Spring Break
Nutrition fair promotes eating healthy for the not-so wealthy
Kristin Furtado
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: News
Students interested in learning how to eat a healthy diet without emptying their bank accounts can stop by the Student Union today for the annual Nutrition Fair from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Members of the Nutrition Education Action Team, a group of senior and graduate students specializing in nutrition education and outreach, will be displaying 15 interactive booths where students can learn how to prepare cheap, healthy food.
The event is part of this year's "Cheap, Fast & Healthy" theme, said Luisa Garret, the team's outreach coordinator. The theme, she said, was developed in direct response to student evaluations at last year's fair.
"Students had a perceived barrier to making healthy food choices," Garrett said, adding that both cost and convenience were primary factors when it came to students not eating healthy.
"Whenever I think of healthy, I think of organic food," said J.D. Biddle, a senior Japanese major. "But then organic food is really expensive. It's actually cheaper for me to drive to the store than buy a meal." He added that even though he lives on campus, he usually eats elsewhere.
"We want students to know that eating healthy is possible," said Jennifer Waldrop, a campus dietician and co-organizer of the fair.
She said she hopes it will "motivate" students to eat healthy as well as give them practical ideas for doing so.
At the fair, students can test their Body Mass Index, learn about common nutrition myths and learn where to find healthy food on campus.
The Sports Club and SJSU's physical therapy program will also provide information on healthy weight management and physical activity, as well as directions to various resources available on campus.
Students can also enter a raffle to win an iPod Shuffle, a slow cooker and gift certificates to Spartan Shops.
One of the goals of the fair, Garrett said, is to show students that there are healthy foods on campus. She added adding that one of most common complaints she hears is that there's nothing healthy to eat on campus. The problem, she says, is that some students just may not know where to look or even what to look for.
Members of the Nutrition Education Action Team, a group of senior and graduate students specializing in nutrition education and outreach, will be displaying 15 interactive booths where students can learn how to prepare cheap, healthy food.
The event is part of this year's "Cheap, Fast & Healthy" theme, said Luisa Garret, the team's outreach coordinator. The theme, she said, was developed in direct response to student evaluations at last year's fair.
"Students had a perceived barrier to making healthy food choices," Garrett said, adding that both cost and convenience were primary factors when it came to students not eating healthy.
"Whenever I think of healthy, I think of organic food," said J.D. Biddle, a senior Japanese major. "But then organic food is really expensive. It's actually cheaper for me to drive to the store than buy a meal." He added that even though he lives on campus, he usually eats elsewhere.
"We want students to know that eating healthy is possible," said Jennifer Waldrop, a campus dietician and co-organizer of the fair.
She said she hopes it will "motivate" students to eat healthy as well as give them practical ideas for doing so.
At the fair, students can test their Body Mass Index, learn about common nutrition myths and learn where to find healthy food on campus.
The Sports Club and SJSU's physical therapy program will also provide information on healthy weight management and physical activity, as well as directions to various resources available on campus.
Students can also enter a raffle to win an iPod Shuffle, a slow cooker and gift certificates to Spartan Shops.
One of the goals of the fair, Garrett said, is to show students that there are healthy foods on campus. She added adding that one of most common complaints she hears is that there's nothing healthy to eat on campus. The problem, she says, is that some students just may not know where to look or even what to look for.
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posted 2/14/09 @ 1:30 AM PST
Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it's about feeling great
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