EASYNUTRITIONALGUIDANCE:UNDERSTANDINGTHESAGESPOTLIGHTPROGRAM®https://www.sagedining.com/blog/post/128312/easy-nutritional-guidance-understanding-the-sage-spotlight-programNewslettercontent"Whatdothosedotsonourmenumean?"
TheSAGEDiningphilosophyisthatnofoodsarebad—everythinghasaplacewhenyoupracticetheprinciplesofvariety,balance,andmoderation.TheSpotlightProgramisatricoloredlabelingsystemthatguideshealthyfoodchoicesandeducatesonhowtobuildaplate.
Everyitemonouronlinemenu,andintheTouchofSAGEapp,willincludeadotcolor.ThedininghalldisplaysaSAGESpotlightProgram®postershowinghowaplateshouldbecreated.Inaddition,thereiseitherprintedmenusignsortabletsdisplayingthedotcolorsnexttoeachmenuitemontheservingline.
Green-dotfoodsarethefoundationoftheplate.Everyday,halfoftheplateshouldincludeavarietyofgreen-dotfoodsforaddedcolorandnutrients.
Yellow-dotfoodsaddamixofnutrientsandflavorstotheplate.Balancetheplatebyfillingaquartertoahalfofitwithyellow-dotfoods.
Red-dotfoodsmayormaynotprovidevaluablenutrients,butdefinitelycontainsometoeatinmoderation.Focusingonportionorfrequencyisagreatwaytoenjoyred-dotfoods.Reserveaquarteroftheplateforred-dotfoodsorenjoythemacoupletimesperweek.
CurrentlytheSpotlightcolorsareassignedbasedontheamountofsaturatedfat,addedsugars,andsodiumafooditemcontains.InresponsetothemostrecentUSDADietaryGuidelinesforAmericans,SAGEisupdatingthecriteriatoevaluatenutrientdensityandtherelativehealthfulnessofafood,ratherthanevaluatingfornegativenutrientsalone.Inthenextyear,theprogramwilladditionallyevaluatetheamountofnutrientsthatAmericanstendtounderconsumeincluding:calcium,potassium,dietaryfiber,vitaminD,andiron.Theupdatealsodifferentiatesbetweentotalfatandsaturatedfat,givingfoodscreditfortheirhealthyunsaturatedfats,suchasthoseinoliveoilandfish.
BesuretousethedotsoftheSpotlightProgramasaguideforhealthyeating!
Socialmedia"Whatdothosedotsonourmenumean?"Readabout@SAGEDining’snutritionalguidanceprogram,Spotlight,asimpleandeffectiveprogramtoguidehealthyfoodchoicesandeducateonhowtobuildaplate.#nutrition
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FOODTOFUELSTUDENTATHLETEShttps://www.sagedining.com/blog/post/124167/food-to-fuel-student-athletes
NewslettercontentAbout30%ofteenathletesskipbreakfastand25%skiplunch.That’sabigmistake.Studentathleteshavedifferentnutritionalneeds,especiallyontrainingandgamedays.Toperformtheirbest,theyneedtherightfuel.
Therearethreekeycomponentstotheideal“performanceplate”:grainsorstarches,proteins,andfruitsandvegetables.
Grains/Starches:EnergyGlucose,thebuildingblockofcarbohydrates,isthemainsourceofenergyforourmusclesandourcentralnervoussystem.First,ourbodiesusewhat’savailableinyourbloodstream.Thentheymoveontoglycogen,thestoredglucoseinourmusclesandliver.Thebodycanonlystoresomuchglycogen,soit’svitaltoreplenishitsstores.Ifitrunsout,thenit’llbegintobreakdownmuscleproteinsforenergy,whichnegativelyimpactsperformanceandrecovery.Withoutadequatefuel,athletesexperiencefatigue,difficultyconcentrating,andreducedmotorskills.
Proteins:Recovery&Muscle-Building
Proteinsareinvolvedinthedevelopment,growth,andrepairofmuscleaswellasotherbodytissues.Leandietaryproteinisbestbecausetoomanysaturatedfatswillpromoteinflammation,whichisdetrimentaltoperformanceandrecovery.
Fruits&Vegetables:DefenseFruitsandveggiesprovideourbodieswithvitaminsandmineralsthathelpusstayhealthy!Theyalsoprovideantioxidants,whichkeepourimmunesystemsintopshapeforperformance,aidinrecovery,andprotectcellsfromoxidativestresscausedbyincreasedoxygenintakeduringexercise.
AndDon’tForgettoHydrate!Adequatehydrationiscriticalbothinpreparationfor,andinrecoveryfrom,physicalactivity.Inadditiontodrinkingtherecommendedhalfofhisorherbodyweightinouncesofwateraday,there’salwaysroomforfluid-richfruitsandvegetablesinanathlete’sdiet.
TrainingandGameDay—What’stheDifference?Ontrainingdays,it’srecommendedthatathleteseatequalamountsofgrains/starches,protein,andvegetables.Butongamedays,theyneedmoreenergy.
Forintensetrainingandcompetition,glucosestoresneedtobetoppedoff.The1960sstudiesthatgaveus“carbo-loading”wereontosomething.Thecarbohydratesathletesconsumeonehourbeforeexerciseaddtotheirglucoselevels,andthoseconsumedfourhoursbeforeexerciseaddtotheirglycogenstores.
Buteatingmoderateamountsoffiber,fat,andproteinkeepathletessatiatedduringagame.Eatingtoomuchofthese,however,wouldleadtoslowdigestionandthediscomfortofexercisingonafullstomach.Usetheseguidelines,whichholdtrueacrossallmeals—breakfast,lunch,anddinner–whenbuildingaplateontrainingandgamedays.
Socialmedia#Athletesneedtothinkaboutthemealtheyeatforlunchbeforeanintenseathleticpracticeorgame.Readaboutthethreekeycomponentstotheideal“performanceplate”andhowtheyhelpathletesperform.@SAGEDining#nutritionPhotos
