General Wellness
Nutrition Education
Nutrition Counseling
Nutrition counseling is available and free to all currently enrolled OSU students. To schedule an appointment with the registered dietitian, please fill out the nutrition questionnaire to the right of this page and email it to Janele Bayless at Bayless.22@osu.edu. You can also complete the nutrition questionnaire in the Student Wellness Center and turn it in at the front desk.
Once you have completed and turned in the nutrition questionnaire, you can schedule an appointment with the front desk by calling 292-4527 or by coming into the Student Wellness Center.
Balance is a "Weight" of Life
Weight management can be thought of as a balance scale or teeter-totter. To maintain weight, the calories you consume and the calories you expend must be equal. If you consume more calories than you expend, weight gain occurs. If you expend more calories than you consume, weight loss occurs.
People who are overweight do not necessarily eat huge amounts of food, but may be eating foods that are higher in fat and calories. Others may be eating food that is relatively low in fat, but they might be consuming too much of it. Learning to incorporate foods that are low in fat and control portion sizes can help individuals attempting to lose weight.
The calories you consume are similar to the money you spend – you decide whether to spend your calories on junk food, which have little or no nutritional value, or healthy foods that are low in fat and packed with vitamins and minerals.
Weight management is a lifestyle process that should include both physical activity and a healthy diet. Consider what changes you are willing to make and can incorporate throughout life.
Get Moving
Weight management can be difficult to achieve unless exercise has been incorporated into your lifestyle. Regular exercise helps with weight management by burning extra calories and helps maintain muscle mass that is usually lost with dieting alone. Muscle mass is important in maintaining a normal metabolic rate and is crucial in long-term weight management and maintenance.
Diet for Life…the Healthy Way!
A healthy diet should consist of variety, balance, and moderation. While everyone has different calorie needs, based on age, gender, height, weight, physical activity level and genetics, everyone has similar nutrient needs. To learn what your specific calorie needs are, talk to a registered dietitian or go to MyPyramid.gov for general information. To follow a healthy, well-balanced diet, be sure to:
- Distribute caloric intake evenly throughout the day by eating smaller meals and adding snacks in between meals.
- Include 3 or more food groups at each meal with at least one fruit and/or vegetable.
- Focus on foods that are naturally low in fat and packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These include:
Whole grains are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates, a good source of energy that lasts longer. Look for items that contain 2 or more grams of fiber and are fortified with other nutrients.
Fruits and vegetables are another good source of vitamins and minerals. They provide a longer sense of fullness from fiber and water, contain no fat (except avocados) and few calories
Beans and legumes are low in fat and calories, and high in fiber and protein. They are an excellent alternative or addition to animal meats which are higher in saturated fat and cholesterol.
- Choose dairy products that are low in fat or fat free, like skim or 1% milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, and string cheese.
- Choose lean cuts of meat like chicken, turkey, and fish. Look for lean red meats like round or sirloin rather than dark meat poultry, ribs, wings, bacon, sausage, salami, bologna, and hotdogs.
- Nuts and seeds provide protein and monounsaturated fat, a healthy form of fat, which helps keep you feeling full longer. Nuts and seeds are higher in fat and calories so it’s important to eat them in moderation.
- Other healthy sources of protein include beans and legumes, eggs, low fat or fat free dairy products, tofu or soy products, fortified breads and cereals.
Get Wise with Portion Size
While food is meant to be enjoyed, it’s best to enjoy the foods you eat in moderation. Focus on the foods you need to get more of in the diet, like whole grains, fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes. Then, if there’s room left in your stomach, allow yourself to have the treats you enjoy. Some tips for eating foods in moderation are to:
- Eat slowly, taking small bites and putting down utensils between each bite.
- Portion out food prior to eating and put the rest away. You can always refrigerate or freeze leftover food in individual portions and take them out as needed.
- Sit at a table to eat and try to minimize distractions like television so you can be more aware of what you are eating and how much you are eating.
- Keep a food journal to record your food intake so you know what, when, where and how much you are eating.
- Drink calorie-free beverages before and throughout meals to create a sense of fullness.
- Purchase pre-packaged foods in meal-size portions.
A Little Meal Planning Goes a Long Way
Cooking meals everyday can be a hassle and a time consuming activity. By meal planning, you can eliminate hassle and add variety to your diet, increase the number of nutritious meals eaten, and make fewer trips to the grocery store. To get started:
- Write down a list of meal ideas you want to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This gives you a clear picture of what you’ll have during the week.
- Select several recipes you want to make and use that to form your grocery list. Doing this can save you money by decreasing the number of impulse buys you make in the grocery store.
- Build a pantry of staple cooking items. This includes items such as flour, sugar, milk, eggs, oil, spices, etc. Having a stocked pantry will increase your ability to make healthy meals more quickly.
- If you are not able to cook a meal every night, cook meals ahead of time. You can take a day out of the week and cook multiple meals, freeze or refrigerate them and reheat when needed.
Dining Out the Healthy Way
Dining out should be an enjoyable experience, but for those who dine out frequently it’s good to incorporate some of the following healthy dietary measures:
- Share or split a meal with a friend, roommate, family member or co-worker.
- Order a half size, lunch size or kid size meal.
- Drink calorie-free beverages like water, unsweetened iced tea, or diet soda before and throughout the meal.
- Always ask for water even if you get another beverage.
- Have soup and salad for a meal or order either as a side dish.
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Select soups that are broth based or vegetable based versus creamy soups
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Select salads that have grilled chicken versus fried chicken. Limit or avoid extras like croutons, cheese, or bacon.
- If you order an entrée that’s high in fat, choose a low fat side dish.
- Cut the meal in half and take the rest home in a doggie bag or box.
- Look for meals that say low in fat, heart healthy, or healthy choice.
- Ask for dressings, condiments, and sauces on the side.
- Look for menu items that have terms like steamed, baked, broiled, and grilled rather than terms like fried, buttery, crispy, and creamy.
Vegging Out the Vegetarian Way
Whether you’re interested in becoming a vegetarian or you’ve been following the diet for years, a well-planned vegetarian diet can be a healthy way to meet your nutritional needs.
A healthy vegetarian diet consists mainly of plant-based foods, such as grains, fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds. Because this diet focuses mainly on non-meat sources of food, usually less fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol is consumed with a higher intake of fiber.
There are different types of vegetarian diets you can choose from:
Lacto-ovo vegetarians consume eggs and dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt, and other plant-based foods.
Lacto-vegetarians consume dairy and plant-based foods, but no eggs.
Ovo-vegetarians consume eggs and plant-based foods, but no dairy products.
Vegans eliminate all animal foods, such as meat, fish, poultry, milk, eggs, and cheese, and eat only plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, grains, nuts and seeds.
The more restrictive a diet is, the more difficult it is to get the nutrients your body needs. Here are the nutrients a vegetarian diet may be deficient in, and the food sources where you can find them:
Protein helps to build and maintain healthy skin, bones, muscles, and organ tissue. Food sources include dairy, eggs, soy products, meat substitutes, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Calcium helps to build and maintain strong bones and teeth. Good sources of calcium include low-fat dairy foods and dark green vegetables, such as spinach, turnips, and collard greens, kale and broccoli. Tofu (enriched with calcium), fortified soymilk and fruit juices are other options.
Vitamin B-12 produces red blood cells and prevents anemia and is found exclusively in all animal products, such as milk, eggs and cheese. Vegans can get vitamin B-12 from some enriched cereals, fortified soy products, and multivitamins.
Iron helps form red blood cells. Food sources include dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark leafy greens, and dried fruit.
Zinc plays a role in cell division, formation of proteins, and is a component of many enzymes. Whole grains, soy products, nuts and wheat are all good sources.
If you want to become a vegetarian but aren’t sure how, start with what you know. Make a list of meals you prepare on a regular basis. Look for the meals that are already meatless, like spaghetti or vegetable stir-fry. Next, look for the meals that could easily become meat-free and find substitutions. For example, you can make a vegetarian chili or lasagna by substituting meat with beans or soy crumbles. For sandwiches, use hummus as a spread. Once you have a list started, look for additional recipes in cookbooks, on the Internet, or by sampling vegetarian dishes in restaurants. The more variety you add to your vegetarian diet, the more likely you’ll meet all your nutritional needs.
Fad Diets
When considering whether to follow a particular diet, ask yourself if it is a diet that you are willing to follow for the rest of your life. If the answer is no, consider what changes you are willing to make and can follow. If there is a diet you want to follow, ask yourself if there are any diet pitfalls, such as:
- Excludes one or more foods or food groups
- Dictates how much, how often, and when you can eat
- Not individualized to meet your personal needs.
- Too low in calories
- Does not meet your nutrition needs
- Costs money and takes a lot of time
- Don’t have freedom to make your own decisions
- Food may become boring if the options are limited
- Doesn’t teach healthy lifestyle behaviors
- Identifies foods as “good” or “bad”
- Contradicts recommendations of reputable health organizations
- Sound too good to be true
- Claims to produce rapid weight loss which is undesirable
Setting Goals
If you want to make some healthy changes to your lifestyle it’s helpful to identify several goals you would like to work on. Be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action-based, Realistic, Tangible) when setting goals for yourself. Start out by coming up with 3 goals using the SMART method and ask yourself, are my goals specific, measurable, action-based, realistic, and tangible?
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