Columbia University Dining

Making Good Food Choices

As we go through our lives, we are constantly surrounded by thousands of food choices. How do we know which foods are good for us and which products we should stay away from? What constitutes a healthy choice from an unhealthy choice? These are just some questions that each of us needs to answer for ourselves, as there are many factors that influence quality of food and food choice. Therefore, it’s important that we all become educated consumers in order to care for our individual health and well-being.

America is the land of the plenty; we have tremendous portion sizes, which can easily allow us to consume more daily calories than we need. In addition, research shows that the average American often underestimates how many calories they are consuming each day by as much as 25%. Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to what we eat and also to how much we eat in order to maintain a healthy weight.

A great way to begin understanding your food choices is to do a nutrient analysis for your favorite foods and recipes. The NutritionData Nutrition Facts & Calorie Counter will help you do just that!

Proper Portion Sizes

Understanding portion size is imperative in maintaining a healthy mind and body. It’s important that you notice how much you are eating, regardless of what food you are eating. There are many foods to consume in order to eat a balanced diet, therefore small portions of a greater variety are recommended. Selecting sensible portion sizes will help you maintain a desired body weight while achieving a more varied, balanced diet that includes foods from all the food groups.

According to the USDA, 1 serving equals:

The Grain Group

         1 slice of bread
        ½ cup cooked rice, cereal, or pasta [size of a muffin tin]
        1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal [about 2 handfuls]
        1 tortilla, roll, or small muffin
        ½ English muffin, small bagel, or hamburger bun

The Vegetable Group

½ cup cooked vegetables [size of a baseball]
1 cup tossed salad [size of your closed fit]
1 medium potato
¾ cup vegetable juice
½ cup raw chopped vegetables [size of a baseball]

The Fruit Group

1 medium whole fruit
¾ cup of fruit juice
½ cup canned fruit [size of a baseball]
¼ cup dried fruit

The Milk Group

1 cup milk
8 ounces yogurt [1 carton]
1 ½ - 2 ounces cheese [size of a book of matches]
1 ½ cup ice cream
1 cup frozen yogurt

The Meat and Meat Alternative Group

3 ounces of cooked meat, poultry, or fish [size of a deck of cards]
1/4 pound hamburger patty
2 whole eggs
1 cup cooked beans [size of your fist]
4 tablespoons of peanut butter

Fats, Oils, and Sweets

Use sparingly; use healthy oils such as olive oil and canola oil

Further Resources on Portion Size:

Making Sense of Portion Sizes
A website funded by the Dairy Council of California that compares portion sizes to common items to help with estimating

"Portion Distortion" Quiz
Quiz from the National Institutes of Health

To Top 

Reading Nutrition Fact Labels

As it is important to watch the amount you eat, it’s even more so to know what you are eating! Thankfully, we have Nutrition Fact Labels that list all the ingredients, as well as the nutritional information of each product. The Nutrition Fact Label is to help you make healthier food choices that will nourish and fuel your body. From the label, you can also determine the serving size; at first, it may be helpful to measure out serving sizes and before you know it, you will get an “eye” for proper portion size.

Why Use Food Labels?

1.     It highlights information on saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, and other nutrients that are of major health concern.
2.    They give us % Daily Values. These % values help us see how a food fits into our overall daily diets.
3.    They give us nutrition information about almost every food item.
4.    They are easy to use and they give us important information to make healthful food choices.
5.    Food Labels have consistent serving size amounts to make it easier to compare similar foods and make healthier choices.

How to Understand Food Labels:

Further information on Nutrition Fact Labels:

Guidance on How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Panel on Food Labels
A nutrition label reading guide from the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Reading Food Labels
An interactive site which describes the different parts of the Nutrition Fact Label.

Using the Food Label
This webpage is from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute with interactive questions about nutrition fact labels.

Working to Relieve Stress

Why Stress is Negative:

Stress is a part of life. We will be faced with many times of stress throughout our lifetimes, so we must learn how to deal with these situations effectively. Stress can be harmful, both physically and mentally - examples of physical stress include having too much to do, not getting enough sleep, or having a poor diet. Mental stress can be caused by many factors such as worrying over an exam, grades, or family troubles.

In response to stress, our bodies automatically increase blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and blood flow to the muscles. This response is preparing the body to react quickly to a high-pressure situation. However, if you are stressed frequently and you don’t make adjustments to relieve stress, stress can threaten both your health and well-being.

Tips for Reducing or Controlling Stress:

• Eat Balanced Meals – inadequate nutrition (eating the same foods each day or not enough meals) is harmful. You need variety and balance to give your body the vitamins and nutrients it needs to fight sickness, disease, and stress.
• Eat Small, Frequent Meals and Snacks – this will keep your blood sugar and energy levels steady. Not eating enough can lead to fatigue, low concentration, and headaches.
• Limit Sweets and Sugary Foods – too much sugar encourages over-eating. Limit soda to one 12-ounce drink or less per day. Skip snack foods such as potato chips, cakes, and ice cream. Try snacking on low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit, nuts, trail mix, popcorn, whole wheat pretzels, frozen juice bars, oatmeal, soups, or a small sandwich.
• Eat More Vegetables and High Fiber Foods – vegetables and high fiber foods such as oatmeal, whole grain breads and pastas, nuts, and beans offer many health benefits. Eat these foods and replenish the vitamins and minerals that stress can drain out of you
• Drink Water – drink at least 8 cups of fresh water each day. To increase your water intake, try carrying around a water bottle to sip on throughout the day or replace beverages such as soda and juice with water.
• Limit Caffeine Intake – caffeine will give you immediate energy but causes a drop in energy later on in the day. Caffeine can also dehydrate you and interfere with regular sleeping patterns. Limit intake of coffee and other food and drinks with caffeine.
• Exercise – regular exercise is a good way to relieve stress. 20-30 minutes of physical activity daily will benefit the body and mind!

Stress Reduction Techniques

Relaxation: Stress increases muscle tension, which causes anxiety. By relaxing your  muscles, you can help to reduce your heart rate and blood pressure. In order to help reduce stress and anxiety you can use the following relaxation technique - tense  individual muscles or muscle groups for several seconds and then release the tension, allowing the muscles to gradually relax; this process can be repeated as needed.

Deep Breathing: Proper breathing is essential for good mental and physical health. The next time you feel stressed, take a few moments to practice deep breathing. Do this by getting into a comfortable seated position and taking deep measured breaths (inhale while counting up from 1 to 4 and then exhale while counting down from 4 to 1) and repeat numerous times. Deep breathing assists in relaxation by increasing the amount of oxygen that circulates through the body. 

Visualization: Sometimes we become tense and overwhelmed by thinking about all the things we need to get done or what we didn't get done. When we do this, we are giving ourselves negative messages which can stress out our bodies and our mind. Instead, we can use the power of imagination to refocus our minds on positive images. We can do this by getting into a comfortable position, closing our eyes, and visualizing a place associated with safety and relaxation. It doesn't matter what you visualize, as long as it's calming to you. As your mind relaxes so does your body.