IUPUI is Indiana's premier urban research university. The campus enrolls more than 30,000 students in 21 schools and academic units.
Health Services
Health Education
Nutrition
Food is a major component of our lives. Not only does it provide us with the nutrients required to maintain our hectic lifestyles; but it can provide an enjoyable experience and is a cornerstone of many social functions. On the other side, limiting food intake is a challenge for those struggling with health concerns and weight management. Learning to control eating habits without allowing food to become an enemy is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.
Overweight and obesity are growing problems in the United States. Over half of U.S. adults are overweight or obese; and Indiana is ranked 3rd in obesity prevalence among the United States. Regardless of these numbers, our society celebrates thinness through the media; and the desire to lose weight quickly has launched a multi-billion dollar diet industry filled with unregulated pills, gadgets, and fad diet gurus. The reality is that there is no "quick fix" when it comes to finding the right nutrition combination for you. Each individual is different, and each person needs to find his or her own combination of the necessary components: a balanced diet, exercise, and an acceptance of natural body type (as painful as it might be to accept, most of us will never look like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt no matter how hard we try).
This guide is designed to reduce confusion surrounding nutrition, to determine your own dietary requirements, and to help you learn to incorporate healthier food choices into your meals and snacks each day.
Balanced Eating: The Food Pyramid
We are all familiar with the original Food Pyramid. It told us how many servings of each of the food groups (grains, dairy, fruits, vegetables, meats, and fats) we should consume each day. Based on the Department of Health and Human Services' and USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, the USDA has released an updated Food Pyramid that goes beyond these basic recommendations by giving more detailed guidance on how Americans should eat and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The updated Food Pyramid recognizes that a person’s dietary requirements differ based on factors such as age, sex, and level of physical activity; and the Pyramid can be customized based on those factors. The Pyramid also provides suggestions on how to eat to reach the guidelines. Finally, the Pyramid includes physical activity as an essential component of a balanced lifestyle.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed an interactive online food-pyramid that will provide you with estimates of your daily caloric and nutrient requirements based on information that you provide (age, sex, and level of physical activity). The interactive Food Pyramid guide can be found at http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid. Detailed information about the new Food Pyramid can be found at http://www.mypyramid.gov.
Some Basic Guidelines
The new Food Pyramid provides some basic guidelines for meeting your personal daily nutrition requirements.
- Choose whole grains for at least half of your daily grain servings.
- Eat a variety of vegetables.
- Focus on fruit.
- Choose calcium-rich foods.
- Go lean with protein.
- Find a balance between food and physical activity.
Cheap, Healthy, Easy, Fast, and Delicious Recipes for College Students
Making healthy meals with limited time and on a limited budget can be difficult for college students. To address this issue, IUPUI's own Dr. Drew Appleby and the members of his Student-Athlete Freshman Learning Communities from 2000-2005 compiled a cookbook full of Cheap, Healthy, Easy, Fast, and Delicious recipes just for college students! Visit Chef D's College Student Cookbook for great cooking tips and recipes!
Dining on Campus
Don't visit campus dining locations without a healthy eating plan! Visit the Chartwells web site for nutrition information on food available at eateries across campus.
