Tag Archives: superfood

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

Green Mean Vitamin Machine

What is small, green, and powerful? SPINACH!! This leafy green is a superfood that will never go out of style and will keep bringing you the nutrients you need.

You may be wondering what makes this little leaf so important to your diet, and here are some reasons: Spinach Blog
Eye Sight: One cup of spinach provides you with large amounts of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which are linked to eye health.
Bone Health: Spinach contains over 100% of your recommend daily needs for Vitamin K in just one cup! Vitamin K is essential for bone growth and health.  
Skin and Hair: The Vitamin A in spinach is necessary for the growth of tissues including your skin and hair. Spinach is also a good source of Vitamin C which is used to build and maintain collagen. Collagen give skin and hair its structure.
Overall Wellness: Spinach contains many other nutrients that are essential for your body to function properly including iron, folate, potassium, and magnesium.

Eating spinach is a great way to increase your iron intake. Iron is essential for the production of blood in the body. It is found most abundantly in red blood cells and transfers oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. The remaining portion of iron is found in different proteins necessary for metabolism, enzymes used during the synthesis of neurotransmitters and collagen, and the immune system. Despite its natural abundance in food, many people do not consume enough iron in their daily diet. Spinach is rich in non-heme iron which is not as readily absorbed by the body as heme iron. However, pairing spinach with a food high in Vitamin C enhances iron absorption.

Spinach also contains significant amounts of folate, potassium and magnesium. Folate is an essential nutrient that has many functions in the body, which include helping the body produce energy from carbohydrates and working with Vitamin B12 to make red blood cells and ensure iron is functioning properly. Folate also plays a huge role in helping the brain to function properly and has also been studied for it’s role in emotional and mental health. Potassium is an electrolyte that works to help maintain healthy blood pressure and keeps muscles functioning properly. Magnesium is essential element for many pathways in the body. Some of these pathways include the synthesis of DNA, metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, and bone formation.

Where to Find It?
You can find spinach in its various forms in many Penn State recipes, including Quinoa with Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Walnuts and Pennsylvania Vegetable Soup. You can also normally find fresh spinach at the salad bar and use it to create delicious salads or even mix in with pasta and rice dishes. Adding spinach to omelets or sandwiches can be an easy way to sneak more vegetables into your diet. All of these tricks can also be used to spice up meals made at home.

 

Resources:

Bruso, Jessica. “Nutritional Value of Fresh Vs. Cooked Spinach.” LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 June 2015. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/497467-nutritional-value-of-fresh-vs-cooked-spinach/>.

“Hemoglobin and Functions of Iron.” UCSF Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. <http://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/hemoglobin_and_functions_of_iron/>.

Lewis, Alex. “Spinach: The Facts About Its Super Powers.” Spinach: The Facts About Its Super Powers. N.p., 27 Feb. 2015. Web. 30 June 2015. <http://www.nutrition411.com/articles/spinach-facts-about-its-super-powers>.

“Micronutrient Information Center.” Magnesium. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. <http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium#function>.

“Potassium.” University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. <https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/potassium>.

“Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid).” University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. <https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/vitamin-b9-folic-acid>.

Ware, Megan, RDN LD. “Spinach: Health Benefits, Uses, Precautions.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 30 June 2015. Web. 30 June 2015. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270609.php>.

Photo adapted from mazaletel