EATING 101

RU DINING HEALTHY?
A Weekly Newsletter Brought To You By The RU Healthy Dining TeamA Joint Program Between RU Dining Services and The Department of Nutritional Sciences
Another edition of Dear HDT has arrived! You have questions, we have answers. For the last few weeks
youve been asking nutritional questions on our social media sites. Here are some of our answers:

Dear HDT,
How many calories are in this emoticon ?
Lucky for you, that pizza emoji is calorie free! Even cooler, studies show repeated exposure to foods can reduce
cravings. So check out that pepperoni slice any time you like! One real slice of 14 pepperoni pizza is
about 340 calories.

There are very unusual things people eat on the show My Strange Addiction. One lady ate powdered
bleach and another ate couch cushions. Really the question I'm getting at is: Do you watch that show?
Compulsively eating substances without nutritional value is actually a disorder known as pica. It can cause a variety of
complications such as obstruction of the digestive tract, toxicities or parasitic infections. So the answer Im getting at is:
Ive seen the episode where the woman eats toilet paper.

How fattening is it to drink alcohol?

For all you 21 year olds and older, calorie content depends on the drink. A light 12 oz beer and a
1.5 oz shot of vodka are both roughly 100 calories while a 9 oz. pia colada is about 500.
Regardless, none of these options are low calorie when multiplied by 6. Drink responsibly.

How much water do I really need to drink a day?

The daily recommendation for water is 13 cups for men and 9 cups for women. Remember, you get water from food as
well as drinks and your intake should be adjusted for increased physical activity and outside temperature.

Would an all broccoli diet be healthy?

While there is a ton of nutritional value in broccoli, a healthy diet requires a variety of foods. Not to
mention, the fiber content of that much broccoli means a whole lot of time in the bathroom, if youre
picking up what Im putting down.
Didnt get to ask your question? Find us on social media and ask away! You may be featured in another
edition of Dear HDT.

Xoxo, HDT
Authoredby:TaylorPalm

Reviewedby: Peggy Policastro, MS, RD-Department of Nutritional Sciences

References: How Much Water Do I Need Each Day? Available at: http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442462188.
Accessed on: November 12, 2014. Morewedge, C.K., et al. 2010 Rose EA, Porcerelli JH, Neale AV: Pica: common but commonly
missed. J Am Board Fam Pract 2000, 13(5):353-8.Alcohol calorie calculator. Available at:
http://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/toolsresources/caloriecalculator.asp Accessed on: November 12, 2014 How do I count empty
calories I eat? Available at: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/emptycalories_count_table.html Accessed on: November 12,
2014. Thought for Food: Imagined Consumption Reduces Actual Consumption. Science 330: 1530-1533.

Questions? Post on our Facebook (RU Healthy Dining Team) or Twitter (@RUHDT) or e-mail us at peggyp@dining.edu. Our
mission is to educate students about nutrition and encourage them to make healthier food and lifestyle choices. For more info,
nutrient analysis and past newsletters, visit our web page at http://food.rutgers.edu or visit our blog at http://ruhdt.wordpress.com