For the past month, employees at The University of Toledo have been participating in the Healthy New You program by Rocket Wellness — but there’s still a month to go!
This week’s focus is on food and will feature a video by Rocket Wellness and Clinical Dietitian Michele Lovett on healthy recipes and portion control.
“The majority of the time, our portions are out of control,” said Andrea Masters, assistant director of Rocket Wellness at The University of Toledo. “For example, a serving of meat is four ounces, which is about the size of a deck of cards.”
Masters said the video will feature a lot of comparisons like this to show participants what a proper portion looks like. It’s more than just meat; a salad at a restaurant can be several servings of vegetables, and knowing how much you’re really taking in is important.
She also stressed the importance of eating enough; our bodies need a minimum of 1,200 calories a day just to maintain important organ function and have energy to do basic tasks. If you exercise, you need to take in even more than that to replace the calories you’re burning.
“We need to make sure we’re not depriving our bodies,” she said. “We need to give it the fuel and nutrition it needs.”
This week’s challenge is to make one of the recipes featured on the Rocket Wellness website. Participants also are encouraged to share recipes of on the Rocket Wellness Facebook page at facebook.com/rocketwellness.
Aside from the recipes on the website, Masters said other recipes can be found through eatright.org. The site features reputable sources and a tool to plug your own recipes in to see their nutritional content.
Don’t forget, you can still earn bonus points for the walking programs held on both campuses. Rocket Walk is held from noon to 1 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays in the Student Recreation Center and from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Morse Center.
To watch this week’s video and keep up to date on the program, visit utoledo.edu/offices/rocketwellness.
