Eating in dining halls can be difficult especially if you’re trying to maintain a healthy and balanced diet among the overload of starchy and sugary foods found their or if you’re a picky eater.
The other day I walked into lunch and they were serving Shepard’s Pie, not a terribly unhealthy meal but often times the mashed potatoes can hide loads of not-so healthy butter. They were also serving sweet potatoes (one of my all-time favorite foods) which are full of important nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, riboflavin, phosphorus, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium and iron, not to mention fiber. Well having Shepard’s Pie and sweet potatoes seemed like too much food and too much starch but there was no other protein option being served. This is where being creative and aware of your options is important.
I’m sorry if this bothers anyone but I did what I needed to do in order to properly fuel my body and my taste buds (cough cough sweet potatoes). I used the serving spoon to scoop up only the stuffing (meat and peas) of the Shepard’s Pie and continued down the line to add sweet potatoes, peppers and some other veggies. While some people might be put off by only taking part of the Shepard’s Pie it’s important to keep in mind that your priority is to feed yourself to meet your own individual needs, you’re paying for this food so make sure it is enjoyable and works for you and that someone else was probably really happy to get a extra potato-y scoop of Shepard’s Pie. Let this serve as a reminder and example that sometimes a little out of the box thinking is all it takes in order to be properly fed and fueled.
Fed and Fueled 