Archive for the ‘Updates & Announcements’ Category
08.14.2024
Catching Up With The Clericals
UGA Dining Services relies on exceptional student employees who help ensure that the dining commons operate smoothly. In the Nutrition Department, we depend on Student Nutrition Clericals to maintain menus, update allergens, manage inventory, create educational content, and assist the Dietitians. These dedicated individuals play a pivotal role in shaping the dining experience at UGA, and we are excited to showcase their stories and celebrate their influence. We checked in with them to see where they are now...
05.08.2024
Protein Needs: Fact vs. Fiction
There is a lot of misinformation in the media regarding muscle growth and fitness. Social media influencers will try to sell their followers on a particular diet or lifestyle, which often includes biased or inaccurate information. With all the different diets, lifestyles, and exercise regimens out there, it can be confusing to figure out what is fact and what is fiction.
04.22.2024
Celebrating Earth Day 2024
UGA Dining Services is consistently working to improve our sustainability practices - it's our way of giving back to the Earth! Follow along with graduate student Ava Harris as she shares some simple ways you can give back, too!
04.02.2024
Dining Bracket Contest Winner: O’Hacienda at O-House
The results are in from the 2024 March Madness Dining Bracket Contest, and O-House's O'Hacienda takes the title of fan-favorite! This staple station is home to UGA's most flavorful burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and nachos. You can customize your plate with delicious toppings to accommodate for any dietary restrictions or allergens. Now that National Nutrition Month has come to an end, we invite you to experience a world of flavors and visit O'Hacienda for lunch or dinner to see why it's the top student-rated station this year!
03.27.2024
A Rainbow In Spring
A few weeks ago, we shared a post about the benefits of eating in season produce. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are more likely to be at peak flavor and nutrient content, and grocery prices for these items are typically cheaper as a result of reduced production and transportation costs. But now that we know what's in season, how do we decide what to put on our plate?
03.20.2024
Crossword: National Nutrition Month 2024
View the crossword puzzle for National Nutrition Month 2024.
03.05.2024
What’s In Season & Why Does It Matter?
We all know that eating fruits and vegetables is good for us, but why does it matter what's in season? Studies have shown that when consumed soon after naturally-ripening, fruits and vegetables actually contain more vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. This means that eating food in season not only tastes better, but it can also make you feel better!
02.13.2024
Sleep Debt Among Students
70% of college students experience a phenomenon called sleep debt. Sleep debt, or sleep deprivation, happens when we consistently don't get enough sleep. The negative effects of sleep deprivation can impact our health and performance over time. If you believe you are not getting enough sleep, follow along for signs to watch out for and tips to improve your sleep routine.
02.05.2024
Why You Should Be Stocking Your Pantry with Beans
If you've stepped foot into a grocery store recently, chances are you've noticed that your purchases have gotten pricier. As groceries become increasingly expensive, consider replacing some of your meat consumption with beans. You can diversify your diet, consume a wider variety of nutrients, and even save yourself some money!
01.22.2024
Eating Healthy with Paw Points
Struggling to find healthy options while on the go? Have lots of Paw Points left over from last semester and unsure how to use them? It can be hard to navigate where and what to eat on campus when you are not in the dining commons. There are so many easy and nutritious options around campus, so let's explore a few ways to put your Paw Points to good use!
12.08.2023
‘Tis the Season to be Giving: A Healthy Holiday Gift Guide
The holiday season is here! While it is a joyous time for many, the pressure of gift-giving and the hunt for the perfect present may leave you feeling stressed and confused. The gift must be practical to avoid collecting dust in the back of a closet, but it must also show that you know and care for recipient. This holiday gift guide aims to help you find gifts that best suit your loved ones and support their health and well-being.
11.17.2023
A Day in the Life of a NUTR Practicum Student
For our latest "Day in The Life," join nutrition practicum student Grace as she takes us through a full day of work, classes, internship projects, and more! ☀️
11.06.2023
A Day in the Life of a Community Nutrition Graduate Student
Spend a day with Ava, a nutrition graduate student and Dining Services Nutrition Clerical, and discover some of her favorite meals fueling her busy days. 🥙 What are some of your go-to meals in the dining commons?
10.16.2023
Trick or Treat Yourself with Balanced Halloween Treats!
The leaves are turning, there is a chill in the air, and the Halloween season is upon us. Halloween is known for being a holiday of enjoying sweet treats and candy, and for some, this may spark questions on the health impact of these typically sugary foods. Tasty treats can still be a part of a balanced diet. Mindfulness when making food choices and eating a variety of nutritious foods, as well as treats, are all factors that create a balanced diet and life.
09.07.2023
Eating Plant-Based in the Dining Commons
Your first year at college can be a difficult adjustment in many ways, and finding plant-based options in the dining commons can feel like an additional challenge. Luckily, eating plant-based in college is not nearly as difficult as it may seem. Here are some hacks I discovered as a first-year vegetarian that I still use today.
05.04.2023
Food Rainbow Series – Part 3: Eating the Rainbow
You may have heard that one of the best ways to get the necessary amount of nutrients is by "eating the rainbow." This phrase refers to having a diverse eating pattern to maintain healthy bodily function. With over 30 vitamins, minerals, and other dietary components, it is hard to keep track of what is necessary for your body's health. A great way to simplify the process is to focus on the variety of colors on your plate.
04.21.2023
Food Rainbow Series – Part 2: Colors and Food Desirability
There are two aspects of color that affect appetite: luminance and chroma. Luminance is perceived brightness and chroma is the color's intensity. Combined, they influence both hedonic and sensory expectations but also have as much influence when analyzed separately.
04.12.2023
The Food Rainbow Series: Stimulating Your Appetite Through Aesthetics
There are multiple factors that impact our desire to eat, including mood, environment, and food presentation. Food presentation considers color, arrangement, plating, neatness, portion sizes, balance, and even luminance to create a beautiful representation that influences your desire to eat that food. This series explores the relevance of these details and provides different tips and fun facts for your eating journey!
03.28.2023
Whole Grains For Your Whole Life
Whole grains are universally recommended in a healthful diet, providing helpful nutrients like dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, but they are a severely underutilized food group. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests choosing from a wide variety of grains daily and making half of the grains you eat whole grains.
03.13.2023
Celebrate National Nutrition Month
National Nutrition Month was created in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in order to promote healthful eating and physical activity. Every year during the month of March, the Academy invites us to learn how to make informed decisions about our food.
01.31.2023
Rethink Your Drink
Hot beverages are the quickest way to thaw after making a chilly trek from class, but they can be a source of added sugar.
01.11.2023
Sensational Snacking
When it's time to pick out a snack during your busy day, keep in mind the three S's of snacking: sustain, strategize, satisfy.
11.30.2022
Study Smart
Retaining a steady flow of facts in your brain requires a steady flow of nutrients. In addition to getting plenty of rest and organizing your time during finals, be sure to eat right.
11.17.2022
Don’t Fear the Feast!
Though filled with many joys, the Thanksgiving holiday can also come with some significant anxieties and stressors. When it's time to sit down to your feast, keep these tips in mind to help reduce stress and improve satisfaction with your Thanksgiving meal.
11.02.2022
Eat Your Breakfast
A well-balanced breakfast is the best way to start you day. Even if you are in a hurry, there are multiple ways to eat well and balanced.
10.18.2022
What Does It Mean To Be Heart Healthy?
Being heart-healthy involves preventing and managing cardiovascular disease by living a balanced lifestyle that consists of a healthy diet and regular exercise. Creating healthy habits and focusing on positive, long-term patterns is the key, and there are a few broad recommendations from the American Heart Association that can help you create these patterns of wellness and meet your goals.
10.05.2022
Pollination, What’s All The Buzz About?
Some of your favorite foods in the dining commons would not exist without the incredible power of pollinators! This month we are raising awareness about the importance of these animals to our cuisine.
09.19.2022
Food for Thought: Nutrition & Brain Health
Did you know that what you eat can have a direct effect on your brain function? Join Maggie Green, Dietetic Intern at Vanderbilt and UGA Dining Nutrition Marketing Intern, on a walk through the dining commons to learn about foods that can enhance your cognition and overall health.
09.08.2022
Tips for Being Plant-Based in the Dining Commons
Entering a college dining common with dietary restrictions can be a daunting feeling. I know that's how I once felt as a freshman visiting Bolton for the very first time. Luckily for all the plant-based eaters at UGA, I found there are many options that accommodate all diet choices. I have been vegetarian for five years and have learned many meal "hacks" since first walking into the dining commons three years ago, and I am happy to pass on these ideas.
04.05.2022
Dining Bracket Contest Winner: O-House O’Hacienda!
The results are in and the O-House O'Hacienda is this year's fan-favorite dining station from the 2022 March Madness Dining Bracket Contest! This staple station is home to UGA's most flavorful burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and nachos. You can customize your plate with delicious toppings to accommodate for any dietary restrictions or allergens. As National Nutrition Month ends, we invite you to experience a world of flavors and visit the O'Hacienda for lunch or dinner to see why it is the top student-rated station this year!
03.21.2022
Leafy Greens
Maggie Green teaches us that not only are leafy greens recommended in an overall healthful diet, they also play a vital role in brain function. Leafy green veggies such as spinach, kale, and broccoli are rich in vitamin K, folate, and carotenoids. Adequate intake of these foods is associated with healthy cognition, slower cognitive decline, improved executive function, and a sharper memory.
02.25.2022
Food for Thought: Flavonoids & Carotenoids
You may have heard of the buzzword antioxidant, but did you ever stop and question what it meant? Maggie Green tells us how Antioxidants prevent or delay certain types of cell damage. Flavonoids and Carotenoids are two types of antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties for improved neural and general health. They increase cerebral blood flow and artery protection and reduce cell damage.
02.11.2022
Food For Thought: Vitamin E
In this week's Food For Thought, Maggie Green explores the effects of Vitamin E on the brain and overall health.
01.28.2022
Food For Thought: Boost Brainpower with Nutrition
Did you know you can simultaneously nourish your brain and body? Yet another reason to get ample sleep, engage in physical activity, and eat nourishing foods. Data suggests that diet and nutrition are vital for human physiology and significantly affect mental health, mood, and cognitive function. Several well-known nutrients support healthy brain function. Maggie Green's next series of weekly articles will explore more on each of these nutrients and how you can find them in the Dining Commons. First up: fatty acids!
12.09.2021
Sleep & Nutrition
Most know that sleep and nutrition are important to one's well-being. But to what extent? Shekiah Shannon, a UGA Peer Nutrition Educator and a Double Dawgs Graduate Student in Nutritional Science, teaches us more about sleep and nutrition.
11.10.2021
What are ‘Superfoods’?
"Superfoods" describe foods that have multiple amazing benefits, so they begin to seem as though they have superpowers. We can embrace these "powers" by welcoming these foods into our daily diets. Shekiah Shannon, a UGA Peer Nutrition Educator and a Double Dawgs Graduate Student in Nutritional Science, shows us which foods with super nutritious benefits can be found in the dining commons.
04.19.2021
Mindful Eating 101
Did you know that stress could impact eating behavior? In these stressful times, it’s hard not to notice differences in our everyday routine. Sleeping less, worrying more, spending more time with screens than with friends. These obvious shifts in our life related to stress are easy to identify, but are you noticing how stress might be affecting how you eat?
03.31.2021
Whole Grains: Quinoa
Maggie Green, UGA Dining Nutrition Marketing Intern and 3rd Year Dietetics Major, teaches us about the benefits of quinoa.
03.30.2021
Finding Whole Grains
UGA Dining Nutrition Marketing Intern shares how to find whole grains in our dining commons.
03.18.2021
Navigating the Salad Bars, Part 2
UGA Dining Nutrition Student Intern Maggie Green shows us some great salad combinations from the salad bars and other stations at Bolton, Oglethorpe, and Village Summit.
03.02.2021
Navigating the Dining Commons’ Salad Bar
Here are the steps to creating a healthy and tasty personalized salad from ingredients in the dining halls’ salad bar broken down.
01.27.2021
Refrigerating & Microwaving Leftovers
UGA Dining Public Health Intern Kylie Zarecki teaches us how to properly store and microwave our leftovers.
10.12.2020
Eating Vegetarian on the Meal Plan
All UGA Dining Commons offer vegetarian options. The following items are served daily in our dining commons.
10.05.2020
Peer Nutrition Educator Tip: Fruit
UGA Dining Peer Nutrition Educator Courtney Keith gives us a nutrition tip.
09.22.2020
Eating Healthy in the Dining Halls
College is a great time to start building healthful habits. Now is the time to decide what type of adult lifestyle you would like to live. If you've never eaten healthfully before, it's a great time to try it out.
09.21.2020
Customize Your Meal
UGA Registered Dietitian shows us how to customize our meals by adding menu items from a variety of stations in the Dining Commons.
07.31.2020
Dietary Needs on the UGA Plan
UGA Dining Services Registered Dietitian Katherine Ingerson tells us what to do if you are on the UGA meal plan and have special dietary needs.