Faculty and Staff – Page 19

What I know, what I do…

May 6, 2014/in EatWell /by uclahealthycampusinitiative

By: Michael Goldstein, Associate Vice Provost, Healthy Campus Initiative

Everyone has a favorite comfort food. For me it’s Jelly Belly Sours. No, not the full array of a zillion Jelly Belly flavors. I’m Mr. Willpower when it comes to them. But, just Jelly Belly Sours… that’s a different story.

Now I am pretty well informed about the research on how availability influences the amount we eat. I know that there are scores of studies showing that, regardless of how hungry we are, if someone offers larger portions, we eat more. Offer us bigger plates or serving spoons and we will take more and eat more. And plenty of studies have shown that the enjoyment or satisfaction that we get from a food we love also depends on portion size. We feel just as satisfied with a small amount as long as there isn’t more around to tempt us.

But back to those Jelly Belly Sours. If you want them, you have to go to the supermarket where you can find them in little 3.5 ounce bags for about $3.50 or $4.00. What a rip off. The whole thing couldn’t cost the international Jelly Belly cartel more than a quarter. Once I overcome my anger at the price and buy them I usually find that my craving is satisfied after one or two hands full; leaving the rest for another day. But here on campus it’s a different story. The candy shop in Ackerman Union has a huge, clear canister filled with Jelly Belly Sours, and I have the “freedom” to take the exact amount I want. I control the lever that sends them spilling into the big bag they give you. I know how just much I need to feel satisfied and that’s what I take. For the past few visits, I’ve kept my receipts and guess what? Each and every time I wind up buying a good deal more than 3.5 ounces; sometimes a lot more. Well, at least I must be lots happier with so much more of my favorite snack. Not really. In fact, it usually turns out that all I can think about when those final precious beans enter my mouth is that huge, beautiful canister at the store. I say to myself, “If I’d only held the lever down a few more seconds I‘d have some more, and that would be what I really need to satisfy myself.”

Of course, I’m strongly in favor of “freedom of choice” when it comes to most everything, especially Jelly Belly Sours. But then, again…

Beauty and Richness of Food in Own Lives and Cultures

April 8, 2014/in EatWell /by uclahealthycampusinitiative

By: Janet Leader, MPH, RD, Associate Director of Nutrition Services, Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

With all of the buzz on campus about nutrition, I’m excited to teach a resurrected course this spring: CHS 130, Nutrition and Health.

Here’s what I hope will happen in the class.

Students will take a look at the beauty and richness of food in their own lives and cultures. From there, they will share their cultural choices with others, and learn why those choices are so important to them. They will explore the basic concepts of nutrition and apply them to their own lives and real-world issues.

Using outside readings and films, students will come to class prepared to discuss controversies and conduct activities that will allow them to analyze their own diets and those of others. They will recognize the changes that occurs in all of us as we move from being an infant to youth to adult and then to our senior years. What are the changes in nutritional requirements as we move through these stages in our lives? What are the healthiest way to meet those requirements?

We will also discuss how our behaviors and environments influence what we eat. Why and how does it matter if you grow up in South LA vs. Santa Monica? What changes are happening in our eating environment, both for the worse and for the better? How can we make a difference in those changes? Visiting community programs that apply nutrition and behavior theory, and inviting interesting guest speakers will excite more discussion.

I look forward to sharing my enjoyment of nutrition sciences and food with the UCLA students. While the class is currently full with a waiting list, it will also be offered in the summer.

My Adventure with the CSA Box

March 4, 2014/in EatWell /by uclahealthycampusinitiative

By: Julie K Kwan, MS, AHIP
Associate Director, UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library and UCLA Science and Engineering Library
Distinguished Librarian, UCLA Library

Last winter, a colleague posted on her Facebook page that she could get CSA boxes in her building. I assumed, enviously, that the boxes were delivered to her apartment building, but I soon learned it was the building where both of us worked! I had been looking for a CSA source for some time, and here it was right in MY building. I signed up immediately!

I was awestruck as I opened my first box. It was beautiful — the color, the texture, the smell. The carrots were short and fat. The avocado was gigantic. The leafy greens were shiny. I looked forward to the weekly surprise, wondering “what would be in the box this week?”

The first six months I read and tested recipes, explored new techniques, and practiced my cooking skills until they were perfect. I sautéed greens, braised carrots, and roasted beets. I started noticing changes in the way I ate. I started spending more time in the produce section at the grocery store. By spring, I started a garden in my back yard. And, it all started with a Facebook post!

South Central Farmers Cooperative delivers to several locations on the UCLA campus. You can sign up and go to the National Agricultural Library’s Community Supported Agriculture page to learn more and to find other farms and locations.