Healthy Dessert Option!

Thanks to a member Carly Citron, she shared one of her favorite healthy desserts to make at Frank!

She suggests you put granola and sliced banana in a bowl with vanilla soy milk! The vanilla soy milk gives it a sweet and creamy taste. I will definitely be giving this a try! It sounds delicious and is definitely a healthier option when compared to froyo or ice cream! Thanks Carly! 

You could also have sliced banana with peanut butter and honey on wheat toast! Another great way to incorporate bananas (a healthy source of potassium) into desserts that are satisfying AND healthy!

Please post any other suggestions below as comments!!!!

Encouraging Quotes

In honor of our latest meeting where we made posters to be hung in Trudy Fitness Center, we as a club have brainstormed and compiled a list of encouraging and inspirational quotes related to beauty and health!

1) Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Be yourself!
2) Listen to your body.
3) You only have one body. Take care of it.
4) Be confident in yourself. You're good enough.
5) "Forget the haters cause somebody loves you!" -Miley Cyrus
6) Strong mind. Strong body. 
7) Beauty is more than a number on a scale.

Eating Disorder Statistics

I believe that eating disorders are an extremely prevalent part of our society because there is so much emphasis in the modern world on being thin. I believe that eating disorders are an issue that is swept under the rug because it is a touchy subject. I want to redesign the way we view eating disorders and make people realize how important of an issue they are in our society. To help emphasize this, I stumbled across some statistics that I think will surprise a lot of you...

1) Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness
2) The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old.
3) Only 1 in 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment
4) Most of those suffering from eating disorders are also suffering from anorexia athletica: He or she no longer chooses to exercise but feels compelled to do so and struggles with guilt and anxiety if he or she doesn't work out
5) 80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight
6) Girls who diet frequently are 12 times as likely to binge as girls who don’t diet
7) The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 165 pounds. The average Miss America winner is 5’7” and weighs 121 pounds
8) 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25

These statistics break my heart. There is so much more to life than being stick thin and eating perfectly and not exceeding a certain number of calories and over-exercising. Those suffering from eating disorder are missing out on life. I myself suffered an eating disorder and now that I am free from it: my life is SIGNIFICANTLY better. I am no longer sad and withdrawn and obsessed with food. I only hope to help those that are still suffering and to make them feel the eternal happiness that I now feel. I want to stop brushing the issue of eating disorders under the rug and spread awareness on these serious mental illnesses. 

A New Spin on Dinner

Do you ever walk into the dining hall and have no idea what to eat? This happens to me all the time. One thing that I can always count on to satisfy me is: the omelette station. I love breakfast and could eat it for any meal of the day. My dad and I always used to make a breakfast called "Huevos Rancheros" which is basically scrambled eggs with a twist. A great way to recreate this in Frank is to do the following...

• Order egg whites or scambled eggs (whatever you prefer) with onions, peppers and tomatoes
• Toast a piece of whole wheat bread and spread a thin layer of butter (if desired) or ask the sandwich station for a wheat tortilla
• Put the scrambled eggs in the middle of the tortilla or piece of toast
• Go to the salad station and put black beans, a little cheddar cheese and any other toppings you desire on it. Add some hot sauce if you like spicy things or if they have salsa try adding that! 
• Wrap up the tortilla and you have a delicious, well balanced, and filling dinner (or breakfast or lunch!) This is one of my favorite things to make.

The great thing about this idea is you cover all bases: Carbohydrate from the tortilla, protein from the egg and beans, healthy fat from the beans and some vegetables too! Try it and let me know how it is! If you have any other suggestions or comments feel free to email me at esisto@colgate.edu! Stay healthy!!!

Dieting Myths Busted

So I was browsing the internet and stumbled upon some dieting myths! A lot of them were very interesting and busted myths that I used to believe myself! I thought I would share them with you because I can't be the only person who used to believe them!

1) MYTH= Eating after 8pm is bad. Late night calories turn into fat.
THE TRUTH= Your metabolism can't tell time. Your body uses calories at the same rate in the morning, afternoon and evening. They may not burn as quickly if you are laying on the couch watching a movie, but the next day once you start moving again the calories will be used up.

2) MYTH= Pasta makes you fat.
THE TRUTH= Weight gain comes from extra calories whether they are in the form of carbohydrate, fat, or protein. When you order pasta at a restaurant they often give you up to 3x a single serving of pasta in addition to heavy sauces and garnishes. Pasta in moderation is 100% fine though. Especially if you are working out heavily, carbohydrates are ESSENTIAL for your body to create energy and repair muscles. You need carbohydrate in your diet.

3) MYTH= Eating fat will make you fat.
THE TRUTH= your body needs fat. But the key is to stick to healthy sources of fat such as raw almonds, avocado, hummus, olive oil and fishes such as salmon. These foods in moderation provide monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that are extremely healthy and essential in your diet. They can actually make you leaner!

4) MYTH= The more calories you cut, the more weight you lose.
THE TRUTH= Restricting diets cause your body to go into "starvation mode" which prevents your body from burning unwanted fat. It is important to nourish your body fully and completely each day and make sure you are eating enough calories. You must eat a base number of calories around 1200 PLUS anything that you burn from exercise to simply maintain your weight. Starving yourself does nothing because once you start eating and nourishing your body again, you will gain any weight that you did lose back.

5) MYTH= As long as you're eating healthy food, calories don't matter.
THE TRUTH= Being healthy is about balance and eating everything in moderation. Sure, fruit is a healthy part of ones diet but eating fruit for every meal is probably not the best option. Your body needs calories from all different food groups including simple/complex carbs, proteins and fats. Many people have skewed perceptions of what actually "healthy" is. Calorie intake is essential to your body being healthy and performing at its best ability. 

My Favorite Healthy Snacks

Everyone gets hungry between meals on occasion! In fact, its actually healthier to eat consistently throughout the day in smaller portions rather than eating three huge meals. This keeps your metabolism going all day! I try to limit myself to one or two snacks a day. I definitely have some favorite healthy snacks that are easily accessible on Colgate's campus!

1) Apple and Peanut Butter- Frank dining hall always has peanut butter and most of the time has apples also. If they don't, try banana and peanut butter-- its delicious and healthy! Try to limit yourself to a spoonful of peanut butter since it is high in calories, but it is certainly very healthy and filled with TONS of good fats.

2) Kashi GO LEAN! Bar- I love these bars. Not only do they taste delicious, but they have 9 grams of protein in them and 6 grams of fiber. They sell the Chocolate Peanut ones at the C-Store in the Coop and I love eating them with a cup of coffee as a mid-morning snack. 

3) Veggies and Hummus- At the Coop, you can purchase carrot/celery sticks and hummus cups that come with pretzels. While you can certainly eat the pretzels, eating the veggies with the hummus is a slightly healthier choice! Whenever you have the opportunity to get an extra serving of veggies into your diet...do it! The more the better. This is an easy on-the-go snack!

4) Plain Greek Yogurt with Honey- At Frank they have plain greek yogurt. While the fruit flavored yogurt is delicious, you are better off eating the plain yogurt that has much less sugar and drizzling it with honey that can be found near the coffee and tea section. Honey has sugar also, but is a much healthier source of sugar and antioxidants. At the C-store they have fruit flavored Chobani that is also a healthy midday snack.

5) Air Popped popcorn- While microwave popcorn is not necessarily the healthiest, if you can get to Price Chopper you can purchase individual 100 calorie packages of microwave popcorn. This is a delicious light snack that has some fiber in it and will satisfy a craving for something salty!

6) Hard Boiled Egg- They always have hard boiled eggs at Frank. Eat one sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. MAKE SURE you eat the yolk!!! A lot of people do not eat the yolk because they fear it has too much fat and cholesterol. However, egg yolks are a far better source of calcium, iron, phosphorous, zinc, folate, and vitamins B6, B12, A, E, and D. Sure, the whites have some protein and are low calorie but the health benefits of the yolk far outweigh the whites. So if you were to throw one of the two out it should the WHITES!

6) Are you ACTUALLY hungry? Sometimes we think we are hungry but it could be our bodies way of saying that we are thirsty or tired. Or sometimes we eat when we are bored! If you don't think you're actually hungry...try making a cup or green tea or herbal tea with 1 tbsp honey. Drink this, wait 15-20 minutes and if you are still hungry, have a snack!

Real Beauty

For anyone who has not watched this video, it is truly remarkable. Society today is so focused on aesthetics that we forget that there are so many other things that make us beautiful people. Beauty is so much more than how you look.

• “When you’re a beautiful person on the inside, nothing in the world can change that about you. Jealousy is the result of one’s lack of self-confidence, self-worth, and self-acceptance. The Lesson: If you can’t accept yourself, then certainly no one else will.” ~ Sasha Azevedo

This is the link to the video that I highly recommend everyone watches.

• http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/

Eating in the Dining Hall

One of the things that I struggle with oftentimes here at Colgate is finding healthy options to eat in the dining hall; particularly Frank. A great way to make healthy and interesting meals is to innovate. To make a well balanced meal, sometimes you have to get creative! In each meal you should have a balance of protein, veggies/fruit, carbohydrates and healthy fats. I am going to post examples of meals that I have created for myself in the past with a few simple steps. The following steps are to create a yummy whole wheat pasta dish!

Step 1: Frank always has plain whole wheat pasta. Put a serving of this wheat pasta in a bowl.
Step 2: Drizzle the pasta with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. (found near pasta station)
Step 3: Find some sort of protein to put on the pasta. Look at the salad bar for chicken, near the grill station they often have turkey burgers, at the salad bar they have hard boiled eggs etc...
Step 4: What's left? Vegetables. Look for some sort of vegetable such as broccoli, shredded carrots at the salad bar, the occasional sautéed spinach at the vegetarian station or even some tomatoes from the salad bar! 

Mix all of the above together and you have a healthy, well balanced and delicious meal! Also, don't be afraid sometimes to ask for different pieces of entrees that Frank serves. For example if they are serving meatloaf, potatoes and steamed broccoli, ask the server for JUST the broccoli if you need a veggie for your pasta! Being creative is a great way to create filling and interesting meals so you don't get tired of the food so quickly since our options are very limited. Hope you enjoyed this recipe!

Project Beauty

Hi everyone! For those who do not know me, my name is Emily Sisto and I am the President and Founder of a club here at Colgate University called Project Beauty. I decided to create this blog as a part of the student organization that members or anyone can reference. I will be posting various things that are applicable to my club such as healthy eating tips, exercise suggestions, fun facts, encouraging statements and more! I thought this would be a good way for people to stay involved if they are too shy to come to a meeting or are too busy to attend the meetings and be directly involved! So enjoy and feel free to email me at esisto@colgate.edu with any questions, comments, or suggestions! :)