8 mg 8 mg

Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board

Dietary Iron comes in two forms, heme and non-heme. In very simple terms, heme iron comes from animals and non-heme iron comes from plants. They are different from each other only in bioavailability, which is just how much iron is available to be absorbed by the body in each source. This is great news for vegetarians because it means that they can still get their iron intake with non-animal sources.

Some great sources of iron are seafood, beef, chicken, fortified cereal, beans, tofu, chickpeas, spinach, tomatoes and many more! All of these options are available in each of our five dining commons.

People that have a mixed diet absorb iron so much better! This is because other vitamins actually enhance the bioavailability of iron, especially Vitamin C. One of the reasons dietitians always recommend a diet full of variety and color!

The flip side to that is that people that have a diet high in calcium actually inhibit iron absorption. Calcium is found in dairy products such as milk, yogurt and eggs. Other foods that inhibit iron absorption are oxalates (like the ones found in tea) and polyphenols (found in coffee). The key is to have these foods in moderation and always try to includes lots of colorful foods in your diet!

A healthy level of iron is essential if you are trying to donate blood. By donating blood, you will be helping to save the lives of thousands who are in the hospital recovering from surgeries and other trauma that causes blood loss. Blood that is donated can also be used in disaster relief, such as those affected by the recent natural disasters in Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Blood donation is an important part of our nation’s hospital structure, as it allows us to maintain a consistent and full supply of blood for whenever it is needed. Having too little iron in your body is a common reason people are unable to donate. If you’re looking to bring up your iron intake, check out these foods that are all good sources of iron. The best part is, all of these foods can be found in the dining commons!

 

Works Cited

Petre, Alina. “21 Vegetarian Foods That Are Loaded With Iron.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 4 May 2017, www.healthline.com/nutrition/iron-rich-plant-foods.

Mann, Felicity. “Iron.” Why We Need It, How It Affects Our Body and Natural Sources, Alfred Vogel , 7 Sept. 2015, www.avogel.co.uk/food/vitamins-and-minerals/iron/

“Iron-Rich Foods.” American Red Cross, Red Cross, www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/health-and-wellness/iron-rich-foods.html.

“Office of Dietary Supplements – Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Iron.” NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 11 Feb. 2016, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/.