UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa – HealthWorks, the peer health-educating program within Penn State's University Health Services, is launching a series of healthy recipes for students, located online at healthypennstate.psu.edu.
The blog is inspired by a recent study that found Penn State students were consuming less than the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. Specifically, 37 percent of University Park students reported that they ate three or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day, according to the Penn State’s National College Health Assessment data collected in spring 2013.
The assessment, by the American College Health Association, is a nationally recognized research survey that collects data about students’ health habits, behaviors and perceptions.
“The eating habits of students at Penn State could certainly be improved. Fruits and vegetables can help to maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of developing certain chronic diseases later in life,” said Linda LaSalle, associate director, Health Promotion and Wellness.
The online cookbook is comprised of healthy main dishes, snacks and desserts, with the goal of helping students to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diets. Students will have access to more than 25 recipes by the end of this semester.
Students are invited to make the recipes and upload photos of their meals to Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #healthypsu. UHS will be featuring some images along with the recipes on the blog.
For more information about the campaign, contact Jill Nadorlik, UHS marketing manager, by email at jen5005@psu.edu or by phone at 814-865-7921.