Fruits & Vegetables Campaign 2013



EIU Fruits & Vegetables Campaign 2013



Here at EIU, students and staff alike are always looking for new ways to help improve the daily lives of the campus community. So what is the HERC up to this Spring semester? One of the new programs that are being featured during Spring 2013 is the EIU Fruits & Vegetables Campaign!

What is the Fruits and Vegetables Campaign? The HERC is getting together and working with County Market and EIU Housing and Dinning in an attempt to get students to increase their daily consumption of fruits and vegetables to 5-9 servings per day. According to the American College Health Association, the average servings a college student consumes of fruits and vegetables each day is only about 2.

So what is the proper serving amount when it comes to our fruit and vegetable intake? Well according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and MyPlate, on average half of your plate each meal should be made up of fruits and vegetables.

The HERC is determined to show students that eating healthy doesn’t mean that you have to ‘suffer’ through boring foods that they easily get tired of or may never have the taste for. Each week the Campaign will have a theme in which there will be certain goals that the participants will take part in. From "Getting Leafy with it" to “Going Bananas,” there are a wide variety of fun and interesting themes. Each week participating students will also get an informational card that has tips for the week that go along with each theme. The informational card will also include a yummy recipe on it! And let’s be honest… What can go wrong with a free healthy recipe for brownies or omelets?

To accompany this campaign, which will primarily take place within the dining halls, there will be posters and paw prints located throughout the dining halls, student union, and County Market that will help provide students with more helpful tips and information. A presentation will also be made available upon request which would be great for floor programs, student organization meetings and more!

This year can be a year for change, so why not start with a change for the better? Start with learning about proper nutrition and about the importance of fruits and vegetables by taking part in this year’s Fruits & Vegetables 2013 Campaign! For more information or to sign up in the focus group, please email the Nutrition Education Coordinator at herc-nutritioned@eiu.edu.

Want a sneak peak at the campaigns themes? Check it out!

Timeline of Events:
Eat 5-9  Servings to Fuel Your 9-5 Life
Make ½ Your Plate Fruits & Vegetables
Get Leafy With It
Go Bananas
Veg Out
Get Fruity

Resources:

EIU Fruits & Vegetables 2013 Campaign PageEIU: http://www.eiu.edu/herc/nutrition_fruitsveggies.php

MyPlate.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Online at http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/fruitsvegetables/index.html