Protein. Like steak and eggs, right? Its one of the major food groups in the food pyramid, but are we getting enough of it?
Technically, yes, Americans get enough protein. Too much actually. But they aren’t getting the right protein. Hamburgers, fried chicken, pecan pie: they are all high in protein. They are also high in saturated fats and simple carbohydrates.
Unfortunately, the average college student doesn’t get the right protein either, which is another reason for the dreaded “freshman 15”. Meat-lovers pizza, chicken fried rice, buffalo wings, and milkshakes aren’t exactly what they mean by ‘lean protein’. But when you rely on the campus dining hall for most of your meals, it can be hard to find foods that are both delicious and nutritious.
Or so you would think.
In the last few years, college dining programs across the country have made great strides to provide well-balanced foods that satisfy both a college student’s taste buds and the USDA’s nutritional guidelines. From colorful salad bars to omelet stations, it is becoming harder for students to blame the variety of options for their bad eating habits.
A perfectly balanced plate is made up of 25% lean protein, 25% complex carbohydrates, and 50% fruits and vegetables. The key word: lean. Chicken, ham, turkey and fish are all good options that can be found in the dining hall. The way the lean protein is prepared is equally important: choose grilled, sautéed or baked over fried anything. Stir-fried chicken and rice doesn’t count. Neither do Philly cheese steak sandwiches or sloppy joes.
We don’t all eat meat. For vegetarians of all kinds (flexitarians to vegans), protein-deficiencies are very common. Besides taking vitamin and mineral supplements, like fish-oil capsules (yuck), non-meat-eaters have many other sources of protein that can be found on almost any college campus: peanut butter, hummus, beans, cheese, yogurt, lentils, tofu, nuts,eggs…the list goes on. Vegetarians have to work harder to make sure they get enough protein, but they are more likely to eat the good protein than meat-eaters.
To kick-start your health, work to incorporate lean protein into every meal: yogurt with breakfast, grilled chicken on a salad at lunch, almonds for a snack, baked fish for dinner. It sounds so simple, because it is.