How to Eat Healthy in the Caf and Bison

            Battling some extra winter pounds?  Sometimes, when it is cold outside, we all feel less motivated to make the trudge to the gym or to run outside with our ears and noses becoming numb.  One way to make up for the lack of gym time is to shape up on healthy eating.  If you aren’t a senior with your own kitchen, it can feel difficult to eat well in the Caf or Bison.  However, being conscious of portion and serving sizes when selecting what and how much to eat can be an easy way to eat smart without dieting.
            Lets start with the Bison.  Honestly, their portions are generous, but way over the top in terms of actual serving sizes.  Take for example, the beloved pasta station.  Now, there really is no reason to shun pasta if you are trying to stay slim.  You just need to know how to do it properly.  For example, learn to love veggies in your pasta.  Basically half of what is on your plate at each meal should be vegetables, so make it a goal to eat more.  About a quarter of your meal should be lean protein, so throwing some chicken in there is good – maybe skip the sausage.  Keep in mind though that only one quarter of your plate should be starches or carbs!  One proper serving size of cooked pasta is half a cup, or about the size of a tennis ball cut in half.  So seriously, the bowl they give you is a TON of servings.  Of course, the average person should eat 6-8 servings of grains per day, so no need to stick to half a cup for your whole dinner (that would leave anyone still starving), but try to only eat half of the bowl and save some in your mini-fridge for later.  My advice for the Mexican station is much the same.  Be conscious that one serving of rice is the size of half a tennis ball so there is much more than that in your burrito.  Try a mini one and load in the veggies, like peppers and scallions, which are low in calories.  Skipping cheese or sour cream can be a healthy choice as well.  Adding a side salad is always a good idea to increase your veggie intake.  Obviously, fruit is also important.  One serving of hand fruit is about as big as a fist, so keep this in mind when selecting an apple.  V8 juice is also good because it tastes like fruit but also gives you servings of vegetables.  For your sandwiches, one piece of bread is one serving of starch so remember that you are having two here.  Also, throw on some cucumber, which is a “free food” that is less than 20 calories per serving.  When selecting condiments, try to do mustard or oil and vinegar, which are free foods as well, as opposed to mayo.
            The Caf can be even more difficult because the food is unlimited.  As a senior with no meal plan, I don’t go to the Caf often, but when I do, I pig out.  Everyone does.  But there are definitely ways to avoid this.  When filling your plate, remember the fractions rule:  ½ veggies, ¼ lean protein (meat, tofu…), ¼ starch/carbs.  This can be really helpful at the hot food station since they usually have a meat, a starch like mashed potatoes, and some sort of veggie choice.  The Mongo Bongo is also great because stir-fry is almost all veggies!  Try to have a color variety when selecting veggies (this generally means you’ll have a variety of nutrients as well) and go for chicken or tofu instead of beef.  Also, it’s always good to have it fried in water instead of oil.  When adding rice, be conscious of the half-tennis ball serving size (the serving spoon they have in the rice pots is actually a pretty good size for a serving).  Also remember this serving size when getting pasta, and know that red sauce gives you veggie nutrients and is less fatty than cream sauce.  Plus, the Caesar salad is conveniently located right next to the pasta, so add some lettuce to your meal!  If making your own salad, remember that beans are a great source of protein.  Last, my very favorite part of the Caf is….waffle makers!  I always make half a waffle (seriously, filling up just 2 out of the 4 compartments works great) and I go for syrup instead of whipped cream or those sugary fruit jellies.  Moral of the story:  think while you are loading up your plate.  It is totally possible to have a satisfying, filling meal without over-eating!