Nutrition Question of the Day: March 31

Can you believe it?! We’ve made it all the way through National Nutrition Month! All the interns at University Dining hope that you’ve had a tasty month, filled with plate of colorful and healthy food! We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading our links, comments and questions….and we really wanted to thank any of the great people that commented on our nutrition questions and gave us some feedback!

Final question of the month:  Has this Nutrition Month changed the way that you eat? Has it inspired you to color your plate with natural vitamin-filled foods? Let us know how you stay healthy and colorful!

We would love for you to let us know ANYTIME if you have found a new healthy recipe that you love or a new restaurant that you tried….we never get tired of hearing about it!

From all of us at Dining, we hope that you stay happy, healthy, and colorful for the rest the semester!

Nutrition Question of the Day- March 30

Fad Diets

A fad diet is simply a weight loss diet that becomes very popular (often quickly) and then may fall out of favor (sometimes just as quickly).  Usually the diet promises dramatic results in a very small amount of time.  Most helath care professionals advise people away from trying fad diets, because they are sometimes not safe and do not provide permanent weightloss results.  Even though they are not recommended, so many people, especially people in their 20s, try out several fad diets when trying to slim down.

Some of the existing fad diets include: the Acai Berry Diet, the Atkins Diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet, the HCG Diet, the negative calorie diet, the low fat diet, the low carb diet, the 3 day diet, the zone diet, the south beach diet, and the tapeworm diet.

Have you ever tried a fad diet to lose weight, or just because you were interested in all the hype?  Did you like this diet?  How did it work for you?  After doing this fad diet, what is your opinion about its long term results?

Nutrition Question of the Day- March 29th

One of the greatest benefits of naturally colorful foods, is the huge amount of vitamins that are contained in them.  Vitamins are essential to our diet, and promote health and contribute to our well-being.  BUT not all vitamins are created equal….different vitamins give different health benefits.  Some vitamins boost immunity, some combat signs of aging, and some are natural anti-inflammatories. 

Which vitamin, naturally found in colorful foods, is most important to you?  Why?

Nutrition question of the day- March 27

Ever heard of Meatless Monday??

Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their health and the health of the planet.  Meatless Monday is part of the Healthy Monday initiative.   Healthy Monday encourages Americans to make healthier decisions at the start of every week. Other Healthy Monday campaigns include: The Monday 2000, Quit and Stay Quit Monday, Move it Monday, Monday Mile, and others.

Meatless Monday focuses its initiative on Mondays for multiple reasons. Monday is typically the beginning of the work week, the day when individuals settle back into their weekly routine. Unhealthy habits that prevailed over the weekend can be forgotten and replaced by positive choices.  A weekly reminder to restart healthy habits also encourages success. A 2009 trial published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine provided individuals with weekly health prompts and encouragement. Approximately two thirds of participants responded with improvements in their overall health, eating habits and physical activity levels.

Why don’t YOU give Meatless Monday a try?  Tell us how you made changes to your normal diet, in order to participate in this healthy weekly initiative!

 

If you want to see recipe ideas, interesting facts, recent news, or find out more about the Movement, check out the link below! 

http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

Nutrition Question of the Day-March 25th

For some people, weekends are a great time to get outside and enjoy the weather…to be active in the outdoors, instead of at the gym or  caught up in the stress of the week.  Then there are people that are completely the opposite…who use the weekend to party, take a break from diets, and just do nothing close to exersize.  Either of these personality types may not be looking very positive this weekend…..the outdoors-y people may have some difficulties with the forcast of colder weather and rain over the next couple days…and the partyers may find it hard to get back into the schedule of things on monday if they spend the weekend eating unhealthily, not sleeping, and not making an effort to do anything productive.  

So here is you chance to tell us some creative AND beneficial (to your health) ways to spend this dreary weekend!  What are you going to do while its raining cats and dogs outside? 

*Remember, don’t let what is outside the window, get you down…be spontaneous and bring the excitement indoors…do something that you would not be able to do during the week….and if you are going to relax (which you should!) remember to make the most of it….breath, be mindful, and enjoy the moment of peace!

Nutrition Question of the Day- March 24th

Do you think that the vegetarian diet is the best way to achieve a colorful plate? If not, how do you add color to your plate, even with the food items from other food groups? (like meats, dairy, and grains)

Nutrition Question of the Day- March 23rd

Which aspect of a food do you consider first?  The nutrition label or the ingredients list?

  

Nutrition Question of the Day- March 22

What food place near NCSU have you found, that serves healthy and tasty food options?  What do you order when you go there? 

Nutrition Question of the Day- March 17th

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

For some people, the ingredients in food are more important than the nutritional value…that is, they would rather have a natural food without additives, even if it was not super healthy. Other people I have met however, focus all on the numbers, trying to balance the nutrition, even if artificial sweeteners or preservatives are present in the food item.

Which aspect of a food do you consider first…the nutrition label or the ingredient list? That is, are the ingredients or the numbers more important to you?

If you would like to start paying more attention to the ingredients on the food labels, here is a helpful article that may explain some ingredients to watch out for: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/healthy-ingredients

Nutrition Question of the Day- March 16th

Working out isn’t only good for your body, it can also be a great way to help your mental and emotional health.

In a few words, how would you describe how you feel when you stay active and eat healthy?