- ARC Home Page
- Membership
- ARC eNewsletter
- Aquaplex
- Aztec Adventures
- Team Challenge
- Bowling & Games
- Cardio Room
- Climbing Wall
- Employment
- Exercise Catalog
- FAQ
- Fitness Room
- Group Fitness
- Intramural Sports
- MBAC
- Multi-Purpose Gyms
- Personal Training
- Racquetball
- Rec Classes
- Sport Clubs
- Staff
- Tennis
- Track
- Weight Room
- Wellness
- AS Home
- SDSU Home
Nutrition Information
Simple Switches
Nutrition-related Web Resources:
SIMPLE SWITCHES
What is a Simple Switch?
A simple switch is when you take a not so healthy option, and replace it with a healthier choice. In general, look for low-fat or fat-free food varieties, reduced-salt or “no-salt-added” options, and opportunities to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Making Simple Switches Easy
- Choosing veggies as your pizza topping instead of pepperoni and sausage
- Getting a water and fruit with your sandwich instead of chips and soda
- Asking for no sour cream and guacamole on your tacos or burritos, and getting extra salsa instead
- Opting for baked potato chips instead of regular
- A light frappacino from instead of a regular frappacino
- Substituting a large sized coffee drink or meal for a smaller one (ex: Grande instead of Venti or avoiding super-sizing your meal).
Simple switches also can work throughout your day. Read below to find more healthy food tips to balance your day.
Meal Pattern
- Include both carbohydrate and protein sources with each meal, and possibly each snack.
- Frequent meals and snacks throughout the day to avoid the highs and lows in energy. Recommend 3 meals with at least 2-3 snacks per day.
Carbohydrate Sources - moderate portions of “starchy” foods and more fruits and vegetables
- “Starchy” foods - Whole grain breads and cereals, cooked grains, pasta, legumes (i.e. oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat spaghetti, barley, beans, lentils, bagels, popcorn)
- High amounts of fruits & vegetables (i.e. whole fruits/veggies, fruit smoothies, soups, salads). You need 2.5 cups of fruits and 3 cups of vegetables each day.
- Avoid/limit white flours (i.e. white breads), cakes, cookies, croissants, muffins, potato chips, high-fat crackers. They are only a source of “empty calories” since they are low in nutrients.
Protein Sources - choose a variety of protein sources to obtain a variety of nutrients
- Lean cuts of meat, fish, poultry (i.e. chicken breast, tuna) à remove skin & visible fat
- Vegetarian protein sources (i.e. tofu, soymilk, GardenburgersÒ, Boca BurgersÒ, beans)
- Low-fat dairy products (nonfat/1% milk, mozzarella cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese)
- Eggs (limit yolks and add extra egg whites)
Other Tips When Making Food Choices
- Use low-fat dressings & sauces (avoid all white/creamy sauces and salad dressings)
- Cooking methods à grilled, steamed, baked, roasted (avoid fried)
- Be selective at fast food restaurants à order a grilled chicken sandwich, hamburger or cheeseburger instead of deluxe burgers; avoid super-sizing; order a side salad instead of French fries
Snack Ideas - primarily try to choose fruits or vegetables with a protein source
- Yogurt + banana
- Apple + peanut butter or string cheese
- Pineapple + cottage cheese
- Half bagel + peanut butter
- 1 oz. pretzels + 1 oz. string cheese
- Sports bar
Beverages
- Water – best choice around!
- Juice - make sure it is 100% juice. Good source of nutrients, but limit your intake since juice is more concentrated in sugar and calories than whole fruit.
- Fruit drinks - often contain less than 10% juice and are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Not a great choice.
- Milk – good choice to help meet your protein and calcium needs. Best types are nonfat or 1% milk.
- Sports drinks - primarily needed to restore fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates during long workouts. With a meal or snack, you are only adding extra sugar to your diet.
- Soda - also adds extra sugar to your diet without any nutrients. In addition, both diet and regular cola’s may cause calcium loss from your bones if consuming more than 12 oz. regularly.
- Smoothies – contain healthy ingredients such as nonfat yogurt, fruit, nonfat milk and sometimes protein powder. However, they should be viewed as part of your meal, rather than a beverage, since they are high in calories and nutrients.
NUTRITION-RELATED WEB RESOURCES
Self Assessment and Nutrition Tracking
MyPyramid
Receive personalized eating plans and check out interactive tools to help you plan and assess your food choices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Eating Healthy On and Around Campus
Guide to Dining Out
- Healthy eating on campus handout
- San Diego’s Healthy Dining Finder: find healthy places to eat & healthier options at your favorite restaurants, all over San Diego!
http://www.healthydiningfinder.com/site/aboutus.htm
- Eating Healthy at Cuicacalli and University Towers Handout
Weight Watchers on Campus
- Weight Watchers At-Work has been serving the campus community since 1999 with dozens of success stories! Join us to learn how you can do it too.
- If you want more information, contact Bobbi Pointer at (619) 594-7225 or e-mail bpointer@foundation.sdsu.edu for more information.
- Meetings are held each Monday at 12 noon in Manchester Hall, room 4450. Confidential weigh-in is from 12-12:15 then the weekly meeting begins (the meeting ends by 1:00). Our Weight Watchers leader is Teresa. The meetings are a time for learning about the program, sharing of ideas, menus, recipes, food issues and much more. Many members bring lunch to eat during the meetings and they also leave the meeting when necessary.
Healthy Eating at Home
Vegetarian Cooking
http://vegkitchen.com/
You’ll find dozens of vegetarian and vegan recipes, cooking and nutrition tips, info for vegetarian and vegan kids and teens, reviews, news, and much more!
Cooking Light
http://www.cookinglight.com/
Your one stop site for everything FOOD! Find information on healthy living, eating smart, cooking 101, entertaining with food, and tons of healthy recipes for all tastes!
Tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/10-tips-for-healthy-grocery-shopping
Experts offer advice on navigating the supermarket.
All About Fruits
http://www.thefruitpages.com/
Everything you want to know about fruit.
Milk: Nature’s Wellness Drink
http://www.whymilk.com/
Visit this site to learn more about how Milk can help your family stay healthy and strong, gather recipes, and receive health tips.
Fact Sheets and Additional Reading
Nutrition Fact Sheets
Covering a wide range of topics, these brief fact sheets provide nutrition facts along with healthy eating tips and recipes.
Good Nutrition Reading List
This online guide identifies and describes books, newsletters and Web sites that provide timely and scientifically-based nutrition information you can trust.
Nutrition Made Easy
http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/index.html
This site is a compilation of nutrition information from trusted sources. This site covers a wide range of topics, and provides nutrition facts and information.
Diet and Disease
Healthy Heart
This special collection of food and nutrition information will help you make smart food choices and achieve a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Allergies and Food Sensitivities
Find general food allergy resources and information on a variety of specific allergies and sensitivities, including egg, fish, nut, soy, wheat, milk allergies and lactose intolerance.
Digestive Disorders and Diseases
Find information and resources about digestive system structure and function and disorders and diseases affecting the system (mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder) and associated organs (kidney). Also find information on lactose intolerance.
Diabetes
Resources include general information on diabetes, carbohydrate counting and exchange lists, children and diabetes, diabetes organizations and more...
Osteoporosis
Information on osteoporosis, prevention resources and links to organizations active in osteoporosis awareness and risk reduction. Special emphasis given to resources related to nutrition and osteoporosis.
Weight and Obesity
Find resources and information related to definition of overweight and obesity, statistics, related organizations including the Weight-control Information Network, the National Weight Control Registry, and programs such as Smallstep.gov and Shape Up America, and more.
Spanish Speaker’s Guide to Nutrition and Healthy Eating
Spanish Handouts
Nutrition and healthy eating information for a Spanish-speaking audience.
Last update: 7/21/09
- Staff
- Topic of the Month
- Events
- Nutrition Information
- Violence Prevention Information
- Body Image, Over-Exercise, and Eating Disorder Information
- Resources and Tools
- Brochures
- FAQ
