A Healthier Hokie: A Blog for Smarter Eating

Virginia Tech is a top-ranked university for our dining services. Because of this, we have many food options, with a lot of these being healthy. MyPyramid is the latest food guide pyramid that assists you in making healthy choices. By exploring the different segments of MyPyramid, you will be able to find many choices for healthy eating across campus!

The first part of the pyramid is grains. Grains come from a variety of sources including rice, bread, cereals, and many more. The aspect of grains that you need to focus on is consuming whole grains. At least half of the amount of grains you consume each day should come from whole sources. Look at the places below where you can find whole grains!

· Dietrick: brown rice and whole-wheat pita bread at Olives; whole-grain bread at Gauchos and East Side Deli; oatmeal at breakfast; low-fat granola and raisin bran cereal available all day; whole-grain pizza crust as a rotating special at Olives; whole-grain pasta at Mangia

· DXpress: whole-grain cereal bowls; whole grain wraps (look for Y.E.S. To Go Logo); whole grain bran muffins and snack bars

· Owen’s Food Court/Hokie Grill: brown rice at Bowl Dynasty and The Carvery; whole-wheat bread at Flips and The Garden; whole-grain roll at The Garden; whole grain pasta at Lotsa Pasta

· West End Market: whole-wheat pita at Leaf and Ladle; whole-wheat pasta as a rotating daily special at Bistro Firenze; whole-wheat wrap at Wrap World; whole-wheat bun at The Fighting Gobbler

· Shultz and Shultz Express: oatmeal at breakfast; whole-grain cereals; whole-wheat bread at the made-to-order sandwich station

The second part of the pyramid is fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables help to protect you from chronic diseases, while giving you essential vitamins and minerals. Virginia Tech Dining Services offers many options for fruits and vegetables they are so important. Fruits and vegetables can be found at the dining halls listed below.

· Dietrick: salad bar and fresh fruit at Edens; vegetarian stir-fry at Pan Asia; steamed vegetables at Gauchos; vegetables, fresh fruit, and veggie burger at Olives; salsa and grilled veggies at Salsas

· DXpress: 100% fruit juice and fruit cups; vegetable wraps; grab-n-go salads (look for Y.E.S. To Go Logo)

· Owen’s Food Court/Hokie Grill: salad bar and fresh fruit at The Garden; steamed vegetables at The Carvery; stir-fried vegetables at Bowl Dynasty; smoothies at Freshens; fruit cups, grab and go salads at Hokie Grill; 100% fruit juice at The Oasis in both locations

· Au Bon Pain/Sbarro: mixed green salads, fields and feta wrap, fruit cups, fresh fruit, vegetable soups, 100% fruit juice at ABP; Caesar salad and veggie pizza at Sbarro

· West End Market: garden vegetable soup, vegetable and fruit salads from Leaf and Ladle; veggie burger at The Fighting Gobbler; steamed vegetables at JP’s Chop House; casear salad, veggie pizza, marinara and other veggie sauces at Bistro Firenze; 100% juice, fresh fruit, and smoothies at Wired; grilled vegetable wrap at Wrap World; sandwich toppings at The Cutting Edge

· Shultz and Shultz Express: 100% juice, fresh fruit, steamed vegetables, and sandwich toppings

· Deet’s Place: fruit cups, 100% juice, salads, and veggie bowl

A third part of MyPyramid is the milk group. Milk is essential to maintaining a strong, healthy bone mass. It is also needed to help reduce your risk of osteoporosis. You should focus on low-fat or fat-free dairy products in order keep fat and calories low. Milk is readily available at all dining centers, but see below for a more detailed description.

· Dietrick and DXpress: cottage cheese and yogurt at Edens; skim milk at D2; yogurt and skim milk at DXpress

· Owens Food Court/Hokie Grill: skim milk at The Oasis; cottage cheese and yogurt at The Garden; skim milk and yogurt cup at Hokie Grill

· West End Market: skim milk at Wired; cottage cheese and yogurt cup at Leaf and Ladle

· Shultz and Shultz Express: skim milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt cup

· Deet’s Place: skim milk and yogurt/granola parfait

· Au Bon Pain: yogurt and skim milk

The fourth segment of the pyramid is the meat and beans group. This group focuses on getting your needed protein intake. Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are all apart great sources of protein. Make sure you choose low-fat or lean options, as some meats can be very high in fat. Our dining centers have many options for healthy, low-fat protein options!

· Dietrick: omelets/eggs and rotisserie chicken at Gauchos; deli turkey and deli roast beef at East Side Deli; chicken fajita (veggies too!), refried beans at Salsas; hummus and other bean dishes at Olives

· DXpress: hummus (look for Y.E.S. To Go Logo); salads, wraps, and sandwiches with meat

· Owen’s Food Court/Hokie Grill: eggs and omelets at brunch and rotisserie chicken at The Carvery; turkey and roast beef deli meat at Frank’s Deli and Flips, chicken, beef, or tofu stir-fry at Bowl Dynasty; bean side dishes at Bistro Internationale; chicken fajita burrito at La Cantina; chargrilled sandwich, wrap and salad from Chick-fil-A; roasted turkey from Blue Ridge Barbeque

· West End Market: grilled chicken (remove the skin), catch of the day, and London broil at JP’s Chop House; deli turkey and roast beef at The Cutting Edge; grilled chicken sandwich at The Fighting Gobbler; chili at Leaf and Ladle; beef/chicken fajita and grilled chicken at Wrap World; chicken caesar salad at Bistro Firenze

· Shultz and Shultz Express: scrambled eggs, omelet, steamed eggs, rotisserie chicken, and made-to-order deli sandwiches (turkey and roast beef)

· Deet’s Place: grilled chicken salad

· Au Bon Pain: nuts, deli turkey, grilled chicken, egg, and roast beef

Our dining centers are doing their part in helping to keep us healthy, now we need to do ours! Check out some of the healthy options you didn’t realize were available or just haven’t tried. Don’t forget that exercise is also essential to good health. Make a change today, adopt a healthy lifestyle!