Happy Halloween - Are You Being Tricked by Your Treat?

Here are some Halloween candies by the numbers (all approximate):

HIGH calorie:

• snack sized Twizzlers: 130 calories


• snack sized Reese's PB cup: 110 calories


• snack sized Butterfinger: 100 calories


• fun sized M&Ms: 100 calories


• snack sized Milky Way: 90 calories

LOWER calorie:

• mini Tootsie Roll: 13 calories


• Reese's mini-cup: 35 calories


• treat sized box of Milk Duds: 40 calories


• mini box of Raisins: 40 calories and good for you!


• treat size box of Sweet Tarts: 50 calories

So, Halloween candies have some ranges on calories. There is certainly room to include your favorite candies during this time of year - watch your portions and enjoy! (Also brush your teeth after eating all that stuff - keep your teeth healthy, too!)

Other tips for staying healthy on Halloween?

Well, let's get to the Real Deal: during the college years in particular, Halloween tends to be more about partying than eating candy. So stay safe this year. Check out these tips for safety and information on alcohol and drugs from Student Health Services: http://studenthealth.ucsd.edu/atodeducation.shtml

Be safe, be smart, and Happy Halloween!

Whole Grains Month Coming to an End

So, students...what did you think about October's Whole Grains Month? Did you enjoy the daily Whole Grains Features in Dining? (popcorn, quinoa, whole grain waffles, etc.?)

Did you find yourself choosing more Whole Grains? As October comes to an end, you're probably more concerned with your Halloween costume than with your intake of whole grains but I encourage you to continue to include whole grains in your regular intake beyond this month.

Some easy ways to incorporate whole grains into your daily food choices:

• choose whole grain pasta -it's as easy to cook as refined white pasta!
• select whole grain breads when you're having a sandwich, making toast or even whipping up french toast
• try some of the funkier whole grains to see what you think - for example, quinoa, which appears regularly in Dining Services' menus
• snack on healthy popcorn instead of chips or pretzels
• make oatmeal a regular breakfast choice
• when asked, "white or brown rice?" - say "brown"

For other ideas, click on http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/easy-ways-to-enjoy-whole-grains

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Wednesdays - Whole Grain Bread Day

Dining Services offers a variety of whole grain breads in our Places & Markets and you can also find whole grain breads at the deli areas. Why not make Wednesdays your whole grain bread day too?

How do you know if a bread is a whole grain?

• Look for this stamp on the package:

(Image Courtesy Oldways and the Whole Grains Council, wholegrainscouncil.org)

• Or read the ingredients: if the first ingredients says, "whole grain" or "whole wheat," that's a whole grain bread.
• Look on the front of the package - sometimes the product will claim, "100% Whole Grain Bread" - you can still double-check the ingredients but unless the manufacturer is unscrupulous, a bold claim like that should be good
• check out a long list of whole grain bread products from the Whole Grains Council: http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/find-whole-grains/breads

What else makes a healthy sandwich besides the bread?

• add veggies! Some of my faves found in Dining Services - pepperocinis, spinach leaves, tomatoes
• lean, lower-sodium deli meat (examples: turkey, ham as opposed to bologna)
• watch the portion, especially of meat and cheese. Keep the total meat/cheese to 3oz or less.
• consider hummus or guacamole as a healthy spread - more nutritious than mayo and more tasty too...if you ask me!

Happy Whole Grain Bread Wednesday.

Cooking Demo Tonight at the Zone with Chef Vaughn

What? Cooking Demonstration featuring Whole Grains

Who? Dining Services' Executive Chef, Vaughn Vargus, CEC, CCA

Where? The Zone at the Price Center (next to Jamba Juice)

When? Tuesday, October 25, 2011 from 5-6pm

Who's Invited? Everyone, especially UC San Diego students!

Why? Great cooking advice and free samples!

Come celebrate UC Food Week with Chef Vaughn. He'll make you laugh, answer your culinary questions and give you some free food. Can't beat that!

Whole Grains Challenge

It occurred to me that I've been yapping for weeks about the Whole Grains Challenge that Dining Services is participating in all month and that some of you might have no idea what it's all about.

If you're interested in learning more about the Whole Grains Challenge, check out: http://wholegrainscouncil.org/newsroom/whole-grains-council-kicks-off-5th-annual-whole-grains-challenge

UC San Diego Dining Services hopes that you've been enjoying the increased whole grain choices during October and the increased visibility of these options. Dining is committed to healthy choices of all kinds all year 'round and we love the opportunity to focus in on certain topics. It's especially fun when there is a contest involved!

There is only 1 week of October left but it's not too late for you to take on the Whole Grains Challenge for yourself! Get to it - get to the Whole Grains!

Corn - Friday's Featured Whole Grain, October's Featured Whole Grain

Corn is Dining's Friday featured whole grain and October is Whole Grains Month. Dining Services continues in the month-long Whole Grains Challenge, which involves serving at least one whole grain dish per day in all five residential dining restaurants (Plaza Cafe, Pines, OVT, Cafe V and Canyon Vista). Fridays are Corn Day!

The Whole Grains Council (http://wholegrainscouncil.org/ ) chose corn as the featured whole grain of October: http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/corn-october-grain-of-the-month .

You might wonder, why corn? Well, it's true that corn has gotten a bit of a bad rep as of late in the U.S. due to hotly debated topics such as high-fructose corn syrup and the nature of the U.S. food system. But...those are topics for another day. Actual corn can definitely be part of a healthy diet!

You might also wonder whether corn is a grain at all - or is it a vegetable? Well, who cares really? But basically fresh corn is considered a starchy vegetable (is that confusing enough for you?) and dried corn is considered a grain. But here's the Real Deal, the Whole Grains Council chose corn as its featured Whole Grain during Whole Grain Month so I'm going with that!

What else is cool about corn?

• it's high in vitamin A
• it's gluten-free
• popcorn kernels can pop up to 3 feet in the air
• most of the world refers to corn as maize and I don't know if it's an American thing like we measure our weight in pounds unlike anywhere else. On another side note, if you're a fan of Modern Family, you will remember Cam posing as a Native American to get his daughter into a prestigious pre-school and referring to corn as "maize" - it's a great scene.

Happy Corn Day - is that corny? Oh gosh...

Calcium - you need it, are you getting it?

Calcium is a nutrient that many college-age students, especially college women, do not consume in adequate amounts. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and serves many functions. Our serum calcium is very tightly regulated but the majority of our body's calcium in stored in our bones and teeth where it maintains their structure and function.

How much calcium do you need?

• Adults aged 19-50 need 1,000mg calcium daily
• young first year students (ages 14-18) need 1,300mg daily

A large number of college students do not meet these daily calcium requirements from food. The picture to the right is of two of my favorite ways to get calcium from food - Greek yogurt, and a decaf, nonfat latte. Yum! I got both of those from Roger's Place & Market on Revelle College.

If you find that you cannot meet your daily calcium needs with food, a calcium supplement makes sense to help you get to the 1,000mg daily requirement. How do you know how much calcium you're getting from food? Check this out http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium#h3

Protect those bones, get that calcium!

Whole Grains Challenge Month

Dining Services is participating in the Whole Grains Challenge this month -- are you?

Dining is offering daily whole grain foods:

• Sundays - whole wheat pancakes


• Mondays - popcorn


• Tuesdays - whole wheat pastas


• Wednesdays - whole grain bread


• Thursdays - assorted whole grains (quinoa, wild rice, brown rice)


• Fridays - assorted corn choices


• Saturdays - oatmeal

In addition, the Places & Markets are featuring their daily whole grain choices as well. Look for whole grain displays and/or ask a manager for help finding the whole grain choices.

Why whole grains, you ask? Whole grains, like fruits and veggies, contain tiny but mighty antioxidants and phytochemicals. These antioxidants and phytochemicals fight disease. So many times we focus on what we shouldn't eat...it's far more effective and enjoyable to focus on what we should be eating. Whole grains? You should be eating them! For more info, check out the Whole Grains Council at http://wholegrainscouncil.org/

The WHOLE GRAINS CHALLENGE - are you in!?

Oatmeal, Whole Grain Goodness

Diets rich in whole grains and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
(This health claim is approved by the FDA.)

Here's the deal: whole grains are good for you. Here's the other deal: you're in college, which means you have a busy, variable schedule and probably live on a tight budget.

So, how can you get some affordable, quick whole grains?

Oatmeal! Dining Services offers steel cut oatmeal every day. Every Saturday of this month, we'll be offering even more mix-ins to help you enjoy your delicious whole grain, college-friendly oatmeal. Not everyone loooooooves oatmeal but give it a try. It looks a little weird but it's tasty and good for you.

Whole Grains Features in Dining All October

As part of Dining's Whole Grains Challenge, we will be serving fun, whole grain features everyday in October.








Here is what you can look forward to:

• Sundays: whole wheat pancakes


• Mondays: popcorn (yup, it's whole grain!)


• Tuesdays: whole wheat pastas


• Wednesdays: whole grain breads


• Thursdays: assorted whole grains such as quinoa, wild rice, brown rice


• Fridays: corn day - corn on cob, corn salad, corn salsa, corn chowder


• Saturdays: steel cut oatmeal with fun mix-ins (dried fruits, syrups, brown sugar)

Whole Grains Month - UC Eats Real

October is Whole Grains Month. In honor of whole grain goodness, Dining Services will be featuring daily whole grain choices in Residential Dining and in our Places & Markets. Look for the UC Eats Real logo above in Dining Services.

You can also find Whole Grain stamps (also pictured above) on packaged goods that contain whole grains.

Today's feature in Dining Services? POPCORN! Yes, popcorn is a whole grain and a really fun one if I may say so. Dining will be offering popcorn in two really yummy ways today: cracker-jack style and white cheddar cheese popcorn. Ok, ok, so plain popcorn is the healthier way to eat it but we're trying to have some fun with our whole grains.

Eat whole grains, eat well!

October: Whole Grains Month in Dining Services

Happy October!

For the month of October, Dining Services will be featuring WHOLE GRAIN foods everyday. We are participating in the Whole Grains Challenge http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/get-involved/whole-grains-challenge and want to spark interest among the study body in incorporating more daily whole grain foods.

So, join Dining Services in eating more whole grains this month and from now on! Look for the whole grains feature everyday this month in your favorite Dining restaurant and Place & Market.