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Nutrition Facts

Breakfast: Why is it the Most Important Meal?

Eating a healthy breakfast in the morning gives your body the energy it needs to start the day and contributes to enhanced brain functioning. Breakfast benefits include a better attitude and increased productivity and alertness. Despite its numerous benefits, breakfast may be the most routinely skipped meal.

Did you know that...

Individuals who skip breakfast often feel tired, irritable, and restless in the morning?

Skipping breakfast reduces concentration and muscle coordination?

People who regularly eat breakfast tend to eat less fat throughout the day?

A high-fiber cereal and low-fat milk provide a quick, nutritious breakfast.

Yogurt and grain products such as muffins and bagels are a good breakfast and travel well for the student on the go!

If you participate in a meal plan, try breakfast at DXpress or Shultz Express! DXpress offers bagels, muffins, biscuits, fresh fruits, and juices, while Shultz Express features a hot breakfat bar with traditional items including pancakes, waffles, sausage, scrambled eggs, and much more!

If you have a refrigerator in your room, stocking up on yogurt, milk, and juice from Owens Food Court and Hokie Grill ensures readily available breakfast foods.

Calcium: It's More than Just Milk

Calcium builds strong bones and teeth, but did you know that calcium is needed for vital body functions such as blood clotting, muscle contraction, and nerve functioning? College students have a window of opportunity to maximize their calcium intake. Your body requires more calcium during the first 24 years of your life as your body grows. Strong bones and teeth are made with calcium during those first 24 years. After that, needs drop slightly and you require the equivalent of 2.5 glasses of milk each day to ensure that your bones stay strong. If your body doesn't get enough calcium, it will rob it from your bones which could result in osteoporosis!

Where can I get more calcium?
The best sources of calcium are from milk, cheese, and ice cream. These products are also high in fat. Low-fat and non-fat milk products offer calcium without the added fat! Other foods packed with calcium include beans, seafood, breads, and green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and spinach.

Calcium Assessment
The average diet should provide 1000 mg of calcium per day. Assess your daily intake using the calcium checklist. Simply add up what you eat each day to determine your daily intake!

Milk
	Amount	Calcium(mg)
Cheese	1 oz.	200
Cottage Cheese	1/2 cup	50
Custard, Pudding	1/2 cup	150
Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt	1 cup	250
Cream Soups	1 cup	200
Macaroni & Cheese	1 cup	200
Pizza	1/8" of 15" Pizza	200
Quiche	1/8 of 8" dish	200

Meat, Fish, Poultry, Beans
	Amount	Calcium(mg)
Dried Beans, Cooked (Navy, Pinto, Kidney)	1 cup	100
Meat, Fish, Poultry	3 oz.	0
Peanuts	1/2 cup	50
Salmon with Bones	3 oz.	150
Sardines with Bones	3 oz.	400
Shrimp	3 oz.	100
Oysters	7 to 9	100
Tofu (2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1")	Each piece	100

Fruit & Vegetables
	Amount	Calcium(mg)
Broccoli	1/2 cup	50
Greens, Cooked (Beet, Turnip Greens, Collards, Kale, Spinach)	1/2 cup	100
Other Fruits & Vegetables	1 cup/small	50

Breads & Grains
	Amount	Calcium(mg)
Bread	2 slices	50
2" Biscuit, 6" Corn Tortilla	1 each	50
2 1/2" Square Cornbread	1 each	100
7" Pancake or Waffle	1 each	100
Cake	1/16 of cake	50

Carbohydrates: Fact or Fiction?

Carbohydrates have recently become a popular topic in the media, but what is the real story concerning this nutritional component of foods?
Carbohydrates are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and are the main source of energy for the body. They fuel the small tasks such as breathing and digestion as well as the more intense activities such as jogging and climbing. Carbohydrates can be divided into two groups: complex and simple. Complex carbohydrates can be found in foods such as bread, cereal, rice, pasta, vegetables, and legumes. These sources are rich in vitamins and fiber and low in fat. Simple carbohydrates are the sugars found in foods such as milk, sodas, fruit, cookies, cakes, and candy. The simple carbohydrates tend to be "empty" calories because they contain only calories and very little of other nutrients.

Your body needs carbohydrates every day to keep it properly energized. Without an adequate supply, your body will use the fat stores for energy. While this may sound like a good way to lose weight, it is not that simple. When your body uses fat for energy, there are compounds created that can build up in your system and eventually become toxic.

A diet with complex carbohydrates is the basis for healthy eating. Nutrition experts recommend six to 11 servings of carbohydrates a day as the foundation for the Food Guide Pyramid.

I am an athlete - can carbohydrates help me?
Pretzel Carbohydrates are vital for any active person. They supply 60 percent to 65 percent of total energy needs and contribute to overall fitness. Athletes who use carbohydrates as their main source of energy can maintain rigorous levels of activity for prolonged periods of time. Eating a diet high in carbohydrates for a few days prior to athletic events enhances your energy supply.

Fruits and Vegetables 101: The Only Three-Minute College Course

Remember the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"? Well, it's true that fruits and vegetables may help keep you healthy, but nutrition experts now recommend eating at least five fruit and vegetable servings a day.

Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables can boost your body with essential vitamins and minerals! Eating five fruit and vegetable servings a day may also help to lower risk for certain types of cancer and heart disease.

Fruits and vegetables are abundant in vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, folate, and much more! They are also excellent sources of fiber and are low in fat and sodium.

News you can use - Simple ways to eat "Five a Day!"

Instead of soda, drink fruit and vegetable juice. A 3/4 cup of juice = 1 serving!

Experiment with vegetables such as spinach, tomato, and cucumber on sandwiches.

Try a pizza topped with a variety of vegetables!

Use applesauce in place of oil, butter, and margarine in baked goods!

Eating a piece of fruit can satisfy a sweet tooth as much as ice cream.

Choose a vegetable salad as an appetizer when eating at restaurants.

Healthy Eating on Campus: Your Guide to Unraveling the Myths

By now, you may have heard various things about the dining centers on campus. Some of these things are true and some are not. Read below to find the truth to the myth.

Myth 1: Nutrition information for food in the dining centers is incorrect and incomplete.
Fact: In an effort to help students and faculty understand what they are eating, Housing and Dining Services strives to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date nutritional information. To provide this information, we locate nutrient information on hundreds of products via manufacturers, the USDA database, and package labels for foods served in Owens Food Court, D2, Shultz Dining Center, Deet's Place, and West End Market.

Using this information, we are able to create a database with nutrition information on the hundreds of food items that we use every day to create your meals. All nutrition information is then generated by using our computer system to analyze each recipe on our menus. This enables us to give you the most accurate information possible.

Sometimes recipes change due to changes in products or feedback from our customers. When these changes take place, the nutrition information is updated on the computer system, which immediately updates the interactive web page. The labels in Shultz and Food Court are then also updated. So when you see something that has changed, it is because we have had to change our recipes or a product used to create that menu item.

Myth 2: The dining centers do not serve any healthy foods.
Fact: Housing and Dining Services is always on the lookout for hearty, tasty, and healthy recipes. Healthy food alternatives can be found in every dining facility on campus. Healthy eating also involves eating a wide variety of foods in proportion to ensure optimal vitamin, mineral, and nutrient intake. Use our nutrition website to help guide you to the healthy meal of your choice.

Myth 3: The food served is the same old thing...where is the variety?
Fact: It's true...common foods such as pizza, hamburgers, and chicken sandwiches can be found each day of the week at almost every dining facility. However, each establishment has its own unique variety to offer students.

D2 offers a wide variety of food selections including American favorites, pastas, vegetarian and vegan dishes, and healthy, high-energy specialties! This all-you-care-to-eat venue provides quality dining variety!

Shultz Dining Center offers traditional dining with regional favorites, a sub station showcasing fresh meats, cheeses, and breads, and a home cookin' station with mouth-watering homestyle dishes!

Special themed dinners at D2 and Shultz Dining Center also add excitement and variety throughout the year.

Owens Food Court consists of 12 establishments to choose from ranging from Lotsa Pasta to La Cantina to Philly City and much more! Whether you feel like a home-cooked meal or a Chicken Taco Salad, Owens Food Court can satisfy any appetite.

West End Market features à la carte dining with seven specialty shops that prepare your meal when you order it! Fresh salads and pastas, hearty soups, deli sandwiches, wraps, and steaks cooked to order are offered at this newest dining facility on campus.

Nutrition Tidbits: Did You Know...

Cholesterol is not a source of energy or fat. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance, but it's not a fat itself.
On a food label, "enriched" means that nutrients lost during processing were added back into the product. "Fortified" means that nutrients that were not originally present have been added to the food.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber helps to lower blood cholesterol levels and is found in dried beans and peas and many fruits and vegetables. Insoluble fiber helps to avoid constipation and colon cancer and is found in whole wheat products and the skins of fruits and vegetables.

Up to 60 percent of your weight comes from water and half of the body's water is lost and replaced every 10 days. To keep up with the replacement, you need to drink at least two quarts of water every day.

Half of all U.S. medical schools offer nutrition electives to their students. However, only 25 percent of schools require coursework in nutrition.

Healthy Vegetarian Eating

Vegetarian diets have become increasingly popular over the past 10 years for a variety of reasons. Vegetarian participants cite environmental, economic, and ethical concerns as reasons for choosing to be a vegetarian. Others have noted religious beliefs and health concerns as motivations for becoming vegetarians. No matter the motivation, it is important to understand how to eat a healthy vegetarian diet.

There are three types of Vegetarian Diets:

Vegan: Exclude all animal products from the diet.
Lacto: Exclude all animal products, but do consume dairy products.
Lacto-Ovo: Exclude meat products, but do consume dairy and egg products.

Converting to a healthy vegetarian diet contains numerous benefits. Vegetarian diets have shown reduced risk for developing diseases such as obesity, diabetes type II (adult onset), coronary heart disease, and high blood pressure. Vegetarian diets are high in antioxidants which may be helpful in preventing certain kinds of cancer.

Choosing a vegetarian diet involves more than simply eating fruits and vegetables. Vegetarian dishes can become high in fat due to fried foods and high-fat dairy products. Clever planning is important for complete nutrient intake. Vegetarians need to consume a wide variety of plant foods to ensure that the body gets the vitamins and minerals it needs to function properly. The Vegetarian Food Guide Pyramid is an essential and easy tool to use for planning a healthy diet.

Keep an eye out for the medley of vegetarian (lacto-ovo) and vegan dishes offered at D2, Shultz Dining Center, Owens Food Court, and West End Market dining centers!

Vitamins & Minerals

Do you need a Vitamin and Mineral Supplement?
We all know that vitamins and minerals play an important role in keeping us healthy. But did you also know that the best way to get these nutrients is by choosing a variety of foods? Read on for answers to some common questions about vitamin and mineral supplements.

How do I know if I'm getting the vitamins and minerals that I need?
Use the Food Pyramid Guide to see if your daily eating pattern stacks up. If you are choosing a variety of foods and getting all the servings you need from each of the food groups every day, you are probably getting all the vitamins and minerals that you need.

If you are not getting the servings you need each day or have food restrictions due to allergies or intolerances, then you may not be getting the vitamin and mineral nutrition that you need.

Should I take a Vitamin and Mineral Supplement?
Ideally you should be getting all your nutrition needs from a variety of foods. Sometimes, due to allergies or other problems, eating a variety of foods is difficult for some people. In these instances, you may need to take a supplement.

For instance, you may be lactose intolerant and cannot drink milk or use many dairy products. In this case, you should probably be a taking a calcium supplement since you may not be getting the calcium you need. Also, people who are strict vegetarians may find that a supplement of vitamin B-12 is needed since this vitamin is found only in animal products.

I don't have time to eat - can't I just take a supplement and not worry about eating?
Scientists are just now learning that foods contain compounds other than nutrients that may be beneficial to our health. Since many of these compounds may have not yet been discovered, they won't be found in a supplement. Therefore, to stack the odds in your favor, food is the best source for getting what you need. Just one more reason to eat a variety of foods every day!


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Nutrition Facts

Breakfast: Why is it the Most Important Meal?

Calcium: It's More than Just Milk

Milk

Meat, Fish, Poultry, Beans