Sargent aims to promote healthy eating

Students and faculty crowded the lobby of Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences early Monday morning to receive a free, health-conscious breakfast and kick off the Second Annual Healthy Lifestyle Challenge.

"People loved the event last year so we figured we'd make it an annual thing," Sargent Public Relations Director Pam Powell said. "There were just about 1,200 people last year, and we've already had 1,100 people sign up as of last Friday."

The first challenge of the year, "Make 1/2 Your Grains Whole," suggests substituting food made with white flour with whole grain foods, which have been shown to combat heart disease, cancer and obesity.

Throughout the year, participants will receive an email every two weeks with a new tips and tasks for healthy lifestyle. Participants who respond about their performance are entered into drawings for gift certificates.

Nutrition professor Joan Salge-Blake is one of the faculty organizers of the program.

"People love this because when it comes to making lifestyle changes it needs to go bite by bite, step by step," she said. "If you make one change a week, after a year that's 52 changes to your lifestyle. That's a tremendous amount accomplished that would have seemed too overwhelming."

This year's breakfast - "Good Food to Go" - focused on lean dairy and whole grains featuring a Sargent Choice blueberry muffin. Sargent Choice is the college's line of nutritionally balanced foods currently available at Fresh Food Co., Shelton and the Fitness Recreation Center and will be available campus-wide this January.

College of Arts and Sciences freshman Vanessa Driscoll signed up for the Sargent Challenge.

"It's important with all the temptations of dorm food to try and stay healthy," she said. "But there's a lot of options that make it easier, walking on campus or working out at FitRec."

Sargent freshman Allison Gorsky said the health options are good to have on campus.

"I love the Sargent Choice meals," she said. "I'm definitely going to try the Challenge."

All 750 breakfasts were gone by 9:30 a.m., two hours after the Challenge began.

"I think this generation is back to eating real food," Salge-Blake said. "It's important to form these positive habits early because then you keep them your whole life. That's the beauty of diet and a healthy lifestyle, it can both treat and prevent illness and disease."