Produce a-plenty

Produce Patch at the Village Market

Students often ask me, "where is the healthy food on campus?"  There are many spots to get healthy foods, including every Place & Market:

• Roger's (Revelle College)
• John's (Muir College)
• Goody's (Marshall College)
• the Village (ERC/Village Community)
• Earl's (Warren College)
• 6th (Sixth College)

Pictured at right is the Produce Patch at the Village Place & Market, which is full of healthy veggies and fruits. There are many local and organic choices in the produce selections at the markets.  Portions (or "pack sizes") are also usually on the smaller side since most of you are cooking for between 1-4 people and we want you to have the freshest stuff possible. 

When trying to make a healthy meal, a good rule of thumb is to fill up at least half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. Ever heard of the Plate Method? (Oh yeah, that's me trying to stay focused on the Plate Method while fighter jets fly overhead...has that ever happened to you when taking a midterm? Those jets fly over campus all the time!)

Ok, back on track... Most of us need more fruits and veggies everyday than we actually consume. There is a huge variety of fruits and veggies out there - try them all and you will never get bored! Have you ever tried star fruit before? I LOVE the way it looks and it's great for those Oscar-themed parties (ok, so I'm a few days late on that suggestion...remember it for next year?) Check out star fruit here. 

My current veggie obsessions are spinach and artichokes.  What are your favorite vegetables or fruits? 

Potatoes, Po-tot-toes?

Many people mistakenly believe that potatoes are not good for you.  Potatoes got of plenty negative press in the low-carb diet craze and some of that bad press has stuck around. It's true that potatoes are rich in carbohydrates and can have a high glycemic index. However, most of us need plenty of healthy carbohydrates and the glycemic index of potatoes can be muted by eating the fibrous skin and eating other foods along with the potatoes, which most of us would do anyway...not sure I'd ever eat a meal of just potatoes. I never say never...and I do love me some french fries, but now I'm off on a tangent.

Potatoes also contain vitamin C and potassium.  The potatoes pictured above are in the Village Place & Market in the Village community on north campus.  Check out this easy and delicious recipe for Crispy Potatoes with Spicy Tomato Sauce - you could whip that up in your apartment or shared kitchen on campus. 

Potatoes are a regular feature in the residential restaurants in Dining Services as well. You'll find roasted potatoes as sides, potatoes in soups and of course there is the Russet Path at Roots. The Russet Path is a baked potato with vegan "cheese" sauce, topped with raw vegetables and faux "parmesan."

You say potatoes, I say po-tot-toes, and I eat them too!

Real Deal Dates in March

I'm bringing back my program, "the Real Deal on Nutrition" to Dining Services' locations in March.  Come by these locations during lunchtime to ask me nutrition questions, taste the LiveWell meal and to just say hello!

I'll be serving up the LiveWell selection at:

• Roots on 3/7/12 
• Plaza Cafe on 3/14/12  
• Pines on 3/21/12

You don't have to wait until then to ask me nutrition questions, though. Feel free to email me at rmcdivitt@ucsd.edu and I'll be happy to help you out or schedule an appointment with you to meet in my office.

Have a great weekend!

Roots Restaurant on Muir - Vegan Deliciousness

I had lunch at Roots Restaurant on Muir College - the picture above is my lunch, the Grant Grove, a mixed legume salad with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, carrots, bermuda onions and tofu "feta" on a bed of organic spinach. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

Roots is an all-vegan restaurant that Dining opened this quarter - the vision is to provide tasty, healthy, vegan dishes to all who are interested.  You certainly don't have to be vegan to eat a vegan meal...and the Grant Grove satisfied my large appetite for lunch!

My colleague had the butternut squash soup - I tasted this soup as well. If you're a fan of butternut squash like I am, you'll love it.  I like having scallions added onto soups and chilis as well but those are optional if they're not your preference.

Check out Roots restaurant.  It's my new favorite spot to eat on campus. 

Chocolate Changes for Responsible Snacking

Mars, the company that sells Snickers, Twix, M&Ms among other major brands, announced that it will limit candy bars to 250 calories each.  It plans top hase out king-sized candy bars by 2014.

Mars also announced these health-related changes:

• 25% reduction of sodium in their products
• a cease in buying advertising time/space when/where >25% of the audience is 12 years or younger

You might say, "so what?"  Well, to me, this type of change is a good faith effort to help improve our American food culture.  We seem to all understand that our current culture makes it hard to maintain a healthy weight - but we don't all agree on or know of ways to help improve that culture. I think this major food manufacturer is taking some good steps. Really, people, no one should eat a 540-calorie king-sized Snickers bar...and pretty soon, no one will.

Here is the brief article where I learned about Mars' planned changes.

Here are even more quick, healthy, "responsible snacks":

• fresh fruit
• handful of nuts
• handful of trail mix (nuts, seeds, dried fruit)
• baby carrots
• a yogurt
• slice of whole grain bread with peanut butter or other nut butter
• a glass of milk
• a cheese stick
• ants on a log (celery sticks with either peanut butter or cream cheese on them, with raisins squooshed in). It might sound funky but it's good! And it was the first snack that I ever made for myself - probably around age 4. (I've always been an eater!)

Happy snacking!

Nutrition Counseling Available for All Residential Students

I like cartoon pictures of me - they hide the bags under my eyes!
Photo Courtesy of HDH Graphics Guru Dave DeCaro

Are you a UC San Diego resident with nutrition questions?  If so, you have a registered dietitian on campus to help you find the answers.  ------------------------------>

Students often seek my guidance for the following:

• food allergies and intolerances
• weight reduction
• vegetarianism/veganism
• healthy eating on campus
• wellness/fitness

Call or email me and I'd be happy to answer your nutrition questions.  Or, if you see me on campus, feel free to ask me your question on the spot!

Valentine's Day - How Sweet It Is

Ok, Valentine's day gives me mixed emotions. On one hand, I think it's a nifty marketing ploy to get us all to buy a bunch of stuff that's useless/tacky/overpriced. On the other hand, I think it's nice to be reminded to cherish your partner and shower him/her with affection and gifts...and I loooooove chocolate.

Chocolate can fit into a healthy lifestyle, especially dark chocolate, in small amounts: Maybe it can even lower blood pressure.

Look for some dark chocolate (and milk chocolate) treats in Dining Services today. 

Happy Valentine's Day!