Choosing Healthy Foods

Legumes are a group of vegetables that includes peas, lentils and beans (black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans, black beans, cannellini beans, and kidney), which are nutrient dense and provide a variety of health benefits.  They are low in calories, high in protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and provide beneficial vitamins and minerals including folate, iron, vitamin A, vitamin K, potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Research has indicated many health benefits associated with consuming legumes include- a reduced risk in cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type II diabetes, and high blood pressure. Since legumes are high in complex carbohydrates, they have a low glycemic index making them a great choice for people with diabetes. Legumes are high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, which is great because that means consuming them aids in binding to cholesterol, regulating blood sugar, preventing constipation, and increasing satiety- helping with weight management. It is important to...

with campus executive chef Tom Barton Hi everyone! Did you know October is National Seafood Month? We will be celebrating on Tuesday the 24th at both International Village and Levine Marketplace (Stetson East) with delectable menus and  a display of fresh caught seafood. Get ready to see – and touch – the seafood display as well as enjoy some locally caught sustainable seafood! All of the fish we serve daily is verified sustainable as well as the tuna is FAD free. We are proud to partner with companies like Red's Best, which is a local fish and seafood provider that focuses on working with local family fishermen. Red's Best guarantees they will buy the fishermen’s catch and get them a fair price, which is typically a concern for the fishermen. Another awesome thing about Red's Best is that they have a program that focuses on underutilized species. I know here on the east coast we tend to love all of our traditional white fishes like cod, but unfortunately they have been ove...

Eating patterns that consist of multiple foods is important to an overall healthy diet. Seafood should be part of that healthy eating pattern. Seafood includes fish and shellfish.  Based on the Dietary Guidelines it is recommended that the general population consume about 8 oz. of seafood (two 3 ½ oz. servings) each week. There are a number of health benefits that go along with eating seafood.  Seafood consumption increases ones intake of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), which plays an important role in the anti-inflammatory process, reducing cardiovascular issues and has been associated with the reduction of cardiac deaths among those with existing Cardiovascular Disease. Seafood consumption has also been linked to boosting memory and reducing stress hormones- just another great reason to incorporate seafood into your healthy eating pattern!  Something else to note about seafood is that it is a great source of high quality protein as well as many vitamins and minerals ...

It can be very tempting to follow the latest headlines claiming that certain foods will prevent disease, make you live longer or get you to your perfect pants size. Unfortunately the science of nutrition just doesn’t work that way. This October as pink pops up everywhere and talk focuses on prevention, treatment and finding a cure for breast cancer, what do we actually know about food and cancer? Antioxidants: Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are credited with many health benefits, including the possibility of reducing cancer risk. One possible reason is the presence of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, lycopene, and vitamins A, C, and E. Antioxidants have the ability to protect us from damage by free-radicals that could lead to cancer. Our bodies don’t produce enough antioxidants on their own, so we need to get them from food. The results around antioxidant supplements, however, are not so good. In some cases, risk of cancer actually increased with supplements. Eating more whole...