By: Elizabeth Katsion, Student Nutritionist Avocados grow from February to September, but have their peak over the summer months. To take advantage of the nutritional benefits and deliciousness of these fruits (yes they are indeed fruits because of their seed) try a few of these recipes that utilize avocados in unique ways.
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During the summer months, grilling gains popularity to add diversity to meals. To ensure you avoid any food borne illnesses, it is crucial to check the temperature of the meat and/or fish that you are grilling up! The USDA standard temperatures for various meats are listed in the infographic below. Additionally, don't forget to use your grill to use all the vegetables growing in your gardens, grilled corn, peppers and eggplant make excellent sides and can even be incorporated into your main dish for your next barbecue. A fun and different way of eating a side salad is grilling up your romaine lettuce heads. This brings in some of the traditional grilled flavor while also getting in some greens. Top with your favorite dressing and you'll wow your friends and family with the twist on a normal side salad.
By: Elizabeth Katsion, Student Nutritionist
One of the most rewarding aspects of leading a vegetarian lifestyle is actually its effects on the environment. Being a meat-eater, while having its benefits in protein content, actually contributes to environmental issues such as pollution, greenhouse gases, and overall climate change. Bold statements, but there is a lot of scientific backing on the methane gas emissions (farting basically) from cows, chickens and pigs and how it leads to increased greenhouse gas effect and temperature. So as more people eat meat, the more animals are bred and distributed throughout the food industry for consumers. More animals=more gas emissions=more environmental impact. Additionally processing meat involves many different industries that require energy, transportation and funds to reach the consumers. Now I know people will ask, but if we all take up a vegetarian lifestyle won't that make even more pollution with animals not being consumed regularly? Not quite, because if there is less demand for the cows, then less cows will be bred so quickly leading to increased populations and more gas production. Taking up a Meatless Monday tradition is an easy way to start decreasing your carbon footprint without committing to a full lifestyle change! By Sydney Green, Student NutritionistAfter a stressful day of school and work the only thing I want to see is Pecan Swirls. From the moment I walk through the door the Pecan swirl calls my name. Sydney.Sydney. Six layers of pastry dusted with cinnamon, sprinkled with pecans, and brushed with glaze leaves a twinkle in my eye. All I see is pure happiness. Sometimes it is ok to indulge in the foods that make you happy. The key to eating things that aren’t the healthiest is moderation. People think to be healthy you have to restrict yourself from ice cream, cake, French fries, chips and more. That isn’t true, even the healthiest people take time out to enjoy the foods that they love. It is proven that if you restrict yourself to much the moment you eat “unhealthy food” you’ll overeat. In other words, eat in moderation. Reward yourself when it matters the most.By: Emma Slattery, Student NutritionistWhat the heck is a chickpea? A little background: chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans and are mashed together to make hummus. But other than being the delicious staple of hummus, chickpeas are incredibly useful. They're high in fiber and protein that give you that full feeling after eating and keep you full for a long time. Since chickpeas are commonly available at the salad bar and pasta bar of the dining halls, adding them to either can add some substance to a meal. Putting a scoop in a salad can help create a meal that will actually fill you up for the rest of your day! Most salads lack a protein source, which is why most salads are not satisfying or filling. But chickpeas can be a solution to that! They also make up hummus, which is a dip similar to the way guacamole is mashed avocado. Hummus is high in protein and can be added to chips, pita, veggies, or even put on your sandwich. By Sydney Green, Student NutritionistWhen they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. They are right! Breakfast supplies the body with energy and nutrients to keep you concentrated during class. It also effects the meals you eat later on in the day. Someone who skips breakfast is more likely to eat more during lunch and dinner than someone who eats breakfast. Breakfast also stabilizes the blood sugar. Think of it this way most people eat dinner around 7 or 8 pm. By the next time you wake up between 6am to 7am its been 10 hours since your last meal. As a result, the next time you eat your blood sugar levels spike this causes more insulin to be released. Over a period of doing this you can develop diabetes. Save your life eat breakfast.
By Sydney Green1. Dark Chocolate can be a very nutritious food that satisfies your sweet tooth. It's loaded with minerals and is an antioxidant. Some studies have found that it lowers blood pressure and blood flow while also improve brain functioning.
By: Emma Slattery, Student NutritionistFruits are sweet, delicious, cool snack on a warm spring day.
But what many people don't know is that different colors of fruit have different nutrients! All are a fantastic source of fiber and natural sugars to give you a midday pick-me-up, but they vary in the phytonutrients they have. By: Elizabeth Katsion, Student Nutritionist Next semester, the dining halls are getting a makeover. Instead of using our swipes to purchase food a la carte, Dining Services is using a new Anytime Dining Plan and a SAFRON Morpho Biometric Scanner to allow students access into the dining halls for all you can eat meals. These scanners will read 4 fingers to unlock the turnstile and let the student enter the dining hall. However, the scanners will not store fingerprints, they only take partial pieces to generate a code that the scanner will recognize. By: Elizabeth Katsion, Student Nutritionist A certain stigma always accompanies the words, "I am a vegetarian". Questions are almost immediately asked, "why don't you eat meat?", "plants have feelings too" and my personal favorite "but you still eat bacon right?". A little background on myself, I have been a vegetarian (or pescatarian because I eat fish) for almost 4 years. I chose to eat in this way after learning about the conditions in the slaughterhouses, and honestly because I didn't love eating meat anyways. So when I get asked if I miss it, the answer is always an honest no. With all of the vegetarian options in the market today, eating meat-free is simple and delicious. It allows my meals to be more creative, and opens up conversation to a different lifestyle of eating. Here are some common myths about vegetarians/pescatarians: By: Elizabeth Katsion, Student Nutritionist According to a recent study from Harvard University, inadequate hydration is leading to impaired cognitive function. In plain terms this means that by not drinking enough water, your brain is not performing at its highest capacity. The study focused on children and adolescents from 6 to 19 years old, which encompasses at least some freshman and sophomore students in college. With finals week coming up, it is crucial to have healthy minds and bodies ready to conquer whatever our professors throw our way. As you study these next couple weeks, be sure to consume plenty of good, old-fashioned plain water to supply your body the hydration it needs. Your test scores will thank you later! |
ABOUTTerps With Taste is run by the Student Nutritionist Team with University of Maryland Dining Services. We write content for students, by students. Enjoy! Categories
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