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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

Uncategorized

The Workout Junkies Guide to High Energy Meals

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8533712598_6eee2e86af_oIt’s Exercise and Medicine Week at Penn State! This week-long initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine calls on universities and colleges to promote physical activity and exercise on campus. Many of our PSU campuses are supporting the initiative this week through a series of fitness-related events on campus. To coincide with these events, we thought we’d do our part by putting together a quick guide on how to fuel your body right for your next workout.

What you consume before and after an intense workout will greatly affect your performance. If you are an athlete on a competitive team, or just make it a priority to complete high-intensity workouts weekly, it is crucial to understand what types of foods your body needs (and when it needs them) to help to maximize performance levels.

There are a few things to consider before diving into what foods to eat and when to eat them before a workout. Be conscious of how many hours you are logging and the level of intensity these workouts consist of.

Before a Workout:

It is crucial to maximize your glycogen stores 3-5 hours before a high intensity workout or competition to ensure your muscles will have enough energy to perform at their maximum potential. This means eating a meal that is primarily high in carbohydrates, but also mixed with lean protein and fruits and veggies will be the most beneficial. Here are a few examples of meals to eat a few hours before a workout:

  • A bagel with cream cheese and fruit
  • Oatmeal with fruit, milk and orange juice
  • Eggs with cheese and toast
  • Pasta with chicken and sauce
  • Salad with chicken, fruit, nuts, and dressing

Right before a Workout

You are already on the right track with having maximized your muscle energy stores with a well-balanced meal, but now you are getting closer to workout time and it is important to keep the good habits going. Around 60 minutes before a workout, it is important to eat around 50-100 grams of simple carbohydrates to maintain the muscle levels. This would be something small like:

  • An apple with a teaspoon of peanut butter
  • A medium sized orange
  • A medium banana with a teaspoon of peanut butter
  • Half a bagel with cream cheese

During a Workout

That is right, even during a workout is an important time to provide essential nutrition to the body. This is where the duration/length/etc (?) of your workout comes into play. If you workout for an hour or less, focus on drinking plenty of water and follow the tips below to eat a well-balanced post meal. If you are working out for over two hours, or at extremely high intensity, it is important to consume simple carbohydrates to replenish the muscle stores. By doing this, you will prevent your body from fatiguing at a faster rate. Using sport gels and a sports drink, such as Gatorade, are perfect examples of simple carbohydrate foods to consume during a workout or practice. Even having a small piece of fruit, like a clementine, to eat during a small break of a 2-3 hour practice or workout will provide the energy your body needs to continue at optimal rate. 

After a Workout

Now that you have completed your workout, you feel great and accomplished, but you are not finished yet. In order for all your hard work to pay off, you need to consume a meal high in both protein and carbohydrates, within 2 hours after your workout. This is crucial for building muscle for many reasons. The simplest explanation is that during a strenuous workout, your body breaks down muscles with all that force you used to workout. In order to build the muscles back up, your body needs an influx of carbohydrates. Adding protein after a workout has been proven to have the most effect in repairing muscles. This is due to the fact that protein can be utilized by other parts of the body that need repair or help functioning properly so carbohydrates can just focus on the muscles. Here are some examples of post workout meals that would be the most beneficial.

  • Chicken, rice and a vegetable
  • Rice, beans and a vegetable8716617128_f4ddc66cd0_o
  • Fish, rice, beans and a vegetable
  • Quesadilla with cheese, chicken and a vegetable
  • Eggs with toast and fruit
  • Yogurt, fruit and granola
  • Pair each meal with a glass of regular or chocolate milk (proven to be the best post workout beverage!)

Now that you have learned the importance of nutrition for working out, you can maximize all that hard work. Also, keep an eye out for any Exercise is Medicine events that may be at your campus this week!

 

Photo adapted from: httpL//www.flickr.com/phoytos/aryaziai/

Photo adapted from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/130100316@N04/