Five tips to eat healthy with Sodexo

Story by Emily Sadecki

Photo by Luke Nankivell

Sometimes Hubbell Dining Hall and Quad Creek Cafe, with their enticing ice cream and buffalo chicken wraps, can leave us with some tricky decisions to make. Jana Peterson and Johanna Determann are the wellness specialists on campus and have been kind enough to shed some light on some simple ways to eat and live healthier.

Tip #1: Don’t Overeat

With all the options Hubbell provides, it can be easy to go up for seconds and thirds and fourths.

“Everything is an okay food as long as it is in moderation,” Peterson said.

She stressed that it is important to making eating deliberate instead of mindless, by taking time during breaks to eat. This eliminates a lot of the empty calories that may be consumed eating on the go or snacking while studying.

Tip #2: Eat Your Fruits and Veggies

If Determann could stress one thing to students, it would be to eat an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables.

“Make sure to have one serving of fruit at every meal and one serving of vegetables with lunch and dinner. If you do this, you’ll get close to the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day,” Determann said.

Why fruits and vegetables?

“Fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, which makes one feel more satisfied at the end of a meal,” Determann said, “They also contain essential vitamins and minerals that help keep your immunity boosted.”

Determann also explained how eating fruit and vegetables does not have to be boring.

“When you have wraps or sandwiches, make sure you add vegetables,” Determann said. “When you make a salad, add fruit to it. When you are having pizza, pick the pizza that has vegetables, every little bit adds up!”

Tip #3: Substitute

A few simple substitutions at mealtime can make all the difference. Both Determann and Peterson suggest trading foods with higher calorie and fat content for lower calorie options, rich in the vitamins and minerals that will keep you going. A few examples include fruit instead of desserts, pretzels or vegetables instead of chips, oil and vinegar instead of creamy dressings and whole grains instead of refined grains.

Tip #4: Make Dessert a Sometimes Food

When ice cream and cookies are so accessible it can be easy to grab something sweet at the end of every meal.

“Dessert (is) a sometimes food versus something you have every day,” Determann said.

Resist the temptation! If you really need something sweet choose something like fruit or yogurt that has nutritional value as well.

Tip #5: Balance 

Whether it be when you sit down at Quad or Hubbell or are enjoying a snack on the go, it is important to make sure you are getting a balance of food. Giving your body the appropriate amount of protein, fruits and vegetables, carbs and dairy products is incredibly important.

Along with healthy eating, they stress the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle overall.

“Wellness is all about balancing the various elements in one’s life and finding a way to be healthy not just physically but also socially, emotionally and intellectually,” Determann said, “When you find time to make healthy choices, you will notice that multiple dimensions of your well-being are nourished.”