The faculty and students associated with Dietetics, one of the options in the Nutritional Sciences Program at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, have had an amazing year! Peggy Policastro, nutritionist at Rutgers Dining Services and director of Behavioral Nutrition and the Student Ambassador Program was selected to receive the Mary Abbott Hess Award […]
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FDA Looks to Redefine ‘Healthy’ on Food Labels
Let’s take a quiz. In moderation, these are all considered healthy foods, right? Wrong. Not if you’re using current FDA guidelines… “The FDA’s current guidelines are based on scientific evidence that’s a little old, circa 1990, and at that time we demonized fat and said fat was the culprit. So a lot of recommendations are based on how much fat is in the item,” said Peggy Policastro, director of behavioral nutrition at Rutgers New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health… “The government certainly has some bad diet advice. You can see that through the course of many decades with respect to trans fats and margarines and things like that,” said Ian Keith, chef manager at Harvest Café at Rutgers New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health.
Healthy Dining at IFNH’s Harvest is an Ideal Way to Celebrate National Nutrition Month
March is National Nutrition Month, which is celebrated by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics by focusing attention on healthy food choices. This year’s theme, Savor the Flavor of Eating Right, harnesses the idea of taking the time to enjoy food traditions and appreciate the pleasures, great flavors and social experiences food can add to […]
Healthier Cold Cuts: Does ‘Low-Fat, Low-Sodium’ Make A Difference?
No matter how you slice it, one thing seems clear when taking a number at today’s supermarket deli counter. A half a pound of turkey is no longer just a half a pound of turkey. It’s a half a pound of Boar’s Head Hickory Smoked Black Forest Turkey Breast – 40 Percent Lower Sodium, cut thin but not too thin, please… But in the end, what is this stuff, really? If you blindfolded someone, could they really tell which ham was the Maple Glazed and which one was the Virginia Smoked variety? Are we really doing ourselves any favors by ordering the low-fat liverwurst, and the low-sodium bologna? Or are we fools being seduced by the ever-smiling deli man or woman in their white butcher’s coat and name badge, and terms like “hand crafted,” “classic cut,” “premium” or “46 percent sodium free?”… “Just like with all foods, there are some deli meats that are better for you than others,” says Peggy Policastro, nutrition specialist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. “An oven-roasted turkey breast will be on the healthier side, versus something like salami, which contains byproducts of different foods, higher sodium, etc.,” she says.
Eaters Open Wide for More Nutritious Menu Options
After years of belly stuffing, some industry insiders say that even the most indulgent eaters among the American dining public may finally have gotten their fill. The people who never cared about salt before? They’re starting to ask about salt, now. Forget about extra crispy- the Sizzler crowd now wants their chicken healthy, and farm-raised. Diners who once asked for brown gravy or cheese sauce on their french fries now want the potatoes to be hand-cut, and baked. And macaroni and cheese? It’s been replaced by a side of beets… Peggy Policastro, nutrition specialist for the New Jersey Institute for Food Nutrition and Health at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, said that while it’s true more people are aware of healthy eating than ever, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are actually eating better… “It’s all about psychology,” said Policastro, who teaches a course at Rutgers called “The Hunger Frame,” focusing on what she terms “behavioral nutrition.”
Food for Thought During National Nutrition Month®
March is National Nutrition Month® and is a particularly good time to pause before making your daily food choices. In this featured video, Peggy Policastro, an instructor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, discusses a Byrne Seminar she co-teaches called “The Hunger Frames,” which explores how redesigning the dining environment can promote healthier eating. Policastro […]
US Dietary Guidelines Focus on Curtailing Sugar
The latest word from an advisory panel that helps form U.S. dietary guidelines confirms what nutritionists have been saying in recent years: Cholesterol-rich foods like eggs and shrimp aren’t as bad for us as previously believed, but sugars definitely …
Faculty and Staff Accomplishments
We congratulate these SEBS and NJAES faculty and staff on their accomplishments, appointments and awards below. For university-wide announcements, please visit the Rutgers Faculty and Staff Newsletter. 2024 Thomas Molnar, associate professor in the Department of Plant Biology, is the principal investigator of a four-year grant totaling $170,000 from the Ferrero Hazelnut Company (Ferrero HCo), […]
IFNH Participates in RWJF Health Forum for NJ Statewide Stakeholders
On June 20, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) hosted a new national initiative, Culture of Health Forum, at its headquarters in Princeton, NJ. This special forum for statewide stakeholders featured two panels of leaders and experts in the health field and focused on a discussion on how a culture of health in America can be […]
IFNH Leadership Team Meets to Chart Course for the Institute
On February 24, the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition & Health (IFNH) held the first official meeting of its collective leadership team. The leadership team is made up of institute champions and advocates from three academic departments, three major staff organizations, and three schools within the university, underscoring the institute’s core values of interdisciplinarity, […]
