Fruits and Veggies - You Know You Need Them But...

Are you eating enough fruit and vegetable servings on average in your day?

Most college students do not eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetable daily but the good news is that a larger number of people in the U.S., including college students, are aware that they need to eat more fruit and vegetable everyday. Awareness is a great first step.

The picture at right is the Produce Patch (or fresh veggie/fruit area) of the Village Place & Market. Look at all that yummy produce!

What are you looking for when you are trying to increase your fruit and veggie intake?

• select fruits and veggies that you like - that way you'll be more inclined to actually eat them!
• but don't be afraid to try new things, of course - you never know what you might enjoy. What's my current veggie obsession? It's hearts of palm, which I honestly only eat at restaurants...but I love them nonetheless.
• choose organic when you can (lots of choices in Dining Services restaurants and Markets are organic - feel free to ask the chef or manager on duty for that info). Check out the "dirty dozen" from the EWG to know which fruits/veggies are more important to buy organic: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/ On the flip side, maybe don't stress about the Clean 15 - those would be less important to purchase organic since they tend to have the lowest pesticide residue according to the EWG.
• choose many different colors of fruits and veggies - basically the different hue coordinate with different nutrients. Choosing different colors helps you to get in a variety of nutrients.
• incorporate fruits and veggies into your meals to help you bump up your daily servings - for examples, slice a banana onto your toast and peanut butter in the morning or add steamed broccoli to that formerly boring bowl of dinnertime pasta.

And a final thought on fruits and veggies: although we learn new things everyday about nutrition, nutrients in our foods, the impact of farming practices and environmental changes on our food supply and more, NO ONE has ever said, "eat fewer fruits and veggies to be healthier" - that would just be crazy! So, it's an extremely consistent message: fresh produce and lightly cooked produce - GOOD FOR YOU.

12 Ways to Lower Your Risk of Cancer

Everyone's life has been touched in some way by cancer and it remains a frightening diagnosis for most of us. While the many causes of cancer are a focus of much scientific research, it's also great to know what you can do to lower your risk of cancer.

The following article summarizes 12 good strategies for reducing risk of cancer:
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100271971

Here are some of the foods listed in the article that lower cancer risk:

• egg yolk


• cabbage


• spinach


• blackberries


• lowfat cheese and milk


• salmon


• whole grains


• hot tea


• vitamin D rich foods

All of the foods on this list can be found in UC San Diego Dining Services locations as part of our rotating menu and in our Places & Markets (mini-grocery stores.)

New Focus for Summer and The Dirty Dozen

Since summertime is a bit different here at UC San Diego - there are fewer university students and more conference guests staying on campus - I have decided to switch the focus of this blog for the summer. Instead of a totally campus-focused blog, I will post about a more wide range of nutrition topics - current events, hot topics, questions I'm frequently asked, etc.

Here goes!

Have you heard about the recent press release regarding the "Dirty Dozen" of fruits and vegetables that contain a high level of pesticide residue? The report is published by the Environmental Working Group reveals this list of the dirty dozen for 2011:

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries (domestic)
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/collard greens

For more information and for a list of the Clean Fifteen (fruits and veggies with the lowest pesticide residues), click http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/the-new-quot-dirty-dozen-quot-list-of-produce-2496191/

The HDH Garden Is In Bloom!

Check out the Garden that was planted and is tended to by Dining's Executive Chef, Vaughn Vargus and HDH's Sustainabilty Manager, Krista Mays.

From its humble beginnings with a few small buds (first picture) to the vegetation explosion in the next pictures. Woohoo!

Dining Services will incorporate the fresh herbs, jalapenos, other peppers and produce into recipes for you! There is nothing better tasting that fresh veggies, spicy peppers, and herbs straight from the garden. Can't get more local than that!

Midterm Time: Fuel Your Brain with Fruits and Veggies

Many college students admit that they don't eat as many fruits and vegetables per day as they know that they should. Although it can be a challenge some days, eating enough fruits and vegetables is important in keeping you healthy, preventing illness and feeling your best.

Fruits and vegetables contain disease-fighting nutrients and phytochemicals as well as fiber and water for a healthy functioning digestive tract.

Try to eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal and include them in snacks as well. The picture to the right shows some of the fresh produce available at the Village Place & Market on North Campus.

You can get fresh fruits and veggies in every Place & Market and in every Dining restaurant. Try to eat a wide variety of fruits and veggies of many different colors to cover a broad range of nutrients.

Check out the produce colors at the new Village Place and Market!

The new Village Place & Market on North Campus is open!

Pictured at Right: the gorgeous colors of the fresh produce in the Village Place and Market's produce patch area.

March is National Nutrition Month and this year's theme is Eat Right With Color. The new Village Place & Market can help you fill your plate with a wide variety of colors - the whole concept is that naturally vibrant and colorful foods have different nutrients and the different colors often correspond to different nutrients.

The Village Place & Market Regular Hours:
Mon-Fri 7a-1a
Sat-Sun 9a-1a