Refueling for healthy Cardinals

October 12, 2009 —

by James Fry

Laura Bartle, an occupational therapy junior, said eating healthy on campus isn’t difficult. She likes to grab a smoothie and a sub sandwich, but has no problem picking up the occasional burger. She eats breakfast every morning, typically selecting Cheerios.

For many college students, looming deadlines, busy social lives and hectic schedules spell out temptation to cut corners when it comes to maintaining a balanced diet. Pop Tarts and microwavable dinners trump mom’s recipe for tuna noodle casserole when time and energy are factors. Such a scenario can result in the “freshman 15” hugging students’ hips all the way to graduation.

But smarter choices and knowledge of some basic nutrition tips can equate to a healthier you, says Jason Wolverton, marketing manager of Dining Services, and Tim Whalen, manger of the State St. General Nutrition Center.

Whether you satisfy your appetite at campus dining locations or in the comforts of your dorm or home, there are ways to maintain healthy eating patterns throughout a college career.

Dining on campus

Inside the walls of Real Food on Campus, better known as the RFoC, a student’s best bet for health is to head to the left, Wolverton says. Left of the RFoC entrance is where fruits, vegetables, salads and sandwiches await consumers.

“Although we don’t prepare a healthy pizza, we do make sure we provide healthy alternatives.” Wolverton said. “We can’t force anyone to eat healthy, but we can provide options.”

Those who veer to the right to the “comfort” and “grill” stations can still find healthy options such as cooked vegetables and grilled or boiled fish and meat selections, but the most consistent selection for healthy foods remains the produce section, Wolverton said.

The key to maintaining a healthy weight on either side of the all-youcan- eat cafeteria is portion control. Wolverton said the RFoC’s move toward trayless-ness and addition of employees to serve certain foods eliminates waste and aids those whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs.

Dining Services posts RFoC menus for the next three week’s meals on SVSU’s Web site, enabling students to check out what’s cooking in advance in addition to reviewing the nutritional stats for each prepared meal.

Listings for total calories, fat, sodium, sugar, protein and carbohydrates among other contents are a click away, making it possible for diners to make an educated choice from the meatloaf to the pizza.

A bonus of RFoC meats and vegetables is freshness, Wolverton said.

“Most people would be surprised at the number of things we have that are fresh. We’re constantly cutting up chicken, fruits, veggies and other foods.”

Diners can make comfort foods a little healthier with a few key choices. Just like in fast food restaurants, grilled and broiled foods top fried foods for health. Going easy on the condiments and dressings, passing on cheese and skipping on the stir-fry sauce put points in the health column as well.

Avoiding sodas and juices that allow hundreds of extra calories to sneak their way in is another important choice. A healthier yet flavorful alternative is the new hydration station that chills water enhanced by the essence of fresh fruit.

Elsewhere, in Science East, promotions such as the Healthy U diet points at Albert E’s help steer consumers in a healthy direction. The points, similar to the Weight Watchers system, mark to-go items such as burgers and chicken sandwiches.

The C-Store, a convenience location housing the essentials for dorm dwellers, presents more of a challenge for healthy shoppers, as items stocked are mostly those with a longer shelf life. Longer shelf lives equal more preservative-packed goods. Salads and fresh fruits are available, but with a bigger price tag. More expensive produce is a result of the cost to ship and stock items that don’t last as long, Wolverton said.

“Anywhere you go, whether it’s the grocery store or a dining services location, you’ll probably have to pay more for healthier foods,” he explained.

All across campus, “The choices are there,” Wolverton said. “It’s up to the students to make those choices.”

Dining off campus

A GNC manager with a master’s degree in fitness from the U.S. Army, Tim Whalen can easily identify some of the diet pitfalls students encounter.

Eating where one studies is no-no No. 1. Cramming food and knowledge simultaneously can cause a student to crave snacks at the crack of a book out of habit, which can lead to overeating.

Relying on processed pre-packaged foods and restaurant meals can be another diet destroyer, Whalen said. If microwave meals are unavoidable, he recommends choosing those that are high in protein and fiber and low in saturated fat and sodium.

Eating habit-wise, Whalen says snacks after dark won’t necessarily send anyone’s diet into a downward spiral.

“Realistically you eat when you need fuel,” he said. “If you are going to be up late studying until 12 o’clock, eating after 6 o’clock is not a bad thing. Usually about three hours before you’re going to bed is the time to stop.”

When studying is swapped with more recreational activities after dark, alcohol can often precede overeating. The beer and pizza combo is a surefire way to pack on extra calories.

A little alcohol in moderation can have health benefits, Whalen said.

“It’s kind of like the sun,” he said, referencing the celestial being’s vitamin D and mood enhancing effects. “It’s healthy until you get too much.”

Light beers shouldn’t fool the health conscious, Whalen added. Most of the calories come from the alcohol content, not the carbohydrates, he explained.

“If you’re going to drink, you might as well enjoy the flavor.”

Mixed drinks are another trap. Tasty concoctions that incorporate juice or soda can send calories skyrocketing.

“The sugar content in juice is the real kicker,” Whalen said.

“There’s no way you can say drinking is healthy,” he added. “No college student is going to have a 12- ounce glass of wine or beer with dinner and leave it at that.”

Whether one parties or not, Whalen recommended two essential supplements to any diet: fish oil and a multivitamin. Fish oil supplements, he said, provide consumers with the healthiest of all fats and have proven health benefits, including an antiinflammatory component that protects from potential illnesses. All other supplements are an extra, he says.

Whalen’s best advice for RFoC etiquette is to stock up on salad, eat slowly, and lean toward fruits and vegetables. Just as Wolverton recommends, Whalen advocates going light on the condiments and dressings and skipping on soda and juice.

“Damage to the body is cumulative. So, long term, you still pay for the choices you make,” Whalen cautioned. “Make the best choices can you in the environment you’re in.”