Just Try It! - OR - Don’t Shoot Yourself in the Foot, Plus Other Tips to Take With You While You Eat This Holiday Season and Beyond.

I have heard countless people comment upon seeing a food item that is labeled, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, etc. pass it up due to the label that somehow translates to them as… “That must taste bad”

I suggest a little more thought be placed around this decision.

Consider…

 

Your steak, be it tenderloin, flank or chuck is wheat free, dairy free, egg free, peanut free, soy free, fish free.

Hershey’s kisses could wear a sign proudly announcing “gluten free”. Would this cause you to drop them and grab another bag?  (A marketing test I would LOVE to perform.)

Your apple, orange, mango, pea pods are all free of the big 8 allergens.

What are the big 8 allergens you ask?

Milk

Eggs

Fish

Crustacean Fish

Peanuts

Tree nuts

Soy

Wheat

Let’s not forget that most fudge and flourless chocolate is also gluten free. OH, what a CRIME to have missed that taste sensation with a poor judgment call to assume sand gluten = sans flavor.

The list goes on and on!

Keep these things in mind as you travel to parties and gatherings.  I promise you, you will be AMAZED at what sensitivity friendly taste treats are hiding out there to be discovered and enjoyed. If you are not someone that has had to deal with food sensitivities, you may find the various “frees” intimidating and perhaps feel as if they are a subtle warning to stay away.   They may just be the product of a very conscientious host.  Food sensitivities and allergies are on the rise at phenomenal rates. This is something you will likely see more often. Hosts and catering services are reaping the benefits of business with this extra effort.

That being said… use common sense when the plate of gluten free, dairy free, peanut free chocolate chip cookies contains a much smaller population than the regular “everything” cookie platter.  You may want to back off for the sake of ensuring the guests in need of food sensitivity friendly foods have had their fill.  (Have you seen the episode of How I Met Your Mother with Martian Short at Marshall and Lily's party? He plays a vegetarian. There were vegetarian egg rolls at the party but they were so good everyone else ate them and he had nothing left at the party to eat. It was NOT pretty.  Just something to consider!). This can be solved by confirming with the host or catering. And who knows, your consideration and awareness may pay off in impressing the person you have been desperately wanting to flirt with all evening!

There is a difference in being respectful and being persnickety and passing up the well labeled food due to new food fears. Don't shoot yourself in the foot!

Go forth and have a wonderful and delicious holiday season! 

Judy B. 

Water -Save the dates! See a movie, participate in a discussion and share your thoughts and voice

Save the dates...

Tuesday December 4th
10 am -2 pm
Lake Superior Hall Lobby
Fill out a survey about access to drinking water in the dorms, bottled water and other dorm life topics and win a prize

Thursday December 6th
6pm
Ballroom
Watch Tapped - click to watch the trailer
Visit the movie website here
Discuss water, bottled water and our Duluth and UMD community

Editorial Reviews
Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? Stephanie Soechtig's debut feature is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water. From the producers of 'Who Killed the Electric Car' and 'I.O.U.S.A.,' this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water. From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities which were the unwitting chips on the table. 
From Amazon.com

Keep your eye out for more information. 

Enter a heart healthy recipe, support a good cause, win prizes!

To add a little incentive and community support to our previous recipe contest post...

SHAC (Student Health Advisory Committee)  has joined with The American Heart Association, UMD, and the College of St. Scholastica to help raise funds to bring a school in Duluth a teaching garden.

Please help us reach our goal!
Your simple act of submitting a heart healthy recipe will help make the cook book fantastic and help us raise money for the garden. 

What have you cooked lately?  Alone or with friends? A simple snack? a delicious meal?  Send it on in. Add your tips for making the recipe great, pictures if you have them and send them to...

hs_shac@d.umn.edu

Deadline for the cook book Tuesday November 13. 
Deadline for SHAC contest is Friday November 30

Bring 'm on...
Heart healthy
dorm friendly
ethnic (Feel free to include specific locations to get ingredients)
vegetarian 
vegan 
gluten free
super simple snacks
tips for dorm eating, shopping, cooking, eating healthy with a busy schedule, etc. 

PLEASE INCLUDE :
Your name, email address, role in the community (student, faculty, staff, etc), recipe, if possible photo of food, and nutritional information ,spark has a recipe calculator (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp)
Your submission could be published and by submitting your recipe you are giving your permission for publication

Learn More about the teaching garden
www.heart.org/teachinggardens

THANK YOU!!!

Recipe Contest! Enter Your Healthy Recipe For College Cooking!

What have you cooked in your dorm room, with your friends, by yourself.
Share your successes and win prizes!
Send your healthy recipe entries to

hs_shac@d.umn.edu 

we also welcome dorm room friendly recipes, ethnic recipes, tips for eating healthy while in college both on and off campus. shopping tips.  Use your imagination and bring it on!

Have a recipe you want to try? GREAT! Try it tonight, tell us how it went and send a picture too! 

Look for the posters around campus.!

MEET OUR FOOD COACH! Upcoming event and contact information

I'm very excited to introduce Jean Rodvold, UMD's Food Coach!

Far more than just a food coach Jean not only works to inform direction in Dining Services, she serving as a resource for staff, faculty and students.  If you have a question about your food here at UMD, what is in it, both ingredients as well as nutritional details, or maybe you would like some nutritional advice and guidance around your specific diet Jean is a fantastic resource. 
 

Having the chance to meet and work with Jean I can honestly say she is a great addition to UMD. She has already done great work that is not evident to the naked eye. She is a driving force in expediting having nutritional information available more readily and easily for all of us. She has made small but significant changes such as moving the gluten free bread from a bin in the sandwich bar to its own separate container off to the side.

Jean's bio and contact information is below. 

First... details about a free event providing a perfect opportunity to meet Jean and gain helpful information supporting our eating through the stress surviving finals week and the holidays.  And, let's be honest here... who couldn't use a boost around that time that has us feeling good and our brains at optimal capacity. When all systems are go and on full throttle keeping our nutritional support in place helps minimize the highs and lows keeping us consistently energized as well as smarter!

FREE EVENT

 "Eat Through Stress"

Monday December 3rd

11AM

Garden Room

Join us to talk about eating healthy during FINALS WEEK and through the holidays!!

Please join us!

Jean Rodvold, UMD Food Coach

Jean received her B.S. degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She completed her dietetic internship at the Mayo Clinic, Mayo School of Health Sciences in Rochester, MN. She worked as a Dietetic Technician at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, MN for two years before joining the University of Minnesota Duluth. She enjoys running in her spare time and is a self-proclaimed foodie.

Jean provides nutrition related expertise within both Dining Services and the UMD Employee Wellness Program. Her services are free to students under the Division of Student Life. UPlan members are able to schedule appointments with her under the Health Coaching Program.

Contact Jean with any nutrition related questions at (218) 726-8345 or rodvo005@d.umn.edu

Check out Dining Services Nutrition website for nutrition, health and wellness resources, as well as information to help you eat well on campus, http://www.d.umn.edu/food/nutrition
For more information about the UMD Employee Wellness Program, visit http://www.d.umn.edu/umdhr/wellness/


Welcome Jean!

Happy and safe halloween candy eating. Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free, Vegan, more candy information.

Hope you are having a fantastic Halloween!
If you or someone you know has food sensitivities or a limited diet it can be a challenging day. Reading each wrapper, avoiding most available food all together.

Below are several lists compiled by various websites to help guide your food needs.

The Ultimate Vegan Halloween Candy Guide!

Hershey's gluten free list

Gluten Free Nut Free Dairy Free Halloween Candy List 2012

Safe Gluten Free Halloween Candy
This site has a green for go, red for stop and yellow for be cautious division of candies.




BONUS
Or, you could just forget the candy and make your own. This looks DELICIOUS!
Recipe: Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake
Click on the link for full recipe.


Enjoy and safe treating!

The "Green Goblin" - An easy green smoothie recipe

It being the month of Halloween as well as the month of FOOD DAY our consciousness around our food may be heightened. I thought a recipe for "THE GREEN GOBLIN" smoothie would be appropriate. A little celebration of the holiday mixed with a dose of fruits and veggies.

A few notes on the smoothie making process...
If you have a less powerful blender you might try cutting the oranges into smaller chunks. Or, you can exchange them for a different fruit. 
Another blender tip. Try using milk (dairy, almond, coconut, hemp, hazelnut, sesame, what ever is your favorite or you are adventurous enough to try) along with or instead of yogurt. It sometimes helps to put the liquid ingredients in with the spinach first, in my experience, and get that chopped up and in a puree form. Then adding the fruits.
Using fresh fruits is wonderful however frozen works great to. 
Experimenting with a recipe by changing things up can add variety of taste and nutrients. 
I have added Kale and other greens to a smoothie and have been amazed at how it doesn't overpower the sweetness and good taste

From the Two Peas and Their Pod blog
Green Smoothie "The Green Goblin"

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

This simple Green Smoothie is a great way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. I promise it is delicious and nutritious!

Ingredients:

1 large orange, peeled and segmented
1/2 of a large banana, cut into chunks
6 large strawberries
2 cups spinach
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use Chobani 0%)
1 cup ice

Directions:

1. Put all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.
Note-I use our Blendtec Blender which is a very powerful machine. Make sure you use a powerful blender that will puree the orange, spinach, ice, etc. I like to store one serving of the smoothie in the freezer for later. Pour in an air-tight container and freeze. Make sure you take the smoothie out of the freezer about 30 minutes before you want to drink it. You can also store the smoothie in the refrigerator.

A few ADDITIONALnotes on the smoothie making process from Judy...

·        If you have a less powerful blender you might try cutting the oranges into smaller chunks. Or, you can exchange them for a different fruit.  

·        Another blender tip. Try using milk (dairy, almond, coconut, hemp, hazelnut, sesame, what ever is your favorite or you are adventurous enough to try) along with or instead of yogurt. It sometimes helps to put the liquid ingredients in with the spinach first, in my experience, and get that chopped up and in a puree form. Then adding the fruits. 

·        Using fresh fruits is wonderful however frozen works great to.  

·       Experimenting with a recipe by changing things up can add variety of taste and nutrients.

·       I have added Kale and other greens to a smoothie and have been amazed at how it doesn't overpower the sweetness and good taste.

ENJOY!

100% beef or Bread Crumb/gluten Containing Patties.

Curious about the burger patty you are getting at the Burger Hub and Dining Center?
Need to avoid gluten?

As of today...
The new 100% beef, no gluten, 90/10 burger patties that Dining Services has been using the last few weeks will, as of now, no longer be available. Due to customer comment Dining services is going back to the "Cloud" burger which contains bread crumb/gluten fillers.  

If you are in need of a gluten free burger at the Burger Hub or would just like a 100% beef patty.
When you are at the burger hub you will need to order a grass fed beef patty. If you need a gluten free bread choice you will need to specify that as well.

We will do our best to keep you updated of additional changes.

We welcome your feedback, comments and questions.
Thank you!

RETRACTION... For those with whwat or gluten sensivities, allergies, etc.

For those who need to eat gluten free...
Please be aware that there may be changes with the beef patties in the Burger Hub and the Dining Center. There may be a change away from the 100% beef patties back to the previously used meat patties with gluten/bread crumb filler.  Or possibly something different however we are not aware of what that will be for sure at this time.

Please refrain from eating the hamburger patties or be sure to ask to see a manager who can check the packaging before you consume.

Thank you very much and we are very sorry for the confusion or any discomfort.

Do remember their are grass fed 100% beef burgers in the Center Court restaurant. 

Be well... 

FOOD DAY at UMD - Event list

The Official FOOD DAY is October 24th. UMD however has done even better and given us events all month long.
Check out this link for the events at UMD and in the area.
What IS FOOD DAY you ask? They are listed on the link above but here they are.

What is Food Day?
Food day is: Healthy + Sustainable + Affordable + Fair

Food Day Goals

• Food day works to promote safer, healthier diets
• Support sustainable and organic farms
• Reduce hunger
• Reform factory farms to protect the environment and animals
• Support fair working conditions for food and farm workers

There are some amazing events.
Apple Orchard Expo
Workshops and cooking demos
Viewing of FRESH, the movie
Dr. Kuross (Click for Video from local news story) from Essentia Health is speaking at UMD
Events helping support people finding their way to making big or small changes towards their eating goals.
Check out the event list here.

Please join us for any or all of these fantastic events.
Happy food day-month!

Where's The 100% beef patty you ask? NOW at Burger Hub.

UMD Dining services has confirmed that the burger served in the Burger Hub at the UMD food court is NOW 100% beef!
No more gluten fillers in your Burger Hub hamburger patty!   This is a huge win for the gluten intolerant!
There is a size and shape difference that you will notice from the old burger as well.

Don't forget, the Center Court Restaurant is a 100% grass fed burger and also gluten free!

I am waiting for absolute confirmation on which hamburger is used in the Dining Center... so, more to come!

Please pass along to those in your life who have celiac, gluten intolerance, gluten allergies, paleo diet consuming, etc.

YEAH!

Avacado. A wonderful healthy fat. How do I pick a good one and store it properly to get the most from my purchase?

If you like avocados, yet are concerned about not eating them before they get too ripe or go bad. Or maybe you are not sure how to store or cut them. Here are 2 videos you might find helpful for dorm or apartment living.  (Salsa and guac party anyone?)

Avocado's are great on their own, in a sandwich and so many other wonderful ways.

The first video is about storing it with onions. Notice he stores the half with the pit. 

Some people also use a lemon or sprinkle the remaining avocado with lemon juice to keep the color fresh.

This second video takes you through choosing, speeding and slowing the ripening process as well as slicing and longer term storing suggestions.

 

ENJOY!