How Healthy Is Your Health Food?
With the nation on a health kick, anything that looks healthier suddenly becomes appealing at grocery stores. Every food distributor has a symbol for their “newly improved, healthier” choices, which makes it easy to assume these marketing schemes have the consumer’s best interests in mind.
If you want something that is truly healthy, start looking on the back of the box for an actual list of what is in your food. Marketing ploys by food producers may boast high levels of essential nutrients and beneficial vitamins. For instance, some cereal companies claim their products are a good source of calcium, despite only containing 2 percent calcium (less than what is found in a can of pinto beans.) Iowa State nutrition extensions specialist, Ruth Litchfield, has worked at ISU for the past 15 years and teaches classes, in addition to speaking about health and nutrition across the state.
“People don’t realize that as far as health claims, the FDA only approves 15% [of the claims],” Litchfield said. “Everything else is done for marketing purposes.”
Litchfield says marketing strategies can base claims even if their product is only slightly improved. This can vary from “less fat” or “lower sodium” to any other criteria. While that may be the case, it does not necessarily qualify that particular product to join the “good for you” category.
Look for key information on the label. There is more to health food than the amount of calories in an item. Ever since elementary school, the food pyramid teaches healthy habits, grains at the bottom, sugar and fat content capping off the pyramid with smallest category. Key factors to look for on labels include checking sugar content, sodium content and high fructose corn syrup all of which provide little to no nutritional value and contribute to many chronic health problems facing the nation today.
Why all the hype about the effects and nutritional value of high fructose corn syrup? Like many nutrients, if not used in moderation, researchers speculate it can contribute to severe health problems, including obesity or early on-set diabetes. But oddly enough, high fructose corn syrup is just as bad in excess as white sugar.
“It is metabolized similarly to traditional cane sugar, and research suggests there is no difference between the two,” Litchfield said.
Because it is cheaper than white sugar and is available in liquid form for easy transportation, high fructose corn syrup is used as an ingredient in many foods that are convenient and require little effort to prepare. Used to enhance flavors in food, high fructose corn syrup is not a problem in itself, but if it is present in the majority of meals, it can cause unwanted health issues.
“As a society, we’ll have to make a decision on convenience or nutritional values,” Litchfield said. This decision applies to sugar and artificial sweeteners – like high fructose corn syrup – or sodium, all found in high levels in processed foods. Pick your vices. Limit sugar, sodium and high fructose corn syrup intake, but find what foods work best for you. On days you can’t live without the convenience, try to counter with foods that provide more nutrients. Do your best to find a balance.
Want to drop a few without becoming a shut-in? You can! There is no need to avoid going out with friends for dinner or dessert every once in a while. Although most restaurant meal preparations add more calories and fat to dishes than traditional home prep, there are some good choices available while dining out.
Here are some choices around Ames that will let you socialize and enjoy a night on the town without spoiling your healthy eating plan.
Applebee’s Choose it!
Steak and Portabellos 330 calories/10 g fat
Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake 230 calories/ 3 g fat
Applebee’s Lose it!
Riblet Basket and French Fries 1500 calories/ 100 g fat
Triple Chocolate Meltdown 727 calories/ 31 g fat
Culver’s Choose it!
Beef Pot Roast Sandwich 363 calories/ 16 g fat
Mashed Potatoes 120 calories/ 1 g fat
Lemon Ice 140 calories/ 0 g fat
Culver’s Lose it!
Walleye Filet Dinner Plate (3 piece) 2091 calories/ 128 g fat
Onion Rings 630 calories/ 36 g fat
Turtle Concrete (Tall size) 1460 calories/ 86 g fat
Perkin’s Choose it!
Denver Omelette with fruit cup 235 calories/ 6.5 g fat
Low fat Brownie (no icing) 160 calories/ 0.5 g fat
Perkin’s Lose it!
Granny’s Country Omelette with hash browns 1245 calories/ 89 g fat
Lemon Poppyseed Muffin 685 calories/ 33 g fat
Red Lobster Choose it!
Broiled Rock Lobster and Baked Potato with Pico de Gallo topping 395 calories/ 8 g fat
Ice cream 140 calories/ 7 g fat
Red Lobster Lose it!
Cajun Chicken Linguine 1828 calories/ 117 g fat
Carrot Cake 730 calories/ 31 g fat
Healthy Cocktails
Besides the dreaded Freshman 15, the legendary “beer belly” haunts health-conscious college students. Binge drinking can rack up calories quickly—besides being dangerous. You don’t have to be stuck sipping water all night, though. The cookbook “Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World” offers a batch of slimmed down cocktails so those hoping to drop a few pounds can still throw back a few drinks. Here are a few selections for lightened up alcoholic drinks, courtesy of Hungry Girl.
Kickin’ Cranberry Cosmo (100 calories per recipe)
5 oz. Diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Spray 1 ½ oz. vodka 1 tsp. lime juice 5-8 ice cubes Optional: splash of diet lemon-lime soda, lime wedge (for garnish)
Combine vodka, cranberry juice drink and lime juice. Stir thoroughly. Combine mixture with ice, put it in a shaker, cover tightly and shake well. Strain drink into a large martini glass.
If you like, top with a splash of soda and garnish with a lime wedge.
Slimmed-Down Strawberry Daiquiri (121 calories per recipe)
1 ½ oz. rum 1 packet (2 5-calorie servings) sugar-free powdered drink mix (any strawberry blend) 3 frozen strawberries 1 tablespoon lime juice 5-8 ice cubes or 1 cup crushed ice
Dissolve drink mix into 4 oz. of water. Stir thoroughly. In a blender, combine drink mixture with all other ingredients. Blend to desired consistency. Pour, add straw.
Magical Low-Calorie Margarita (115 calories per recipe)
6 oz. diet lemon-lime soda 1 ½ oz. tequila 1 packet (2 5-calorie servings) sugar-free powdered lemonade mix 2 tablespoons lime juice 5-8 ice cubes or 1 cup crushed ice Optional: lime wedge for garnish
Stir all ingredients together, except for ice. For a frozen drink, place mixture in a blender with the ice and blend until smooth (or simply pour mixture over ice and enjoy). Serve with a lime wedge.
Tips for Healthy College Dining
• The amount you eat is important; no food is good or bad. Eat proper sized portions. Utensils used to serve dishes in the dining centers are usually one serving when the food is leveled off in the utensil. Take the equivalent of six bites for each dish if you are unsure of proper portion sizes.
• If you eat fried foods, indulge once each day or less. Fried foods can be part of a healthy diet, but twice each day increases fat and calorie counts quickly.
• Split a dessert that you enjoy. Don’t deprive yourself or you will get overwhelmed and may eat more than you normally would. Four bites saturate taste buds of the flavor so try about that much and pass the rest on to a friend.
• Choose milk over soda.
• When you take a plate, leave space between food options and don’t load food up over the rim. Three-quarters of the plate should be plant-based: a starch, like a potato, a vegetable and fruit. Then add a protein source and bread if you like.
• For healthy eating on a budget in college, try carrots, potatoes, onions bananas, grapes, broccoli, yogurt, milk and whole grain crackers. These items often are reasonably priced and offer good nutrition. Shop frequently to stock up on fresh produce. Farmer’s Markets, when available, are usually a good option.
• If you feel that your hunger cues are too frequent, you are probably restricting too much. Eat breakfast and regular means and snacks. It is best to eat every two to four hours.
• Don’t be uptight about food. Relax. Don’t compare yourself to others. Seek help at Student Counseling Services or Thielen Student Health if you experience body image issues or problems with disordered eating.
Eating healthy is always a challenge, especially if you’re on a limited budget and live a hectic lifestyle. But don’t let that slow your health kick down. Instead of spending $23.58 a day on junk food at the UDCC, prepare healthy meals on your own (and save some cash too).
To supplement your new eating habits, get into a routine of exercising daily. Instead of riding the CyRide one block to class, why not walk? Try to cut back on the numerous cans of pure sugar,, a.k.a. pop, that you consume. At first, you might get a headache without your daily fix of caffeine, a short trip to rehab should help—but you’ll look and feel better in the end. For help on designing a menu that best fits your needs and lifestyle, visit mypyramid.org.
Breakfast
AE Fat Free Yogurt with fresh strawberries. $9.99
Aunt Jemima pancakes. $1.68
Cheerios in AE Fat Free Skim Milk. $6.52
Lunch
Lettuce sprinkled with Kraft Fat Free Shredded Cheese, StarKist tuna, and a drizzle of Hidden Valley Light Ranch Dressing. Served with a side of bananas. $12.25
Wheat bread spread with Skippy Peanut Butter and a side of broccoli. $7.48
Dinner
Hamburger Helper (hamburger 93/7) served with your choice of oranges or carrots. $6.17
Rice and beans served with a side of applesauce. $3.34
Desserts
100 Calorie Packs (6) $2.50
Jolly Time Low Sodium Popcorn (4) $1.98
Planters Mixed Nuts (11.5oz) $2.99
Lays Baked Chips $3.79
Special K Bars (6) $2.99
Drinks
AE Fat Free Skim Milk (gal) $3.29
V-8 Splash $2.50
AE Orange Juice (1/2 gal) $2.59
Subtotal=$73.77,
0.07% Tax=$5.16,
Total=$78.93, SAVE=$86.13