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As you prepare to depart for the summer months, we would like to remind you that the key to healthy dining is to build a lot of variety in your diet. The summer brings a bountiful harvest of great vegetables, fruits and lighter dining opportunities. Add a little protein, meat, fish, beans, legumes and you have a great meal. Additionally, make sure you have a lot of color on your plate and that will ensure that you have good representation from all of the food groups.
During the summer months, remember to keep your body hydrated. There is no single formula that fits everyone – you just have to know your own body’s needs for fluids and plan accordingly. You need water every day just for every day body functions, and if you exercise you may need to modify your total fluid intake depending on how active you are.
The following are some great links to healthy eating and good nutrition sources on the web.
www.eatright.org (Amersican Dietetic Association)
www.nutrition.gov
www.mypyramid.gov
www.cookinglight.com (Cooking Light Magazine)
www.vrg.org (Vegetarian Resource Group)
Kathleen Zieja, Director of Dining Services
The key to healthy dining is to include
a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole
grains, legumes, water and proteins. Skipping meals and loading up on empty calories
may put you at nutritional risk so we encourage you to get to meals. If you have
any questions, please feel free to contact us at ext. 2300.
- Begin each day with breakfast. Eat three
meals and one-three snacks every day, every two to four hours to keep from getting
too hungry.
- Include one good source of calcium, a serving
of protein, and complex carbohydrate and some healthy fat for satiety at each meal.
- Give your food the attention it deserves.
Eat slowly and have meal times be relaxing and enjoyable. Sit down at a table,
do not multi-task at your main meals, and truly taste each bite you eat. Honor
your hunger and pay attention to cues that you are beginning to feel physically
full.
- Choose at least three servings of whole
grains each day. Examples include 1/2-1 cup cooked cereal or 1 cup whole grain
dry cereal at breakfast, two slices of whole grain bread for a sandwich at lunch,
1 cup whole wheat pasta at dinner, and whole grain crackers for an evening snack.
- Snack from a plate, not the box. Take time
to put a serving of food on a plate or in a bowl. Eat that portion. If you are
still hungry for more, put another serving on the plate. Avoid handfuls out of
the box or bag.
- Include some healthy fat at each meal or
as snacks. Examples are peanut butter on toast at breakfast, salad oil (olive or
canola) in a salad dressing, or two tablespoons of your favorite nut for a snack.
- Continue or begin to eat 5+ servings of
fruits and vegetables each day. Eat more of the food group you like. Variety is
best, with as many colors as possible to get all your different nutrients.
- Eat healthy. Don’t diet. Especially
avoid crash diets. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to lose it slowly
through lifestyle changes. Rapid weight loss may feel good in the short term, but
usually the lost weight is water and that will come back quickly.
- Address emotions with activities other
than eating. Deal with stressful situations by talking them out, taking a hot shower,
going for a walk or writing about it.
- “Now I have blown it completely.” There
is no such thing as a perfect eating plan or exercise regime. All foods can fit
in moderation and it is okay to take a day or two off from exercise.
Salad Dressings: regular,
low fat, or fat free (There will always be fat free available at each meal.)
Cottage Cheese: fat-free or low-fat
(check with staff)
Yogurt: Stonyfield, an organic yogurt
with live cultures, available in low fat (banilla, strawberry, plain vanilla), fat
free (plain, vanilla) and whole milk flavors (plain, vanilla)
Pizza & Italian Dishes: made with
part skim milk mozzarella cheese
Tuna: packed in water
Luncheon Meat: Thin 'n Trim
brand (no msg, low-fat, low-sodium) at Hubbard and Morrow/Wilson
Soy Cheese for Vegans: American, cheddar,
mozzarella, and grated parmesan
Creamed Soups: made with 2% milk, not
heavy cream
Coffee: a Guatemalan blend of fair trade
coffee
Vegetables: usually steamed with no
added fat (Sustainable vegetables from local farmers are purchased whenever possible.)
Rice & Pasta: a limited amount of
oil added during cooking to prevent sticking but no fat added to the finished product
Cooking Oil: oil used for frying has
no hydrogenated or trans fatty acids
Frozen Yogurt: low-fat (Toffuti Cutie,
Sweet Nothings, and Rice Dream vegan ice cream and/or sorbet available when ice cream
is served.)
Plain Meal Entrée Items: no fat/seasonings
entrées
available as substitutes when these items appear on the menu
Non Meat Protein and a protein item
is available at every lunch and dinner.
Milk: skim milk, 2%, and chocolate (whole
milk), purchased from a local sustainable farm. For those who cannot drink milk,
Lactaid and Silk Soy Milk are available.
Michelle
LaRock, RD, Health Services (ext. 2823) is available for consultation. Students need
a referral and may be seen for weight loss, eating disorders, chronic medical conditions
or diet evaluations. Contact Kathy Zieja,
ext. 2300.
- Eat a variety of foods.
- Watch fat intake. Vegetarian diets can be high in fat
if they contain too much vegetable oil, nuts, margarine, cheese, ice cream or bakery
products.
- If you train regularly at a moderate or high intensity, eat high-protein
plant foods such as tofu, tempeh and legumes one or two2 times a day.
- Consume several
calcium and iron-rich foods each day. Two to three cups of dark green vegetables
will provide generous amounts of iron and calcium; two to three cups of cooked
dried beans can provide ample iron. One to two servings of fortified soy or rice
milks also contribute to calcium intake substantially.
- Unless you are trying to
lose weight, follow the old rule of eating when you are hungry, choosing low-fat,
high-carbohydrate foods.
Source: Vegetarian Nutrition, a dietetic practice group of The American
Dietetic Association
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