Iowa State Dining's Dietitian

If you haven’t noticed, ISU Dining has officially opened their newest retail dining location! Lance and Ellie’s, named after Iowa State’s beloved swans Sir Lancelot and Elaine, opened last month in the Memorial Union Food Court.  They offer an array of delicious hot and cold sandwiches, sides, and desserts. Their sub buns are made-from-scratch daily, and they serve Boar’s Head premium deli meats. First choose your base, and then decide if you’d like to stack, roll, or toss it. Stack includes a sourdough or whole wheat sub bun. Roll uses a wheat wrap for your base and toss is a salad with house-blended greens. They also offer two hot sandwiches, a Southeast Asian pork with cabbage slaw and a vegetarian option with BBQ jackfruit.  Whether you prefer unique sandwiches or more traditional subs, Lance and Ellie’s has something for everyone! Their one-of-a-kind items include Soy Harvest which is topped with fried tofu, The Roast contains horseradish-infused cheese, and the Farmer includes eggs and bacon. Of course, if you prefer more traditional sandwiches they have you covered with simple favorites like ham or turkey with cheese.  Top your sandwich or wrap with their amazing homemade pickles and add veggies for a nice crunch. They also offer chips, but if you’re looking for a healthier side try the protein-packed edamame salad or seasonal fresh fruit cup. If you’re still hungry for dessert, order their homemade marble cookie or mocha brownie which you can’t find anywhere else on campus! Lance and Ellie’s is open 5 days a week for lunch and dinner, and Saturdays until 3 pm. Download the GET App so you can easily order your meal online and then pick it up at your convenience. We hope to see you soon at Lance and Ellie’s!

This blog post was written by Amber Baughman, Menu Manager Assistant

The Local Food Fest, which took place on September 19, was an event that showcased and celebrated local foods on campus. Many local vendors and campus organizations attended the festival to sample and sell their local products, as well as spread the word about how and where to buy and eat local food items. The event took place on central campus and despite the cold start to the event, many students walked through central campus to enjoy the smells of fresh, local food items. Vendors and groups who attended the Local Food Fest included AE Dairy sampling their chocolate milk and flavored yogurt made from milk from Iowa dairy farms, the ISU Horticulture Farm selling their produce, and your very own ISU Dining was present sampling their locally sourced tofu and fresh vegetables. 

If you stopped by the ISU Dining booth, you had a chance to sample our fresh tofu salad and homemade salsa. The tofu salad showcased dining’s locally sourced tofu from Old Capitol Farms in Iowa City, IA, as well as fresh vegetables from the ISU Horticulture Farm in Ames, IA. If you missed out on the chance to stop by the ISU Dining booth to sample the tofu salad, here is the recipe, and you can try it for yourself! 

Annie Contrady, ISU Dietetic Intern

Student Wellness is working closely with campus partners to promote a variety of wellness programs, including food, nutrition, and body image programs titled ‘Joyful Eating’. 

Welcome back Iowa State students! This school year we have many new and exciting changes occurring at the dining centers that I am thrilled to tell you about! The new Friley Windows dining center is officially open, which is located below Friley and can be entered on the east side by Lake Laverne. It features stations offering trendy foods including international flavors, homemade pizzas, comfort foods, and vegan and vegetarian items. Go visit and try the homemade garden pizza for a vegetarian favorite! Another change occurring this year is a new all-day breakfast station at UDCC. Stop by for a made-to-order protein-packed omelet to keep you full for a busy day!

Additionally, Conversations dining center hours are changing, so breakfast and Late Night meals will no longer be available. Instead, Seasons and Friley Windows will offer Late Night food items from 7 pm to 10 pm and 11 pm, respectively. With the new unlimited meal plan, this will be the perfect opportunity to grab some fruit or a small dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth at night! Another perk of this meal plan is that you don’t have to “get your money’s worth” and load up on full plates of food. Instead you can have smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. Finally, Storms Dining has started offering hot entrees for lunch, along with the salad bar, deli sandwiches and flatbreads, and desserts. If you’re over by the Wilson and Wallace Towers, stop over and enjoy the hummus bar, which offers two types of delicious hummus. Pair it with fresh, crunchy vegetables to get a fiber boost! We hope you enjoy your dining adventure this year!

Check out my student manager’s profile on the College of Human Sciences website here! One of the best parts of my job as a campus dietitian is getting to work with outstanding students like Anna. 

Thank you for all your hard work and your dedication, Anna!

One of my favorite kitchen tricks!

Finding delicious plant-based foods is incredibly easy these days. New products are introduced to the market all the time and every well-stocked grocery store has a section dedicated to plant-based products. Below is a list for easy plant-based substitutes:

Milk: a variety of plant milks, such as soy, almond, coconut, hemp and oat milk. For example, soy milk is delicious in your latte and almond milk is great to pour over your cereal.

Cheese: there are good vegan cheeses, such as Follow Your Heart, Daiya, Field Roast Chao and many others.

Yogurt: Silk makes great probiotic soy yogurts in a variety of flavors, and there are other brands, as well.

Ice cream: there are multiple brands that make non-dairy ice cream, including Ben & Jerry’s and Breyers. For a healthy homemade treat, slice ripe banana into ½” slices, put in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze for 2 hours. Then process in a food processor until it reaches the consistency of a soft-serve ice cream. You can add in other fruits such as strawberries or mango. For additional nutritional boost, add some peanut or almond butter while processing the bananas.

Butter: Earth Balance (several varieties, including sticks for baking and whipped butter). For a healthier version, mashed avocado is great on toast! 

Mayo: Just Mayo or Hellmann’s vegan mayo. In baking, substitute the eggs with applesauce, banana or ground flax seeds.

Meat: beans and legumes are very cheap and nutritious substitutes. Here are some easy and filling combos: hummus and pita bread, rice and beans/lentils, a peanut butter sandwich or veggie burgers (homemade or store-bought). There are also commercial meat substitutes; my personal favorite is Gardein (check out their “chick’n” crispy tenders). Tofurky is a great brand for deli slices in a variety of flavors and Field Roast has some delicious brats. For a simple hotdog, Lightlife’s “Smart Dogs” are terrific.

Don’t be afraid to try new things and you will be surprised to find a whole new world of delicious food! 

Here are some of my favorite cookbooks and blogs for inspiration:

“Isa Does It” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

 “The Oh She Glows Cookbook” by Angela Liddon: 

“The Simple Veganista” blog – her Veggie Loaf is delicious!

Eating more plant foods is good for your health 

Just recently, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics updated their 2009 position paper on plant-based diets, saying that an "appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes or vegan diet is suitable for "all stages of the life cycle," and adopting such diets in childhood can reduce the risk of chronic disease later in life. A well-planned vegetarian diet will contain vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and nuts. It is never too late to incorporate more plant-based foods into your diet and enjoy the benefits. 

Plant-based diets are good for the environment

Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products. For example, a vegetarian diet and a vegan diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent and 50 percent, respectively. This is because vegetarian and vegan diets use less water, fossil fuel resources, pesticides, and fertilizers than meat-based diets (and don't forget the greenhouse gases emissions from livestock). Many scientists are calling for a substantial reduction of livestock products in the diet of humans as a major way to reverse climate change. As an example, the authors say that producing 1 kilogram of protein from kidney beans would require "18 times less land, 10 times less water, nine times less fuel, 12 times less fertilizer, and 10 times less pesticide in comparison to producing 1 kilogram of protein from beef." The use of antibiotics in farm animals as growth promoters and for the prevention and treatment of animal diseases has generated antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This is a major public health problem because this antibiotic resistance can be transmitted to humans through animal food consumption. This leads to illnesses that are difficult to treat, resulting in increased death rate. Concluding their paper, the American Academy of Dietetics say that compared with omnivorous diets, vegan and vegetarian diets can protect our health and the environment.  

Click here for the full version of the paper.