“Chocolate milk would be just as healthy as Gatorade after a fitness work out,” said Judy Dodd, MS, RD, LDN, Corporate Nutritionist at Giant Eagle and keynote speaker for the Healthy Eating Active Lifestyles (HEALS) assembly at the Pittsburgh Job Corps Center.  She asked students to read labels on drink bottles for calorie count and sugar quantity.  She then made a stack of sugar cubes and said this is the amount in a bottle of orange drink.  

 Talking about fat is always an attention getter, too.  Her visual of 10 lbs. of fat was very impressive.  To balance our weight we must balance our eating.  Cut back on foods high in solid fats, added sugars, and salt.  For the same amount of calories you could select nutritious foods that would provide energy and less sugar.  “We all have a genetic make-up and can’t change that, but we can make good choices and select options that will keep cholesterol down, diabetes at bay, and provide a healthier you.”  Ms. Dodd said to eat the right amount of calories for you and be physically active.

There was discussion about “the plate” instead of the pyramid of foods, and the amount of food intake that keeps us healthy.   Using the plate design measures your meals.  Plates are divided into four sections representing fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein.   

Ms. Dodd spoke before a packed crowd of 350 students and staff.  Her remarks set the stage for the Healthy Eating Food Show organized on center by Michael Smalley, AVI Food Service Manager at PJCC.   

The Food Service at PJCC also announced new daily menus.  There is a HEALS entrée selection at every meal.  Students applauded when they heard this news.  “It appears that our students are becoming more health conscious thanks to Michelle Obama’s ‘Let’s Move’ campaign and its incorporation on center,” said Molly Taleb, center director.