Benefits of the mediterranean diet
March 4, 2013
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,
It may make you say “oh we already knew that one” but when the latest study came out confirming the benefits of a Mediterranean diet I breathed a sigh of relief. The world of medicine & science often seems like a lesson in contradictions often leading to mistrust or disbelief in the general population about health & good nutrition. But no one can argue that a diet devoid of nutrients (i.e. processed foods in our diet) is not beneficial for our health. The Mediterranean diet is rich in beans, fish, lean proteins (very little red meat) fruits, vegetables and heart healthy fats like olive oil, canola, nut butters, etc. Also important to note is that while it includes carbohydrates like rice, pasta and bread they are in the whole grain (meaning 100 % whole) versus the refined (i.e. removed) we include so often in our diet.
Great links for more information from two of my favorites: Dr. Walter
Willette, MD & Mark Bittman, food writer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/dining/when-diet-meets-delicious-the-mediterranean-approach.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0
http://oldwayspt.org/resources/heritage-pyramids/mediterranean-pyramid/overview
NEW Composting Steps Exhibit
Sustainiability Work Study student Nate Secrest put together this mobile exhibit (living in The Grill right now) that explains each step of the composting process here at Guilford. There are some great shots of composting in action, and even samples of some of the finished products. Swing by The Grill to check it out!
Food Stories
Working for Guilford Dining I’m fortunate to live and work with fresh local food all the time. I got into this business because I love food, love sharing it with people, love the stories that everyone can tell about food they had in a specific place and time. This video from the Perrenial Plate gave me goosebumps because it was chock full of just that kind of love. Watching Joseph Fields and the camera guy pick and eat squash blossoms I could almost smell and taste them, feel the warm summer sun on the back of my neck, hear the cicadas…. Food is special, for all of us. That’s why learning about how your food is raised, where and by whom, is so important. Joseph Fields supplies fresh tasty organic produce to Eastern Carolina Organics, one of our favorite vendors in the spring and summer. Check out this video about his beautiful story.
How Dan Barber Fell in Love with a Fish
I’ve been reflecting lately about the growth of the Guilford College Farm. So often today things that grow quickly do so by over-extending, or ignoring long term consequences. The Guilford Farm does neither of those. Each piece of the puzzle that’s added on comes with the appropriate tools for the added task. And since the farm raises our fruits and veggies according to the principles of organic farming, what was once fallow land with hard red clay soil becomes fertile, productive soil that’s almost…fluffy. Korey and crew are able to produce food and still leave the land in better shape than when they found it. I think that’s one of the most exciting parts about this sustainable food movement, having the chance to see the natural world improve as a result of the choices people are making.
Here’s another gem of a story showing just that. Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns talks about how he fell in love…with a fish!
Trash Talk – Are your eyes bigger than your stomach?
Feb 25, 2013
Becky Tweedy, Assistant to the President
At MG account Guilford College, we weighed our daily food waste last semester to raise awareness about how much was being thrown in the trash.
Results?
300 pounds of food a day average almost half a pound of food per meal served!
How can you help?
- Start with smaller portions, & come back for more!
- Start a ‘clean plate club’, take what you’ll eat, eat what you take, spread the word!
Weekly Wisdom – Food Rules… Avoid foods advertised on TV
Feb 25, 2013
Sherri Meyer, MG Registered Dietitian,
- Food marketers are ingenious about boasting about “implied” healthfulness of their products (meaningful or not)
- Escape these ploys by refusing to buy heavily promoted foodsi.e. heavily processed
- Bogus food claims & faulty food science have made supermarkets “treacherous” places to shop for real food (to be continued)
Source: Michael Pollen, Food Rules
Trash Talk – Are your eyes bigger than your stomach?
Feb 25, 2013
Becky Tweedy, Assistant to the President
At MG account Guilford College, we weighed our daily food waste last semester to raise awareness about how much was being thrown in the trash.
Results?
300 pounds of food a day average almost half a pound of food per meal served!
How can you help?
- Start with smaller portions, & come back for more!
- Start a ‘clean plate club’, take what you’ll eat, eat what you take, spread the word!
Guilford Dining in the News
We’ve been getting a little bit of attention in the news lately for our efforts to divert 100% of food waste away from the landfill through the use of the Food Waste Digester. The FWD is a machine that uses patented microbes to break down from 300 pounds up to 2,400 pounds of food waste into a liquid form within 24 hours. This method allows food to be disposed by gravity into a floor drain to a wastewater treatment facility. Using the FWD ensures that the liquefied food matter stays out of landfills.
from a press release by Waste Industries, who supply the digester to Guilford:
“According to Chris Blain, the retail and sustainability manager for Meriwether Godsey who manages Guilford Dining, “The FWD is a perfect fit. It is essentially a mechanical stomach that breaks down food and eliminates it in an ecological way that aligns with the college’s stance on environmental sustainability. This technology allows us to manage food waste that composting alone could not. The FWD program not only promotes responsibility among students to decrease food waste, but allows GC to lead by example to other colleges and universities.”
Additional benefits of the FWD include: reduction in grease tank accumulations and number of required pump outs resulting in efficient operation, reduction in use of trash bags, reduction of on-site food storage and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”
Check us out!
And in case you feel like you need your own mini digester, you can find out more about those here.
And of course, the Guilfordian version of the path your leftovers take…
News on the Guilford Farm
The Guilford College Farm is expanding!
After an extremely successful year in which the farm more than doubled its output [from 5209 lbs to 11764 lbs!], the farm has decided to grow again. According to the Office of Administration, the farm will be adding another full acre plot from currently unused land.
Now we’ll have even more variety to offer you in meals. Stay tuned for more information.
March Recipe: Brown Sugar & Mustard Bacon
Serves 4
8 - pieces thickly sliced bacon (applewood smoked)
dijon mustard
1 1/2 - dark brown sugar
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Lightly coat both sides with mustard, dredge in brown sugar, shake off excess
- Place on baking rack, on foil lined baking sheet
- Bake in upper third of oven until crisp, about 15 minutes
- Transfer to broiler, just long enough to caramelize sugar
- Serve warm
