Nutrition

Why should I eat well?

Eating well can support your academic and personal goals at UNH. A healthy, balanced diet helps you by:

• improving energy levels, concentration, memory and mood
• increasing your ability to cope with stress
• enhancing your overall physical health
• boosting your immune system and protecting against certain diseases

How can I eat well?

Eating well doesn’t need to be difficult. Using the Wildcat Plate, you can easily balance your meals with foods you enjoy. The Wildcat Plate is a useful tool, based on the USDA MyPlate (Links to an external site.) model, which emphasizes and helps to visualize the right balance of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein foods. As the plate shows, it is important to focus on eating a variety of foods. It is also important to remember that all foods fit, and that there are no “bad” foods. Aim to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, ¼ of your plate with lean proteins, and ¼ of your plate with whole grains and to include some dairy or dairy alternative.

What about dieting?

We often hear about fad diets in pop culture and all over social media. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what will work to get you that "perfect body,"  and there are often confusing messages on what you should or should not eat. The reality is, the perfect body does not exist, and these diets typically don't work or only "work" for a short time. They can even be hazardous to your health.

Dieting is a common practice among young people and is increasing in all genders. Studies have shown that 60-80% of young students have been on a diet in the previous year. Dieting can contribute to poor mental as well as physical health which can make college life very difficult. This is an important time to make healthy lifestyle changes that you can carry with you after college.

The Non-Diet Approach

The non-diet approach to managing weight is an attuned and mindful-based eating approach that supports self-esteem and body acceptance.  It replicates a normalized style of eating which prevents the development of disordered eating and eating disorders. 

The Health at Every Size (HAES) approach supports the non-diet approach and its focus on self-acceptance. HAES is based on the simple premise that the best way to improve health is to honor your body. It supports people in adopting health habits for the sake of health and well-being, rather than weight control.

The best diet is the non-diet. Avoid focusing on calories, grams of key nutrients (like carbohydrates, protein and fat), or specific food groups.

Instead:

• Enjoy a variety of foods. All food can fit into your food plan with the right balance! There is no such thing as "good" and "bad" foods. 
• Learn to listen to signals of hunger, thirst and fullness. 
• Eat small meals throughout the day to keep yourself energized and to avoid extremes of hunger. 
• Stay hydrated to feel good and perform well. Thirst is often mistaken for hunger and/or fatigue.

When the Fall 2020 semester went virtual, we started releasing recipes that are easy to make and budget-friendly in place of our typical, in-person What's Cooking? Cooking Classes.

This Spring, we're continuing the tradition.

Find the Fall 2020 Recipes here.

Did you make a recipe that you loved? Tag us on Instagram @UNHHealth with #whatscookingwildcats!