Nutrition not just about fat grams anymore
Students urged
to re-structure
unhealthy diets
By Todd Anderson
Staff Reporter
For students who constantly count calories
and fat grams, you may need to re-examine the
way you plan your diet.
“hi recent years we’ve come to think of nu
trition in terms of fat and calories,” said Karen
Miller, chief dietician for the University Health
Center.
She said in some cases the focus on calories
and fat has led to vitamin and nutrient deficien
cies.
Students should focus on balancing caloric
intake with expenditure, while varying their di
ets to gain all necessary nutrients, said Marilyn
Schnepf, chairwoman of the Nutritional Science
and Nutritional Department.
Miller said building a healthy diet is all about
making choices.
She said instead of doughnuts or potato
chips, choose foods like bagels or fruit. She also
suggested drinkingjuice or milk instead of soda.
“Most students tend to eat too many conve
nience foods,” Schnepf said.
She said students should realize that fruits
and dairy products can be convenience foods,
too, and can save students money.
“There’s always the perception by students
that fresh fruits and vegetables are too expen
sive,” Schnepf said.
But an apple or banana with milk compared
to a bag of potato chips and soda can cost less
and provide some of the nutrients required to
lead an active life.
Schnepf and Miller recommended following
the Food Guide Pyramid developed by the U.
S. Department of Agriculture.
The guide prioritizes foods high in nutrients
and low in fat and suggests the number of serv
ings from each of five groups; breads and whole
grains; fruits, vegetables and legumes; dairy
products; meat and fish; desserts and alcohol.
Schnepf and Miller said it is important to
eat a variety of foods from every group to en
sure all the basic nutrients are supplied to the
body.
“There are no good foods or bad foods.
There are good diets and bad diets,” Schnepf
Dave Ellis, coordinator for the Performance
Nutrition Program and the Hewit Dining Cen
ter, said the key is building a healthy meal using
a simple structured plan and sticking to it.
Ellis said it can be difficult for a student who
wants to follow a healthy diet in at campus.
Students who want a healthier lifestyle need
to take their diets into their own hands, he said.
A plan has to be developed and it requires dis
cipline to stick to that plan, he said.
“An implemented plan equals changes,” he
said. “It takes people time and discipline, but
first it takes a plan.”
He also said students shouldn’t try to do ev
erything at once and should learn to vary their
plans to fit changing needs.
He said student athletes can become con
fused because of all food choices and that is
why Performance Nutrition has developed the
three-point plan.
He said fire performance guide that UNL ath
letes are trained to follow is scientifically de
tailed, and its concepts provide all the basic
nutrients necessary for an active student.
The plan consists of three basic steps: incor
porate fruits, vegetables and seeds into meals,
alter carbohydrate intake relative to activity and
select a lean protein source.
The plan, which is sold at Super Kmart Cen
ter, is accompanied by a video explaining the
specifics of the plan.
The plan stresses the importance of fresh
fruits and vegetables, low-fat carbohydrate
sources, and lean protein sources.
While it’s important to watch daily fat in
take, Miller said, students shouldn’t obsess about
counting fat grams.
“We all need a certain amount of fat during
the day,” she said.
She said a reasonable amount is less than 30
percent of calories from fat. The total amount
of fat a student should consume in a day de
pends on the total number of carbohydrates con
sumed in a day and the percentage of calories
from fat the student is aiming for, she said.
For example, an average female student con
sumes about 1,800 calories per day. If she
wanted to limit her fat intake to 25 percent of
calories from fat per day, she would aim for 450
calories from fat, or 50 grams of fat, she said.
However, both Miller and Schnepf said ev
ery individual has different needs and cannot
mold their diets into an ideal plan.
Schnepf also said the way dieticians advise
people is changing. The main reason behind
planning a healthy diet shouldn’t be weight loss.
Schnepf said there is no magic number to
determine if students are at the proper weight.
She said genetics play a large role in deter-,
mining a person’s weight.
“If you feel good and (your weight) doesn’t
prevent you from doing the things you want to
do, then your weight’s fine,” she said.
Miller said increased energy, healthier skin
and hair and improved concentration are other
benefits of a healthy diet.
Healthy diets can also decrease the risk of
heart disease, cancer, adult on-set diabetes and
osteoperosis, she said.
Schnepf said students sometimes focus on;
frte short-term benefits of a healthy diet.
She said students who are confused about
nutrition or who need help planning their diets ,
have many options.
i The Family Resource Center on East Cam
pus offers nutritional counseling with dieticians,
she said.
In the spring, nutntion students will be pre
senting a nutritional education program to vari
ous student organizations.
In addition to literature available; from the
government, health organizations and maga
zines, students can take an Introduction to Nu
trition class offered by the Nutritional Science
and Dietetics Department, she said.
Miller said she likes to counsel students in
dividually from either of her offices in the Uni
versity Health Center or Lee and Helene Sapp
Campus Recreation Center.
She said the Campus Ree offers a one-hour
course on nutrition and the wellness program
can also help students plan a diet and exercise
routine.
Both Schnepf and Miller said a healthy diet
needs to be tailored to the person, and that there
are a number of resources on campus and in the
community that can help.
“it is a lifestyle change,” Miller said. “It’s a
whole new behavior that you’re learning. It takes
time.”
Vitamin / RDA per day Benefits Food Sources
B12 / 2 micrograms Needed for cell division Cereal, Egg, Milk,
Yougurt
B1 /1.5 milligrams for men Coversion of Pasta, Oatmeal, Peas,
1.0 milligrams for women carbohydrates to energy Potatos, Orange,
Peanuts, Soybeans
B2 /1.7 milligrams for men Acts as part of enzyme Cereals, Asparagus,
1.3 milligrams for women systems Mushrooms, Banana,
Split peas, Milk, Eggs
C / 60 milligrams Maintains die connective Broccoli, Peas,
tissues of die body Orange, Tomato
D / 5 micrograms Maintain normal blood Cereal, Milk, Egg
levels of calcium
A / 1000 RE for men Neededibr vision, Carrots, Tomato,
800 RE for women growth and reproduction Apricots, Cheese,
Milk
Iron /10 milligrams A lack of Iron can form Pasta, Pumpkin,
a type of anemia Prunes, Toni
Zinc / IS milligrams for men A lack of Zinc can cause Peanut butter, Brazil
12 milligrams for women problems in sexual nuts, Cheese, Milk
maturation and growth
Source: The Vegetarian Way Aaron Steckelberg/DN
It's coming & it's
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The Chancellor’s
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Get Real! Changing the
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An interactive video seminar
with Richard Keeling, M.D.
NE Union, Noon - 2 p.m.
Thursday, Sept 26
Walk/Ride to Work
Walk or ride a bike!
Friday, Sept 27
Well Worth It Health Fair
Campus-wide health fair! d
NE Union, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Fair activities include a
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environmental!, intellectual, occupational, physical, sot
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