St. Cloud State University

Nutrition

Contents

1. Nutrition Basics
2. Porti
3. Nutrition and Cancer Prevention
4. Eating Well with No Time and No Money

Nutrition Basics

Changing your behavior whether it be to eat healthier, lose weight or both you need to keep in mind that quick, dramatic changes usually don’t last long. For your behavior changes to stick you have to make the change feel natural or almost natural. Start by making some changes and see if you can live with them and then make adjustments based on that. Take it slow! The biggest problem for college students is a diet with too much fat and salt, too many calories and too little fiber. There are more than 50 nutrients that your body needs to meet its physical need. Getting these nutrients requires eating a variety of foods every day and small amounts of fats and oils.

The breads, cereal, rice, and pasta group supply carbohydrates, vitamins, iron and fiber. Whole grain products are best for nutritional value.

Vegetables and Fruits are a source of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Milk, yogurt and cheese contain calcium, protein and vitamins which are important for energy and strong bones and teeth.

Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts provide amino acids, vitamins and minerals that are important for energy metabolism, cell repair and growth.

Fats, oils and sweets in small amounts help with the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K. They are also important for cell membrane structure. However foods in this group should comprise the smallest part of your diet.

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Portion Size

For bread, cereal, rice and pasta the recommended is to eat 6 to 11 servings everyday. 3 to 5 servings of vegetables, 2 to 4 servings of fruits, 2 to 3 servings of dairy, milk, yogurt and cheese and 2 to 3 servings of meat, fish, poultry, beans, eggs and Nuts.

Some examples for bread, cereal, rice and pasta are:

• 1 slice of bread,
• ½ English muffin,
• 1 corn or small flour tortilla,
• ½ cup cooked pasta or rice

Some examples of vegetables are:

• 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables ( baseball size)
• ½ cup chopped or cooked vegetables (size of a light bulb)
• 1 small baked potato ( size of a light bulb)

Some examples of fruits:

• 1 medium apple, pear or orange (tennis ball size)
• 1 medium banana
• ½ grapefruit
• ½ cup of dives or canned fruit
• ¼ cup dried fruit such as raisins ( size of large egg)
• ¾ cup 100% fruit juice

Some examples of dairy:

• 1 cup of milk or yogurt
• ½ cup of frozen yogurt
• 1 oz of cheese ( size of 4 dice)
• 1 slice American cheese

Some examples of meat, fish, poultry, beans, eggs and nuts are:

• 3 oz of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish ( size of a deck of cards)
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter ( size of ping pong ball)
• 1/3 cup of nuts, walnuts, pecans or peanuts
• 1 egg
• ½ cup cooked beans

Some examples of fats, oils and sweets:

• 1 teaspoon of butter or margarine (size of the tip of your thumb)
• 2 tablespoons salad dressing
• 2 in square of cake

Examples of foods counting as 2 servings:

• 1 slice of pizza equals 1 serving of bread and 1 serving of cheese
• 1 cup of macaroni and cheese equals 1 serving of pasta plus one serving of cheese

1 cup of beef stew equals 1 serving of meat plus 1 serving of vegetables

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Nutrition and Cancer Prevention

The American Cancer Society has a set of guidelines on diet, nutrition and cancer prevention. They believe that there recommendation offer the best nutrition information currently available to help Americans reduce their risk of cancer. Research evidence suggests that 500,000 cancer deaths that occur in the Unites States each year are due to dietary factors. The introduction of healthful diet and exercise practices at any time from childhood to old age can promote health and reduce caner risk. There are many dietary factors the can affect cancer risk. These are types of foods, food preparation methods, portion sizes, food variety and overall caloric balance. Cancer risk can be reduced by an overall dietary pattern that includes a high proportion of plant foods, limited amount of meat, dairy and other high fat food and balance of caloric intake and physical activity. Many Americans however do not follow such healthful practices. Trends indicate an increase in caloric intake, greater use of high-fat convenience foods and a decline in physical activity.

The guidelines to reduce the risk of cancer are as follows:

• Choose most of the foods you eat from plant sources. Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of colon cancer. It has also been associated with a lower risk of lung cancer, study indicate that food high in beta carotene protect against lung cancer.
• Limit your intake of high-fat foods, particularly from animal sources: choose foods low in fat. Replace fat rich foods with fruits and vegetables, grains and beans. Choose baked and broiled instead of fried, limit your consumption of meats, especially high-fat meats. High-fat diets have been associated with an increase in the risk of cancer of the colon rectum, prostate and endometrium.
• Be physically active: achieve and maintain a health weight, be at least moderately active for 30 minutes of more on most days of the week, stay within your healthy weight range. Physical activity can help protect against some cancers either by balancing caloric intake with energy expenditure of by other mechanisms. Am imbalance of or caloric intake and output can lead to over weight, obesity and increased risk for colon and rectal cancer, prostate, endometrium, breast and kidney cancers. Physical activity and controlled caloric intake are necessary to achieve or to maintain a health body weight.
• Limit consumption of alcoholic beverages, if you drink at all. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx and liver, also in the breast cancer in women. The risk of cancer increases with the amount that is consumed. Alcoholic beverages supply calories but few nutrients, people who drink heavily may be substituting alcohol for nutrient-rich, cancer-protective foods.

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Eating Well with No Time and No Money

It may be less of a hassle to buy lunch, but food in a restaurant, cafeteria or vending machine will definitely cost more. One way to save money is to carry your lunch.

Here are some ways to make it work:

• Prepare your lunch the night before: This saves you time in the morning.
• Invest in a good vacuum bottle: You can carry with you hot drink and soups. Hot dishes or salad can be carried in a small, wide mouth thermos too.
• Think about bringing part of your meal: Many cafeterias have hearty soups and bread for a reasonable price but bringing your own fruit, beverage and dessert will let you save the difference in what the cafeteria charges for those items.

What about dinner in the evenings?

Instead of ordering pizza again or opening one of those boxed prepared meals where all you add is water, think again. These are more expensive than making the dish yourself. A food preparation tips are to prepare and freeze casseroles and sauces in advance, then you can just microwave a good home cooked meal in seconds.

Eating healthy when you’re on a tight budget can be hard. To help make it easier here are some basic shopping tips.

Tips for Saving Money When Shopping:

• Check you local newspaper for sales and comparison shop, especially for your dietary staples. Check out different stores and different product brands, the store products usually cost less than the name brands.
• Take advantage of sales and coupons but only for products that are healthful and packaged in quantities that you will really use. Make sure you read labels.
• Buy in bulk but only products that you can store properly before they go stale.
• Avoid impulse buying- use a hopping list! and DO NOT shop when you are HUNGRY!
• Poultry is usually less expensive than red meat, also contains fewer calories and less fat!
• Buy a whole chicken and cut it up. Trade a little time for a lot of money.
• Fruit juices are a better value than fruit drinks. Fruit drinks are mainly water with sugar.
• Buy whole fruits or vegetables rather than juice. You’ll get more nutrients and fiber and you’ll save money.
• Buy day old bread and other baked goods. Freeze them for later.
• Frozen yogurt and ice milk contain less fat and cost less that ice cream.
• Pickles, olives and relishes may be nice extras but they’re expensive and NOT nutritious.
• The color of the egg shells makes no difference in food value. Buy whatever is the least expensive.

Don’t assume that “natural” or “organic” foods are inexpensive or high in nutritional value.

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